Jamie is here

PART 10

​The dining room table, usually a place for family dinners and lighthearted chatter, had been transformed into a chaotic war room.

Benjamin was hunched over the mahogany surface, his spectacles sliding down the bridge of his nose. I

In front of him lay the master guest list for the wedding.a document that had been revised, highlighted, and scribbled upon so many times it looked like a complex government map.

​Benjamin moved his pen down the column of names . He was a man who liked order, and he had taken it upon himself to ensure that not a single soul was missed.

​Standing beside him was Olivia. She wasn't exactly helping; she was hovering. She leaned over his shoulder, her eyes darting across the names, alternating between pointing out mistakes and judging the people on the list with a slight curl of her lip.

​"Did we invite Mrs. Patterson from Maple Lane?" Elizabeth asked suddenly, walking into the room with a look of high-pitched anxiety.

​Benjamin blinked, his mind momentarily blanking as he tried to place the name. He looked up at his wife, his expression a mix of exhaustion and confusion. "Mrs. Patterson? Who is that? Is she a distant cousin?"

​"My Zumba mate" Elizabeth clarified, her hands fluttering near her chest. "The one with the very loud laugh?"

​Benjamin let out a long, heavy groan that seemed to vibrate the table. "Liz, the wedding is in exactly one week. You pick now to remember your Zumba friend?"

​"I just forgot, It’s been a busy month,"

Elizabeth snapped back, though her voice wavered with stress. She was already reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone.

"It’s okay. I’ll call her myself right now. I'm sure she hasn't made plans for next Saturday yet."

​Olivia, who had been watching this exchange with growing boredom, finally spoke up.

"It’s not that deep, Mom. Do we really need to call every single person in the city? Can’t we just keep it simple for once? Honestly... weddings feel like a comedy show anyway. All this drama for one day."

​The air in the room chilled instantly. Elizabeth shot her daughter a look that could have frozen boiling water. Olivia didn't flinch. Instead, she arched a perfectly groomed brow and added a mocking, tiny smile.

​"Don’t talk like that," Elizabeth said sharply,

"Every mother wants her son’s wedding to be perfect. If I couldn’t do it for you,because you refuse to settle down.at least let me do it for Ryan."

​Olivia rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful. She pushed herself away from the table, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Okay. Fine. I said nothing. God forbid I try to have an opinion in this house without it turning into a lecture about my life choices."

​Before Elizabeth could respond, Olivia muttered something bitter under her breath and stormed out of the room, her heels clicking loudly against the hardwood floor.

​Elizabeth clicked her tongue, watching her daughter disappear. "See? That attitude. I told you not to baby her so much. She has no respect for how much work this takes."

​Benjamin sighed, rubbing his aching temples. He was caught in the middle, as usual.

"Let her live the way she wants, Liz. She’s just figuring things out. She’s young."

​"You can say that because you aren't the one dealing with the social fallout,"

Elizabeth shot back, her eyes glistening.

"Mothers always worry more. It’s a weight we carry that you men just don't understand."

​He held up both hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Okay. Fine. You’re right. Let’s just focus on Ryan’s wedding for now. Once he’s married, we can move on to the next crisis."

​"You treat everything like a joke,"

Elizabeth muttered. She looked genuinely wounded, the constant worry she carried for her children bubbling just under the surface of her skin. To her, this wasn't just a party; it was a final exam on her success as a parent.

​The heavy atmosphere was broken by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Ryan came walking down, looking sharp as usual, though he was currently struggling with the buttons on his shirt sleeves.

He was the golden boy, the reason for all this madness, but he seemed remarkably calm compared to his parents.

​He stopped when he saw the scene: his father looking defeated over a pile of papers and his mother standing there with a sulking, tearful expression. Ryan leaned in, tapping Elizabeth’s cheek gently with a playful grin.

​"What’s with the royal sulk, Mom? Did Dad forget to put your favorite florist on the list?"

​Elizabeth turned her face away, her lip trembling.

"Don’t talk to me, Ryan. You, your sister, and your father decide everything anyway. I’ll just move aside. That’s what everyone seems to want. I’m just the person who does the work and gets none of the credit."

​Ryan’s grin faded, replaced by a look of genuine confusion. He looked at his father, silently asking, 'What did I miss?'

​Benjamin stepped in quickly, waving Ryan toward the door. "Ryan, just go. You have things to do. I’ll stay here and calm her down. It's just wedding jitters."

​Ryan didn’t need to be told twice. He knew when a situation was headed for a full-blown emotional storm, and he preferred to be elsewhere.

"Right. I'm out. See you guys later!" He was already halfway out the front door before he finished the sentence.

​As he pulled his car through the front gates, the windows were up, but he could swear he could still hear his mother’s voice echoing from inside the house, listing all the ways she felt unappreciated.

He gripped the steering wheel and sighed. If this was what the week before the wedding felt like, he wasn't sure he’d survive the actual ceremony.

📌

​On the other side of town, the mood was equally tense, but for a very different reason.

​Adam was pacing back and forth near his parked car, his phone pressed tightly to his ear. He looked like a man who was about to lose his mind.

​“Zane, seriously? Can't we just go together?" Adam asked, his voice rising in pitch. "Why do I have to be the one to do this?"

​"If I could go, why would I ask you in the first place?"

Zane’s voice came through the speaker, sounding distracted and hurried. Zane was the responsible one, the one who usually handled the family's problems, but today he was swamped with work.

​“But why?” Adam groaned, kicking a small pebble across the pavement.

“Can't he come by himself? He’s not a kid anymore. He’s traveled before.”

​The "he" in question was Jamie. Jamie was landing today, returning from his time abroad. While Jamie was a beloved member of the circle, he was also a magnet for trouble.

​“Of course he can come on his own,” Zane said, his tone softening into that of a protective older brother.

“But I don’t trust him to navigate the airport without getting lost or getting into some kind of argument with security. He’s grown up, sure, but he’s still the same reckless brat. I’d rather one of us be there to grab him the second he steps off that plane.”

​Adam pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache forming. He knew Zane was right. Jamie had a way of turning a simple walk through an airport into a chaotic adventure.

​“Fine,” Adam sighed. “What time’s the flight?”

​“Five o'clock. If you leave now, you’ll reach the terminal just in time,” Zane said.

​Adam checked his own watch and then looked at the dashboard clock. His eyes widened.

“And what time did Ryan ask to meet you? ”

​“Three,” Zane replied flatly.

​“It’s already past two-thirty! You know Ryan. He hates waiting more than anything. If I’m late, he’s going to kill me.So it's better I leave now. I'll let you take care of the rest. Good luck, Adam.”

​The call went dead.

​Adam stood in the middle of the parking lot, staring at his phone screen as if it had betrayed him. He wanted to scream, but he settled for a silent, frustrated yell directed at the sky.

​Jamie was coming back. Whether this was Jamie’s lucky day or the start of Adam’s worst nightmare, it didn't matter. The clock was ticking.

​“I swear,” Adam muttered to himself as he scrambled into the driver's seat and slammed the door. “This kid is going to be the end of me.”

​He started the engine, the tires screeching slightly as he pulled away. The chaos wasn't just coming, it was already here.

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To be Continued.... 🤍