Page 9 of Puck, Marry, Thrill (Sticks and Vows #5)

8

JAMIE

“One more time… slowly .”

Jamie pinched her nose and sucked in a breath so hard through her nostrils that one of them sealed shut. Her eyelid was twitching and maybe Kenneth didn’t realize just how bad of a day she’d had. First, things started out great. It was beautiful out, the sun was shining, the birds singing… epic.

Then there was a cloud.

A big ol’ thunder-boomer in my life.

Zachary was playing on a playground with some other kids – and some little ‘ Petri-dish with freckles ’ sneezed… sneezed … right in Zachary’s face. Did she lose her cookies? Yup – warrior mom moment. So five minutes later, narrowly avoiding a fight with some woman screaming hostilities at her in French – and me being ever so grateful that Zachery could only comprehend part of what the woman was saying.

We left the park.

Her kid now had some other kid’s boogers on his face – and in Jamie’s mind, she knew it was illegal to Clorox Zachary’s face. Of course she wouldn’t do that. She would never have done that, but she did march directly to a convenience store around the corner and bought baby wipes.

Turns out, Zachary’s not a fan.

She was wiping his face, wrestling with the five-year-old who was super-pissed about leaving his friends at the park, when he retaliated.

Zachary bit her again – hard – and not just once.

So now, she was in the parking lot of a gas station, wiping down a child who is screaming at her in English – around a lot of people who didn’t speak English. Zachary was fighting to get away, biting and kicking at her. He bit her arm, bit her wrist, bit down hard on her finger – which she thought the digit was about to be separated from her hand… that’s when she snapped.

Jamie bit Zachary back.

Not my finest moment, she thought. I might be scarred for life. The second she bit his finger back, it hit her what had happened as Zachary’s eyes looked at her in horror and betrayal – and she burst out crying, hating herself for losing her cool and hurting the child she loved.

And then the police showed up.

Why wouldn’t they?

It probably looked like she’d kidnapped Zachary to anyone watching. That wasn’t the case. She just didn’t want her child, Kenneth’s child, to get sick from that snot-nosed brat sneezing directly in his face… and it was blowing up in her face.

So, then we we’re both sobbing, both yelling angrily at each other. She had been trying to hug him, and he was pulling away from her – which was breaking her heart. After answering a bunch of questions in a mixture of broken English and her horrible French, Zachary finally came over and hugged her.

We went home— and now this.

Kenneth.

First, it was the fact that he never mentioned the storage situation the other day. She had once thought that they were still going to need to go back to the condos, pack up everything, break the leases, etc. She never imagined in a million years that Kenneth would have handled everything. Strangers got into her house, packed up her personal effects, and handled her underwear that was currently in storage somewhere in town.

“I bought us a house and closed on it,” Kenneth said warily, looking at her. She didn’t blame him for that careful look – that twitch on her eyelid is getting stronger.

“You bought… bought… us a house without telling me?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it one of the ones we looked at with the realtor?”

“No. It just came on the market, and I snatched it right up.”

“Without talking to me…”

“I was in a hurry.”

“You seem to be in a lot of ‘hurries’ lately,” Jamie muttered under her breath and rubbed her forehead. It would not do to suck in her breath again because the way her nostril flapped shut wildly, resembled another bodily sound that should never be associated with the face. Nose farts were not pretty nor delicate – and her nose made a farty sound because she was trying not to lose her absolute cool.

Lord, if you are testing me, I quit. Just gimme my dunce cap because I’m failing this one.

“First it was the storage, and now… a house ,” Jamie repeated slowly, not looking away from the ceiling where she was glaring now. “We talked about this. We discussed that if we were going to make this work, there needed to be communication between us – because even if it was small to you, it might be big to me. We needed to talk about things that affected us as a family… remember? Partners?”

“Jamie…”

“You know when people say that they’ve ‘hit the wall,’” she began in a quiet voice, feeling tears well up. She wasn’t a crier – unless she was angry – and when she started crying, that anger went from ‘upset’ to ‘nuclear’ in record time. “My proverbial wall is really close right now, Kenneth… and it might be stucco.”

