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10

JAMIE

Jamie lay there in the hush of the room, the air still thick with warmth and wonder. Her pulse hadn’t yet calmed, and her body was still tingling from the aftershocks of being thoroughly seen, touched, and loved by the man beside her. The world had gone quiet, as if time were pausing to take in what had just happened.

Beside her, Kenneth exhaled softly.

“Wow…” he sighed into the stillness.

Jamie turned her head slowly to look at him, heart fluttering at the raw amazement in his voice. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

“Can I quote you on that?” she asked, voice teasing but breathy, still catching up to her emotions.

“Yeah.”

She stared at the ceiling for a moment, her chest rising and falling, her body completely relaxed in a way she hadn’t realized she’d been craving. It was more than just the physical—it was safety, connection, being wanted in a way that felt soul-deep.

“Wow…” she whispered back, the word escaping before she could catch it. She blinked up at the ceiling, her thoughts swirling like glitter in a shaken snow globe. “That might have been better than chocolate.”

Kenneth chuckled beside her. “I’m thinking it was better than hockey.”

She turned her head toward him again, eyes wide, amused. “Actually, I know it was better than chocolate – and I’m not talking the cheap stuff. Truffles, baby. Truffles…”

“You know, that was probably better than winning the Stanley Cup – forget hockey – we gotta go bigger. That was… incredible.”

She laughed softly, that low, heady kind of laugh that came from somewhere deep inside. “Yeah…”

“Yeah…”

Their eyes met and lingered, a comfortable silence weaving between them, stitched with something new—something profound. They didn’t need to say it out loud. They both felt it. That something had shifted.

“Hi, sweetheart,” he whispered huskily, his voice tender and full of wonder, like he was rediscovering her all over again.

Jamie’s heart fluttered at the nickname as she gazed at him. There was a boyish gleam in his eyes, a mix of awe and disbelief, and her heart did something strange and beautiful. “Hi yourself, Snack Cake,” she replied softly, her voice rich with affection—and something more.

Desire.

Warmth.

A kind of hunger that had nothing to do with food.

“Really?” Kenneth asked, lifting his head slightly off the pillow. He stared at her like she was a dream that had just walked into his life and curled up beside him. “Jamie, I’m picking up signals from you, and either I short-circuited something in my brain or…”

“Or your wife is interested - again,” she finished for him, her voice growing stronger with each word. Her lips quirked into a grin as his jaw dropped. The stunned look on his face made her want to both laugh and cry. He genuinely didn’t expect this.

Her.

Which made her pause…

“Is that okay? Is this like a once-a-week thing, or can it happen more often because…”

“It can happen more than once a week,” he sputtered, eyes wide with shock, still trying to wrap his head around what she was saying. “You mean that? You want that… more?”

Jamie blinked, disbelief sparking through her like lightning. “Look, I don’t know what kinda moron you married before,” she muttered, the words sharp with incredulity. “That was amazing, and I’m distinctly hoping she was the weirdo and not me right now… because I’m starting to feel nervous that I liked us making love so much.”

Kenneth reached over, the tenderness in his expression cutting through the last of her uncertainty. “Sweetheart, we can make love whenever you want.”

The words dropped into her chest like a warm stone, grounding her. Her entire body softened in relief, in something deeper. Belonging.

“Anytime?” she asked, her voice laced with cautious hope.

“Anytime.”

A mischievous glint danced in her eye. “So if it’s on a Tuesday at two in the afternoon at Target and Zachary is at preschool?”

Kenneth’s laughter was low and intimate as he rolled toward her, propping his head on his hand. “Well, that was awfully specific,” he chuckled. “But yes. If you feel the urge to get a little frisky, and it’s a desperate need – I suppose we’ll find a changing room with a functioning lock or a family bathroom so neither of us gets in trouble or arrested.”

Jamie grinned, cheeks flushing. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this giddy. Marriage to Kenneth was better than anything in the world. She had a dream job, never had to worry about bills, a fantasy man at her side for a husband, and an amazing kid they would raise together. “And if it’s Sunday at four in the morning?”

“We’ll be on time for church,” he said with a grin that was all dimples and love.

She couldn’t help the smile that bloomed across her face, so wide it made her cheeks ache. Kenneth reached out, brushing a lock of hair away from her eyes with a touch so gentle it nearly undid her.

“Does this mean you’re happy?” he asked quietly, fingers lingering at her cheek. “… With me?”

Jamie looked at him—really looked at him. At the man who saw her, cherished her, laughed with her in bed, and made her feel adored.

“Deliriously so.”