Page 32 of Seal the Deal

He’s quiet, his eyes focused on measuring, but there’s a tension in his jaw. “You did the right thing. My dad… well, you might remember he wasn’t around much. My mom stayed, but it wasn’t easy for her, or for me. I always thought she should’ve left. So, I think it’s pretty damn brave that you did.”

His words hit me, stirring memories of a late-night conversation by the lake. I look up, surprised by the raw honesty. There’s a depth in his gaze that makes my heart ache. “I remember.”

“And you shouldn’t have to make someone love you,” he says softly. “It should be effortless.” His eyes catch mine, holding them. “Loving you would be the easiest thing in the world.”

For a moment, the air feels heavy with everything unsaid and the weight of all the time between us. My chest thunders, like it knows he’s reached across the years and touched a part of me I thought I’d hidden away. His eyes linger on mine as though he wants to say more, and I stare back, not sure what to say myself.

And then the oven dings, shattering the moment into pieces.

I clear my throat, turning toward the oven. “Looks like the first batch is done.”

Jake steps back, giving me space to open the door, but there’s a look in his eyes that says he felt it, too—whateveritwas.

As I pull the tray out, he leans against the counter, watching me with that easy smile. “So, how’d I do on the measuring? Star pupil or what?”

I laugh, grateful for the mood lightener. “Pretty good. But don’t get cocky. There’s still plenty of work to do.”

He winks at me. “I’m not scared of a little work.”I’m not going to survive this day if he keeps winking at me like that.

We keep baking, tension ebbing and flowing as we move around the kitchen. I feel his eyes on me, watching every move. The way he finds any excuse to get close, brushing his fingers against mine or reaching an arm around my back for something, only stokes this thing building between us. When we both reach for the same spoon, his fingers linger on mine, and it takes everything in me not to react.

Eventually, I pour myself another glass of wine and offer him one. He accepts, and for a moment we stand there, sipping in comfortable silence.

“You know,” he says finally, breaking the quiet, “I’m glad we’re doing this. Feels like we picked up right where we left off twelve years ago.”

His words catch me off guard, and I glance at him trying to gauge them.Pretty sure where we left off involved us both trying not to jump each other’s bones.

“You’re right,” I say with a smile. “It’s like no time has passed.”

“Yeah.” He looks at me, eyes softening. “We should’ve kept in touch.”

I nod, turning to the oven and pulling out another tray of cookies, the caramelized sugar filling the air. “Yeah, we should have,” I admit, setting the tray on the counter. “But life just got in the way, I guess.”

Turning back, I expect him to still be by the counter, but he’s right there—closer than before. Our eyes lock, the distance between us feeling paper-thin.

“I looked for you online for a while, but then I got rid of my socials. Too much pressure from the media, too many people wanting to know every detail.”

I blink, surprised. “I didn’t know that. I just assumed you got busy with your career taking off and everything. And I was at uni, then met Alex…” I trail off, not wanting to bring up my ex again.

Jake nods,his expression darkening for a moment. “Yeah. Guess we both got busy. But I thought about that summer a lot, Charlie. I didn’t forget you.”

There’s something in his words that sounds like a confession, like he needs me to know it. The space between us feels like it’s caving in, and I swallow, suddenly very aware of how close he is. His eyes drop to my lips before flicking back to my eyes.

“Those cookies smell amazing,” he says, like he’s not talking about cookies at all.

“Yeah…” My voice barely comes out, my pulse thundering in my ears.

Neither of us move. We just stand there, inches apart, the heat from the oven mingling with something far more authentic. My heart pounds so loud I’m sure he can hear it.I’m gonna die. I'm gonna pass away surrounded by cookie dough and Jake Brooks.

His hand twitches like he’s about to reach for me, and I stop breathing, waiting.

But then the front door clatters open, and seconds later, Noah and Meadow’s voices fill the air, reality crashing back around us.

We both step back, the heat dissipating as quickly as it came.

Jake clears his throat, giving me a sheepish smile. “Looks like we’ve got some extra helpers.”

“Yeah,” I reply, voice shaky. “Perfect timing.”

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