She felt tears coming.

Kenneth stood there, nearby, and she got a glimpse of him rubbing his face almost in a nervous fashion— which meant there was more. Oh, she was getting sooo good at reading him and Zachary.

“What?”

“You have to meet the coach tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“I got you a job.”

*crack*

Something broke within her as she closed her eyes, face still turned upward to the ceiling, and she didn’t care if her nose made a farting sound or not. It was almost cartoonish the way she sucked in her breath – and her lungs were at capacity before it whooshed out of her.

“You got me… a job,” she repeated, almost like ‘I’m giving you a chance to change what you said so you don’t get injured’ warning. It might as well have been an alarm blaring.

“Yeah,” Kenneth began warily, watching her, and then moved slowly around her to shut the bedroom door, shouting quickly. “Zachary, watch cartoons. We’ll be out in a few.”

“A job…”

“Yeah, Jamie,” Kenneth began again carefully, looking like he knew just how far he’d pushed right now and was bracing himself. “They asked for someone to handle social media posts, someone outgoing, full of energy, and lively… and I thought of you.”

Okay – that was about the sweetest ‘I volunteered you’ that someone could ever have done, but it didn’t change things. He was continuing to do stuff for all of them without consulting her.

“You know I live here, and we’re married, right?”

“Yes.”

“And you know I’m an adult, capable of making choices… right?”

“Yessss…”

“And we speak the same language, right?”

“I get where you are going and…”

Jamie cut him off, whirling on him as the last straw snapped within her. Rage set off a storm of tears worthy of a name, just like a hurricane in the Atlantic. She jabbed her finger into his chest, getting in his face, ignoring the fact that he was bigger than her, stronger than her, and probably just as temperamental, and she didn’t care.

“So if I’m an adult, if I’m capable of making decisions, and we speak the same language – why are you not talking to me about things?”

“We are talking…”

“After the fact!”

“Jamie, we need our things…”

“Yes.”

“We need a house…”

“That I’d like to be involved in buying!”

“I wanted to surprise you,” he whispered, staring at her, searching her eyes. “I’m sorry, but it was perfect, and I really wanted to surprise you… not make you angry.”

“And the job?”

“You’re perfect for it – and I would be able to see you more,” he continued in a hushed voice. “I could see both of you more, and I really liked the idea.”

Well, crap.

Jamie sniffled, hiccupped, and stood there looking at him.

“Do you know what talking looks like?” she said tearfully, staring into his eyes. “It’s talking and trusting the one person that you know will always have your back. It’s not because you need their help but because you want to share with them.”

“You’re right,” he said softly, giving her a slight smirk as he cupped her face, touching her cheek. “It’s facing that person even though you knew it was going to piss them off because you had to tell them… and you trust that they will have your back.”

“Quit trying to make this sweet or romantic,” she grumbled – and Kenneth chuckled, pulling her into his arms and hugging her.

Jamie broke.

Those angry tears were melting into horrible sobs. He held her close, smoothing her hair, and kept whispering to her and it was almost like this was a real relationship.

“What’s this? Are you still mad at me? Why are you crying, Jamie…”

“Because…”

“Because ‘why’…” he chuckled softly, kissing the top of her head. “Talk to me. We’re adults that talk, remember?”

“Huh, how convenient…” she retorted and heard his delighted chuckle of amusement that seemed to warm something in her, melting her heart.

“Talk to me, sweetie.”

“Ugh, can we just talk about pet names? I’m not a huge fan of them.”

“So you don’t want me to call you ‘Sweetie’?”

“I didn’t say that,” she muttered – and heaven help her – Kenneth laughed again, hugging her closely. Yeah, this was pretty amazing feeling, and she could have cheerfully stayed here in his arms forever. She felt safe here and knew he would have her back, even if he was a little bossy and pushy sometimes.

“You know someone called the police on me today?” she whispered and felt him stiffen. “I’ve had a really horrible day.”

“The police?”

“Yes.”

“What happened?”

“A kid sneezed in Zachary’s face and…”

“Ugh!”

