Page 27 of The Oath Operation

The way he said her name, like he was offering her a gift, made her feel like she was coming down with a cold. She took a step back, her body suddenly feeling too hot, too confined. “Amari, are you even listening to yourself? You’re not asking me to make things right for us—you’re asking me to make things right for you.”

He frowned, clearly not understanding her hesitation. “I’m doing this for us, Jules. We had a plan.”

“Yeah, your plan. You’re not thinking about what’s best for me, Amari. You’re only thinking about what looks good for you. You’ve always been like this, haven’t you? Always so focused on your image, on what other people think.”

Her words hung in the air, sharp and pointed. She saw a flicker of something in his eyes—maybe it was realization or maybe just annoyance. But he quickly masked it, his expression hardening.

“So what? You’re going to stay with Fish? You don’t love him.”

She hesitated, her mind racing. Did she love Fish? She didn’t know—not yet. But what she did know was that he cared for her, respected her, and never once tried to make her fit into a mold that suited him.

The numbness began to fade, replaced by a rising tide of clarity. Jules realized with startling certainty that she didn’t want to divorce Fish. Even more importantly, she didn’t want to marry Amari.

Before she could tell him so, she felt a warm presence behind her, a comforting light that chased away the cold. She knew without turning that it was Fish. His nearness brought a sense of peace and protection, something she desperately needed at that moment.

In a deep, growly tone that sent shivers down her spine, Fish spoke. “Take your hands off my wife.”

Amari’s eyes widened in surprise and anger, but he dropped his hands from Jules’ arms. “This is between me and Jules.”

"There is no you and Jules. You forfeited that right the moment I put my ring on her finger."

Fish's ring wasn't currently on her finger. It was around her neck on a chain. No one batted an eyelash when she explained that it was because she rolled dough on a daily basis. But the ring was never far from her person. In its resting place over her heart, it gave a jump as the organ beat fiercely at the scene unfolding before her.

"We made a deal," said Amari.

"The only deal I made was with Jules. And unless she asks me for a divorce, I'm not going anywhere."

Fish turned his gaze on her and said the six most amazing words that anyone had ever said to her. Words that made her heart not so much as skip beats as it made them pound harder, stronger. His words made the blood rush to her head, which was a bit dangerous for a diabetic. But Jules threw caution to the wind because no one but Fish had ever said anything like this to her before.

"Tell me what you want, Jules."

ChapterNineteen

No one stopped Amari as he stormed away from the community gathering. Fish found that interesting. Both he and the good doctor were outsiders in this town. Their only connection to the community was the Chou women. What Fish found so interesting was that Amari could heal their wounds and save their lives. Fish fed them, and it would appear that meant more to them.

Or at least it meant more to them when it came to who they thought was best for Jules.

No one batted an eyelash when Jules linked an arm through Fish's as they headed to the parking lot. Well, that wasn’t true. Eyelashes were batted. Brows were waggled. Catcalls were whistled. But not one person at the gathering seemed in the least surprised that Fish and Jules had wound up together. So much for his stealth skills.

Twenty minutes later, Fish pulled up to Jules's apartment building. The words she'd spoken prior to Amari's departure still played in his mind. She didn't want a divorce. She wanted to stay with him. She was ready to go home. Like the snow plow she called him, Fish would give her her every wish.

As he parked the car, Fish glanced down at Jules's left hand resting between them on the passenger seat's armrest. At some point during the drive, she'd slipped the ring off the necklace and placed it back on her finger. The sight of his ring on her finger, instead of around her neck on a chain, sent a possessive surge of emotion through him. That ring—a symbol of their bond, however unconventional—looked right at home on her finger. It belonged there, just as she belonged with him.

"Do you want to come inside for a bit?"

Fish was momentarily lost, captivated by the way her lips moved to form the words. All he could focus on was the delicate curve of her mouth. The slight upward tilt at the corners. The warmth that radiated from her expression. Every fiber of his being was drawn to her, as if she were the center of his universe.

He ran the words over in his head again, but by the time he gleaned their meaning, her lips were stretching into a shy, inviting smile. It was utterly mesmerizing. It rivaled the midday sun. It cooled any of his lingering reservations and doubts about what they could be to each other. It was a smile that told him she wanted him close, that she trusted him, and that she maybe even needed him.

The words she spoke echoed in his mind, but it was the way she looked at him, the way her lips formed those simple words, that made it impossible for him to think of anything else. His throat tightened, and it took a moment before he could finally respond, his voice low and filled with the emotion he couldn’t quite keep at bay.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Fish felt the weight of his love for her pressing against his ribcage. He would follow her anywhere, do anything she asked, because he was so deeply, irrevocably in love with her.

They walked up to her apartment in silence, the air charged with unspoken words and emotions. Once inside, Jules closed the door and turned to face him. Without a word, she reached out, grabbing his shirt and pulling him to her. Her lips met his in a passionate, hungry kiss.

If he thought the sight of her lips mesmerized him, the feel of her mouth against his was a detonation. Fish's world narrowed to just the feel of her against him, the softness of her lips and the intoxicating scent of vanilla that always seemed to cling to her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss.

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