The Blackmail Bride

Epilogue (2)

:)

Catch-ups

"Welcome home, Jace."

Jace's arm snaked around my back before lifting me up off my feet for a second before setting me back down. The rumble I felt on my cheek was a laugh that I hadn't heard in person for the last three years too.

"I'm going to assume you're happy to see me."

I nodded into his chest.

I pulled back a bit to look into that metallic stare. The face that framed those eyes were now more angular with the time he was away. But that mop of bronze hair was still as unruly as ever. He was smiling down at me.

When he suddenly leaned in and planted a kiss on my forehead though, a wave of embarrassment came over me and I tensed. Jace must have noticed because as soon as I tried to pull back, his arms quickly tightened around me.

His eyes narrowed, but the smile stayed in place.

"T-the pan."

Jace automatically let me go, turning to the stove where the pan was burning up. I couldn't help the grin forming as I watched his slight panic.

He noticed that too.

"Why don't you sit down first," he told me.

I went around the island counter to one of the tall chairs facing the stove, "What's for dinner."

"Steak," Jace replied with his back to me, "Mashed potatoes and salad greens."

I hummed in reply, then opened my mouth again, "What about your bags? Did you have many?"

"Upstairs," Jace gave me a one-second glance, "I had the housekeeper put them in the closet."

I nodded in understanding. There was a moment of silence as the meat sizzled on the cast iron pan he was cooking on. Butter went in. Rosemary. The room was filled with the smell of it and my mouth watered.

It was slowly coming back to me. The meager memories of the times he cooked while I waited. One of those was when I got drunk and cried to him after discovering my father's infidelity.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

"Did Tristan drop you off?" Jace asked.

I blinked, "He knew you were coming back today?"

Jace shook his head, "No, but I did call him yesterday."

Tristan mentioned that.

And like that, I was reminded, "You didn't call me for two weeks."

Jace lifted the steak off the pan and onto a chopping board.

"I was rushing work so I could come home the soonest possible."

That was a fair point, but for some reason that upset me. Then I remembered Tristan's words about how communication was a two-way street.

"I was calling you just now," I almost didn't quell the tone of defensiveness.

Jace pointed to his phone on the counter in front of me, "I saw."

We looked at each other for a moment. He took the salad greens from the plastic bag onto a strainer and rinsed it on the built in sink on the counter.

"You like garden salads," I said, recalling some of our meals together.

He nodded, "Don't you like them too?"

"I do," I said. I stood up to help prepare the table. I opened one of the side drawers to pull out the placemats. I put two beside each other, and when I looked up at Jace, he nodded as if in agreement.