Page 26 of The Oath Operation

Did it even make sense to worry over hurting her boyfriend's feelings when she had a husband to look after? Not that Fish needed any looking after. He was always watching out for her.

Though right now, Misty Douglas was eyeing her man's backside. Fish paid the flirt no mind. He didn't even offer her a smile. In fact, Jules couldn't remember ever seeing the man smile.

Except right now. He was smiling now. But his gaze wasn't on Misty. It was on her.

“You look happy, Jule-bug. Glowing, even.”

Jules tore her gaze away from her husband to give her sister her attention. Jacqui brushed her fingertips over Jules' cheeks. The traitorous skin there heated in a blush.

“It’s just... everything is going so well. People love the pastries.”

Jacqui smiled, her eyes twinkling with knowing. “I’m not even mad that you stole my sous chef from me. He’s doing a great job over there.”

“We can still share Fish, you know.”

"Yeah, I don't think you'd say that to Misty. It’s clear that Fish is all yours.”

The statement caused a flutter of emotion to rise within her. Jules looked over at Fish. He was crouched low among a group of children who'd swarmed his plate of cookies. As he straightened, he caught her gaze and smiled warmly. The connection between them felt tangible, a promise of something deeper.

“You deserve to be happy. And it looks like Fish makes you very happy.” Jacqui squeezed her shoulder, her smile turning gentle before heading off to join Noah.

Jules was happy, and it was largely Fish's doing. She'd always had a smile for Fish when he came into the bakery to help her. Back then, he never said much. He never asked for anything either. Even then, he'd anticipate her needs, fix what was broken, clear the path of the unnecessary out of her way.

Now that he was closer, now that their paths were aligned, Jules had had an easier time of… well, everything.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar touch at the back of her arm. A gentle pressure that she instinctively expected to be Fish. Her heart quickened, and she turned with a smile, ready to see his comforting presence. Her smile faded as she found herself face to face with Amari.

"Hey, babe." His smile was strained. It was the professional one he wore when they were in a crowd of people but something or someone annoyed him. "We need to talk."

A knot tightened in Jules’s stomach. She wanted to jerk away from his touch, an instinctive reaction that both surprised and confused her. Amari was the man she loved, right? The man she had dreamed of marrying. She should feel comforted by his touch, not repelled.

Jules glanced over at Fish. He was still at the other end of the table applying icing to a new set of pastries as kids surrounded him, peering down at his work. He looked like a giant among Lilliputians. Just the sight of him brought her a sense of calm, a feeling of rightness that settled her racing heart. His presence was like a soothing balm, easing the turmoil within her.

"Jules." Amari called her name again, his tone tinged with impatience.

She reluctantly turned back to him, feeling a swirl of conflicting emotions. She owed him her attention, at least for now. But turning back to him felt like turning into the face of a snow storm. The cold seeped into her bones as though she felt the weight of ice piling up around her.

"What is it, Amari?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I've changed my mind."

"About what?"

"Us."

He was breaking up with her? That should make her feel upset. But it didn't. She felt relief.

"I want us to get married."

"You want… what?"

Jules felt as if she’d been plunged into a full-on blizzard. The world around her lost all its warmth. She wasn’t shocked—she was numb. Amari's words echoed in her mind, but they felt distant, as though she were hearing them from far away.

“It’s not going according to plan. Everyone in town knows my girlfriend is married. It’s not looking good for me—people are talking. My prospects at the hospital are being affected. I can’t afford to be passed over for promotions because of this.”

She stared at him, disbelief and a growing sense of anger bubbling up inside her. But her tone was ice cold. “So…you want me to just dump Fish and marry you to save your reputation?”

Amari nodded, as if this was the most logical solution in the world. “You’ll tell everyone it was a mistake. That you got swept up in the moment, but now you’ve realized who you really love. We can plan our wedding for the summer, right after the hospital’s annual gala. It’ll be perfect, Jules.”

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