Page 82 of Jamie
“I’d like a hazelnut latte, please.” Jamie smiled up at him.
“Anyone else need anything?”
Nobody did, so Silas headed off and Bran watched him go—he did love that view.
Jamie smiled at him, winked, teasing so hard.
“Brat,” he mouthed, grinning, loving that Jamie felt secure enough to tease, even among a group of people he hardly knew. Their boy was blossoming, and while he would never take the credit, he did feel that he and Silas were providing Jamie the environment where he could.
Jamie blushed, and the boys just giggled, circling his boy and teasing him.
Oh, he’d say that Jamie fit right in, one hundred percent.
“So, how’s he doing?” Jerusalem asked. “Is he settling in?”
“He is. And he’s doing even better since he left the coffee shop. He gets to focus entirely on his writing, on himself, and us. He seems so much happier now.” He smiled at Jamie as he talked, so in love with their boy.
“Excellent. It’s perfect. You two finally found him.Finally.”
“Yeah. We had to kiss a lot of frogs, eh?” He chuckled, maybe that didn’t sound quite right. “Not that I’m calling any of the boys we’ve helped frogs or in any way bad, but they weren’tours.”
“No, but you’ve helped. You deserve a?—”
“Are you James Barnes?” one of the boys said.
Jamie seemed to shrink.
“No,” Bran said. “He’s James Hampton, my and Silas’s boy.” It was no lie. Their Jamie wasn’t that person anymore. He never really had been. It wasn’t a persona he’d wanted.
“I’m just Jamie. It’s… a good name. It suits me.”
He hummed, pleased. Then he reached for Jamie’s hand, stroked it. “It’s our boy’s name.”
“I—”
“It’s okay. It’s super hard to admit at first,” Chrissy told Jamie.
And Chrissy would know. Jerusalem had shared some of his and Christian’s trials with the other Daddies. It was easier for some than others, but Bran appreciated the time Jamie needed to come to know himself deeply, to accept every part of himself.
“I don’t…”
“It’s cool. Trust me, though, it’s amazing when you just let them do what they’re meant to.”
Bran put his hand on Jamie’s back and rubbed gentle circles. “You don’t have to say anything, boy. They’re just telling you their truths. You’ll find yours in time.”
“Okay. We can talk later. At home, huh?”
He nodded. “At home.” He didn’t believe putting pressure on his boy was the way to go. He knew he was Jamie’s Daddy, but he wasn’t going to force that. He had faith Jamie would come to it on his own time.
Jamie had to understand that no one was holding him back. No one wanted him embarrassed. This was about letting them hold him.
Silas returned with a tray containing drinks and pastries. And he cheered. “There’s my man, bringing liquid and sustenance.” He gave Silas a grin and Jamie a wink.
“Hooray coffee!” Jamie stood to help, obviously needing a little comfort.
Jamie passed out the coffees while Silas distributed their desserts between them, putting a cinnamon roll in front of Bran.
“Mmmm. We can split all three between us, though.” He wouldn’t hog all the cinnamon roll.
