Page 17 of Puck, Marry, Thrill

Kenneth wasn’t fazed. He grabbed his son’s hand in one firm motion, then reached for Jamie’s, pulling them both forward with the urgency of a man trying to catch the last plane out of a war zone. He was dragging them bodily, and Zachary couldn’t get his feet under him.

Every maternal instinct flared to life.

“Hang on…” she hissed, yanking her wrist free and planting her feet. The sudden jolt made Zachary stumble, and she quickly gathered his hand in hers, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles to reassure him. “We’ll meet you up front,” she said pointedly, waving Kenneth off.

If he wanted to bulldoze his way to the front like some overzealous contestant on a game show, fine. But she wasn’t about to be dragged along like a trout on a fishing line.

Kenneth blinked, processing her words a second too late. “Oh,” he muttered, slowing down just enough to look sheepish before suddenly hollering,“WE’RE COMING!”

The room fell into an abrupt hush.

Dozens of heads swiveled in their direction, eyes locking onto them like they were the main event at a circus. Jamie felt the weight of all that attention settle on her shoulders, and for a beat, all she could hear was the echo of Kenneth’s booming voice bouncing off the walls.

Her lips twitched into a quick, disarming smile. “My fiancé is excited,” she announced breezily to the amused onlookers. Then, glancing down at the little boy beside her, she squeezed his hand. “C’mon, Zachary. Let’s follow Daddy.”

As they made their way toward the front, Jamie found herself stealing glances at the boy holding her hand. The more time she spent with him, the more she realized what a sweet little soul he was. Gentle. Observant. Cuddly in a way that made her heart ache a little. It made her wonder—was that from his mother’s side or Kenneth’s?

Her gaze flicked up to the man waiting for them at the front. Kenneth stood stiffly, his posture taut, his expression carved from granite. His dark eyes weren’t warm or tender; they were sharp, assessing, bracing for impact.

Like he was going to war, and not getting married. Jamie swallowed hard, another thought creeping in. Just how bad had his first marriage been?

The magistrate began speaking, his tone practiced, almost robotic, as he recited the ceremony with the enthusiasm of a man who’d done this a thousand times before. Then he turned to Kenneth.

“Do you, Kenneth Dahl Salas…”

Jamie barely stifled a snort.

His middle name was Doll?

Like seriously, he was Ken… doll?

Her gaze darted to the magistrate and then to Kenneth – and the damage was done. Heat prickled at the back of her neck, and when she met his eyes, the twin beams of pure displeasure were locked directly on her.

Kenneth’s jaw ticked.

His voice was low, terse, ignoring the magistrate as he spoke to her. “Dahl. D-a-h-l. It’s my mother’s maiden name. I don’t tell people my middle name for a reason because of your reaction – and my ex-wife’s.”

Jamie sucked in a breath.

Oh, this would not do.

“Aww,Snack Cake,” she cooed, tilting her head, her voice dripping with mischief. “Did the kids pick on you when you were little?”

Kenneth’s scowl deepened. His fingers curled into fists at his sides.

“Is that why you never told me?” she continued, eyes sparkling.

“Uh…” Kenneth sputtered, momentarily thrown off-balance.

Jamie turned, feigning a conspiratorial whisper to the women seated in the front row. “Snack cake, am I right? Guess who’s taking a big ol’ bite? Me! I’m a lucky woman…”

A few muffled chuckles rippled through the crowd, and Jamie could feel the tension in Kenneth’s shoulders coil even tighter before finally—finally—he exhaled. The muscles in his jaw relaxed by a fraction.

She grinned, victorious. There. That was better. Nobody needed to document him losing his cool over something as trivial as a name, especially not if this moment ended up on TikTok.

“Snack cake,” she teased, voice warm, “just say ‘I do’ so we can get to me.”

Kenneth looked at her like she’d just walked in from another planet. “…I do.”

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