Page 21 of Puck, Marry, Thrill

He walked off immediately ignoring the her shocked face and the perfect ‘O’ that her mouth made at his announcement. Yeah, he could have said more, but he couldn’t get past the sight of her long, tanned legs.

Cripes.

Now, the three of them were walking to the car and Kenneth opened the back door for Zachary to climb in. Zachary looked at Jamie.

“Are you coming with us?”

“Yes,” Kenneth answered before she could.

“Where are we going? Are we going on a honeymoon?” Jamie asked, hesitating and looking at him in surprise.

“Well, I thought we could look at houses, and I need to get things lined up in Quebec. Why would I go on a honeymoon?” he asked in a flat, droll voice and fought back a smile as Jamie stared at him in disbelief, but it wasn’t before he saw her make a face… and heard her mocking him.

Yeah, he had her pegged already.

She played it tough, but she was a woman just like any other. Was it mean of him to say that? Probably – but he wanted to get her back for making him lose his temper about her man-crush. He hadn’t been expecting her to say something like that but now that he was picking up how she worked, oh yes, he had her all figured out and was going to use it.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, Jamie was frowning and looking straight ahead, ignoring him.

“Well?” he asked, starting the car. “You didn’t answer me. Are you coming with us?”

“I don’t have anything else to do, so yeah, I suppose I can.”

“Good,” he said, fighting back a smile. “I’ll need someone to stay with Zachary while I go look around.”

“Seriously?”

“He’s your stepson.”

“And I’m now your wife…”

“So ‘wife-it-up’ and stay home with the kiddo,” he managed to strangle out without laughing – but only until she swatted him on the shoulder. He chuckled, giving her a slow look, and put the car into reverse.

“If I have to ‘wife-it-up,’ then you need to ‘man-it-up,’ buddy, because, lemme tell you – this isn’t a one-way street or…”

“Jamie,” he interrupted, fighting back a smile. “I was teasing you.”

“I knew that,” she harrumphed and crossed her arms, looking away.

“We’re flying to Quebec and going to take a look around the town. I need to get a place locked down for us and then arrange the movers.”

“Sounds good,” she replied, still looking dismayed and a little perturbed that he’d teased her back. Maybe she needed someone to ruffle her feathers sometimes and she glanced back at Zachary. It would be good for all of them to get to know each other a little better and exploring a new city would be nice for everyone.

And, maybe, he would show her what a real kiss looked like.

The thought of that made him curl his fingers around the steering wheel as he drove, pressing his lips together to keep from saying anything else that would give away his interest. While he never expected to get married, and Jamie had looked so bedraggled yesterday – the woman sitting beside him was anything but that.

Her hair was in a ponytail, but it was sleek and smooth, telling him that she probably was one of those girls who made sure she had a straightener or some goop to put in her hair to make it look good. She also didn’t wear much makeup, not like his ex-wife did. His ex looked painted, whereas Jamie looked fresh and welcoming.

Approachable.

He liked that more than he cared to admit.

* * *

It made him feel good to see Jamie’s surprised face as she did a doubletake looking at the aircraft he’d chartered. It was easier to fly like this, even if it was more expensive. Zachary could run around, he wasn’t being pressed to sign autographs, and there was no wait regarding boarding. When he flew with the team, they rented a massive plane or used their busses – which gave him the idea.

“We’re not flying coach… or business class?” she asked in disbelief.

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