Page 59 of Jamie
“Absolutely not.” Bran was emphatic. Good. “This isn’t your fault.”
“We’ll call the police, ask them to drive by the place a few times. That might scare them off.” Silas pondered making obscene statues and leaving them in the front yard.
“I didn’t want to disturb your lives. Now that they know I’m here, they’ll never leave me alone.”
“You don’t think they’ll eventually get bored?” Silas asked. “You aren’t doing movies anymore…” He didn’t understand the obsession with stars to the point of not giving them any privacy.
“I’m not. I’m just a child star has-been, and I love it. I hated being on screen.”
“I think you should move in permanently,” Bran said. “The place where you live in the closet? They can’t keep you safe. We can. We have a security system; we can get a fence put around the place. We can protect you and as much of your privacy as possible.”
Silas just nodded. Bran was the organizer in the family. He would generate a list of everything they needed to do to keep their boy safe and make sure it all happened.
“I don’t want to disturb your life, guys. Ilikeyou.”
“We would rather be disturbed than be without you,” Silas told Jamie. “We more than like you.”
Bran took Jamie’s hand and held it tight. “We will keep you safe. We will take care of you. That’s what we’re here for.”
Jamie’s eyes filled with tears. “Let’s eat. Let’s enjoy tonight.”
Silas brushed the tears away. “Yes. Let’s enjoy our time together. Do you want to choose your own meal, or should I order our dinner tonight?”
“You know what I like, right?”
“I do. I also know what I’d like for you to try.” And he knew what Bran liked, so no problem there.
Grabbing the menu, he scanned it quickly. Choices made, he put the menu down and motioned for a waiter. One came right away.
“Good evening. Can I get your drink orders?”
“We’ll have waters all around and we’re also ready to order. We’ll start with the bread and caramelized butter, the scallops crudo, and the shrimp handrolls. Then we’ll have the lobster tail, the fillet mignon—cooked rare, and the sea bass with butter sauce. Thank you.”
“Oh, we are having a celebration!” Bran kissed Silas’s hand, lips soft on his knuckles. “What’s the occasion?”
“I’m happier than I’ve ever been with the two of you in my life.” He smiled at Bran, then at Jamie. “And I want to celebrate this moment, remember it. Not that I expect to not be happy after tonight, but I wanted to mark that the best days of my life have started.”
Jamie’s eyes filled with tears, and he sniffled hard.
“Those better be happy tears, boy.” This was a night for celebration, not worrying about people they had no control over.
“I just… you’re both perfect.”
Bran snorted. “We’re not perfect. No one is. Now, what we are, is perfect for you. Just as you’re perfect for us.”
Silas grinned as their waters were placed in front of them, along with a basket of warm buns and the caramelized butter.
“Let me serve you both.” Silas grabbed a bun and split it into two before lathering generous amounts of butter on them. Then he offered them over to Bran and Jamie.
“God, that smells so good.” Jamie licked his lips as Bran took the bite, obviously waiting for him.
“Yeah. The caramelized butter is…” Well, he didn’t really know how to explain it. So he put his fingers to his lips and kissed them. “Chef’s kiss.”
“I think the word you were looking for was transformative. If you’ve never had it before, it’s eye-opening. I mean butter is good, but caramelized? And on fresh, warm rolls… you’ve never had anything like it.” Bran didn’t wait for Silas, just biting happily into his piece.
Silas grinned and quickly added butter to another half roll and took a bite so Jamie could experience it for the first time as clearly, he was waiting for both Bran and Silas to get their first bite before taking his.
They all ate, the three of them moaning in pleasure.
