Page 118 of Embracing the Change

“That wasn’t what I was going to say. You told me you’d contacted him, today was all on him. Even I couldn’t guess he’d pull that move.”

“Your cock didn’t warn you?” I asked, trying to inject humor in our dreary discussion.

The corners of his eyes wrinkled, and he said, “That wasn’t man shit, that was spoiled-boy-tantrum shit. So no, my cock doesn’t know anything about that.”

I laughed and tucked my head in the crook of his shoulder.

Jamie stroked my back. “Another positive, your kids love you very much. Felice looked like she was sucking lemons when Nico was describing how you were a great mom. It isn’t something she understands, but she can’t deny you love your kids, show them in a number of ways, and were always there for them. It explains why they rally around you, something she probably won’t allow herself to understand either. But she doesn’t like it.”

“How long do you think they have?” I asked.

“I’d put money down on them fighting all the way to Vermont, if she didn’t give him the silent treatment. And I think he’ll think that’s fucked up, because he went through some serious shit today, so she should be all about him. As such, I wouldn’t worry about buying her a present at Christmas.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” I quipped to hide my dismay my son’s wife was more than likely not supporting him after that awful scene. “She’s immensely difficult to buy a gift for.”

“I have no doubt,” he murmured with humor.

I looked at him. “Are we going to make love?”

He tipped his head to the side. “If you want to. But I thought maybe just cuddling and reading might be a nice change of pace.”

Ah.

My Jamie.

He wanted to make love. He had an active libido. It was a miracle he’d gone without for so long between Rosalind and me (truth told, I didn’t know if he actually had, I didn’t ask, and wouldn’t, but I would listen if he cared to share).

No, he was offering me a different kind of intimacy, and showing me a window into our future that wasn’t always about performing and grand gestures, but sometimes having quiet times and togetherness.

And I loved when Jamie made love to me, but frankly, tonight, I needed cuddling.

“I’ve been neglecting my book,” I noted.

He looked to my nightstand, then to me. “Get it, darlin’.”

I turned and grabbed my novel, and my reading glasses.

Then I turned back to Jamie and cuddled in.

We each found a comfortable position to be able to hold our books and turn pages.

I fell asleep before Jamie.

But I woke when I felt my book slide from my fingers, the lights going off, and he tangled himself in me. Not long later, Heiress returned and draped herself over both our ankles, because she loved her daddy, but she also loved Mother.

Witnessing even one of your children’s pain was impossible to take, so doing that with three was excruciating.

Even so, I fell asleep in Jamie’s arms, and he in mine, because we had tomorrow, our children had tomorrow.

So it was all right for now.

CHAPTER 14

OSCAR DE LA RENTA

Nora

The next morning, I stood sipping coffee, my hip resting against the green marble countertop of my very long, wide, fastidiously organized galley kitchen.

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