Page 25 of Puck, Marry, Thrill

“Eat it. Deal with it. Suck it up, Snack Cake, because if you’ve got a problem with me, you’re gonna have to get over it – and quickly,” she hissed, trying to keep her voice down so Zachary didn’t hear them. She looked at his shocked face with the spoon hanging from his lips – and kept going. “We’re gonna share a bed,but to sleep. We’re not doingthatbecause Zach is in the room. Whateverthat lookwas, it is another reason we’re not doingthat. You have issues, but I’m not one of them. If you think you married some pushover who is going to just do what you say, then think again.”

“Jamie…” he started, removing the spoon from his mouth, and she didn’t want to hear it.

“You pickedme. You askedme. I’ve literally laid down my guard and welcomed you both into my life, but you don’t get to hold your skeletonsagainst me. Wipe your mental slate, gimme a chance to make a mistake, and untwist your britches, big boy, because I’m not giving up on this, and I’m no quitter; but I’m also not taking crap because ofyourpast. Got me?”

He nodded silently.

“You’re stuck with me until I’m done with you – period.”

“Are you finished?”

“I’m not sure,” she hissed back, crossing her arms and looking at him with a glare. “It depends on your next words.”

“You’re right,” he replied quietly. “And it’s not fair to you.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Look,” he whispered silently, handing her back the spoon, to which she immediately took another bite because – well, chocolate. “I’m glad you feel like you can talk to me and put me in my place because I need to know where I mess up for this to work.”

“Well, it’s a two-way street,” she hesitated and met his gaze. “I think you’re cute, but it would be nice if the inside matched the outside.”

He gave her a slight, lopsided smile.

“I think you’re ‘cute’ too,” he admitted and then grew serious. “So, let’s take our time with this, get to know each other, and figure this marriage out between us.”

“Agreed.”

“Can I have the spoon back? That’s really good.”

“Yeah,” she hesitated and glanced at the cake before shoveling up another large bite – and then handed him the spoon while chewing, cheeks completely puffed out, and trying not to let any crumbs fall from her mouth. “Mere ew go…” she mumbled, mouth full.

And he laughed.

“Seriously?” he exclaimed in a hushed whisper. “There’s one bite left.”

“Just fer ew…” she managed, swallowing a bit and covered her mouth as a laugh escaped, sending a crumb flying at him. It bounced off his nose, causing him to laugh again, as they stared at each other.

“You’re not right,” he chuckled.

“Nope,” she agreed. “You’ll have to be a really nice husband to top where chocolate sits on my list.”

“Well, your nice husband will share the champagne and polish off this last bite so we can get some sleep. We’ve got a big day tomorrow looking at houses, stopping by the arena to meet the coach, and…”

“We’re not going to do touristy stuff – with Zachary?”

And he stiffened, hesitated, and then nodded.

“Thank you. I think maybe I can go to the arena alone – after we do something with Zachary first. If he gets tired, we can split up.”

“Now that sounds like a plan,” she smiled, tipping up her glass and finishing it. “You go ahead with the champagne since I practically finished the cake. I’m going to get in my pajamas.”

* * *

Ten minutes later, feeling languid from the champagne and cake, Jamie smiled as she turned off the television. Zachary was completely asleep, curled in a ‘C’ and breathing deeply. He really was a sweet boy who took to her right away. Things could have been so much worse. He could have cried, screamed, or gotten angry at being saddled with a stepmother, but none of that happened.

Climbing into the bed, she closed her eyes to keep from gawking at her husband when he emerged from the bathroom. Okay, maybe she peeked just a bit as the bathroom door opened, and a pair of muscled thighs and the curve of his backside encased in running shorts silently walked past her.

I need a quarter to bounce,she thought, swallowing, and mashed her eyes closed. She listened to him move around the room, heard him set down his watch on the bedside table, and then felt the bed sag.Ohhhh gosh…

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