“I know!” she replied to his interruption before continuing. “I went to the convenience store to get some baby wipes…”

“Oh, he hates those things – always has.”

“I know now!” she practically wailed. “He bit me three times… and… and I bit him back,” she finished as a whisper, horrified. The last thing she wanted was for Zachary to tell his Daddy or anyone else that his new stepmother bit him. Boy, that sounded terrible even to her.

Instead, Kenneth didn’t say a word. He just hugged her closer and kissed the top of her head once more – and she was really starting to like that feeling within her.

And then she heard him speak.

His voice was hesitant, soft, and almost embarrassed.

“Kids are hard sometimes,” he breathed against her hair just before he rested his cheek on her head, holding her close. “Everyone makes mistakes, or sometimes we do things we aren’t proud of, you know? But you have to draw a line, no matter how hard it is.”

“I’m so ashamed that I lost my cool.”

“I know. I can tell.”

“Kenneth, I’m so sorry…”

“You’re learning how to get along – and he doesn’t need to bite you.”

“I know, but…”

“He doesn’t need to bite,” Kenneth stressed firmly. “Cause and effect. Maybe this will show him it hurts, and he won’t do it again. You love him, I see it, but the next person he bites might actually injure him. Stop beating yourself up and move on. Trust me, there will be other parental nightmares…”

They both hesitated, let out a little chuckle, and then sighed in awareness.

“You know he ate foam soap once – and I was right there,” Kenneth whispered like he was confessing all of his sins. “I was giving him a bubble bath and watching him like a hawk. I bought this blue foam soap and squirted it in my hand to wash him, squirted it in his so he could feel it, and then put the can on the edge of the tub… when I turned around, he’d swallowed the entire handful and was giving me a weird look.”

“Oh noooo…”

“I was crying,” Kenneth admitted – and Jamie pulled back to look at his sheepish smile. “I was certain that I’d poisoned my one-year-old child with soap. I had everything with the divorce going on, and it was just a lot to handle. Days like this happen, Jamie, but we pick up and move on – bracing ourselves for the next disaster.”

“Does there have to be another disaster?”

“No,” he chuckled tenderly, “But I’m willing to bet money there is.”

“Dang it,” she muttered – and treasured his laugh as he hugged her once more. “I like you hugging me.”

“I like it too.”

“We’re good?”

“Sweetie, we’re very good,” he promised and then hesitated. “So long as you aren’t mad at me about the house or the job.”

“No – but we talk about this stuff in the future.”

“You got it.”

“Are you lying to me?”

“No. I’ll try because I don’t like making you upset,” Kenneth admitted. “You’ve given so much of yourself to help me with this, and I couldn’t ask for more from my best friend – the last thing I want to do is drive you away.”

“I’m growing on you, Snack Cake… aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are.”

* * *

T he next morning dawned cool and bright, sunlight glinting off the streets of Quebec City as Jamie stood outside the glass doors of the Wolverines’ front office. Her breath clouded in the air, her heart pounding beneath the thick wool of her coat. She’d barely slept the night before, nerves and anticipation churning in her stomach like a blender on high speed. This was it—her shot at something new, something big.

When she stepped inside, the warmth hit her first, followed by the hum of quiet activity. A security guard smiled and pointed her down a hallway. Moments later, Jamie found herself seated across from the team’s head coach, her hands pressed tightly in her lap to stop them from shaking.

The interview itself? Five minutes. Maybe six. She had expected questions, challenges, maybe even skepticism. Instead, she got a grin and a nod halfway through her presentation.

“You’re husband was right. You’re exactly what we need,” Coach Starnes said, flipping the folder closed and extending a hand.

Jamie blinked. “Wait… I’m hired?”

“Welcome to the Wolverines, Mrs. Salas. We’re lucky to have you both.”

Just like that, it was done.

A few words, a handshake, and her world shifted.

As she stepped back out into the brisk morning air, Jamie exhaled slowly, a smile spreading across her face. She was the new social media account manager for the Wolverines—Quebec’s brand-new professional hockey team.

Kenneth’s fresh start was also hers.

And it had only taken saying ‘I Do’ to change her entire life.