Page 23 of Puck, Marry, Thrill

No,a little voice in his head said immediately,that would be abandoning your kid in exchange for a sports car and cheating on your husband.

Yeah, he needed to keep his head clear, his thoughts and hands to himself, because none of this with Jamie could go anywhere – even if something happened between them.

He couldn’t get emotionally involved again.

And was kicking himself later.

6

JAMIE

Arrivingin Quebec had to be one of the highlights of her year. Seeing the buildings, the lights shining up at them giving it an omnipresence that was inspiring was truly something. The old city that overlooked the St. Lawrence River was a mix of old buildings, cobblestone streets, and so much history you could taste it – and despite the setting sun and darkening skies, she could see the culture from her vantage point, pointing at things for Zachary, as they descended, and Kenneth was quiet.

Oh gosh, was he quiet.

They had shared a glass of champagne on the flight, but no romantic toast, no comment on their marriage or anything. The attendant brought her a few chocolate-covered strawberries that she immediately shared with both of them, but the strawberries were still slightly frozen – not that she was complaining.

Oh – and Zachary bit her.

Yeah, that was fun.

She really didn’t expect that, but when the child got nervous, antsy, overwhelmed, or scared – he really did not know how to let it out, doing the only thing he could. She was so shocked that it took her a second to respond, but the moment she opened her mouth to say something, she met his eyes, and saw he already knew.

“Sorry,” he whispered, his eyes glassy.

“Let’s just hold hands – and not bite them,” she whispered immediately. “I get nervous, and it makes me feel better… how about you?” – and sure enough, Zachary clung to her. He was just a little boy, a child, and she would need to be patient and understanding with him.

“You okay, Zach-Attack?” Kenneth said quietly, and Zachary nodded, now both hands clenching her one.

“You know, when I get nervous, I like to sing nursery rhymes. It makes my ears pop and makes me feel better,” she whispered. “We’ll be landing in a few, so it has to be a short one.”

“Like ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’?”

“Oh, that’s my favorite,” she fibbed – and immediately, the two of them began singing the nursery rhyme as loudly as possible together. Sure enough, it distracted him, and Kenneth stared at her like she’d sprouted horns on her head.

Whatever works, right?

They caught a taxi, checked in at the hotel, and now they were here in some fancy building overlooking the city. The room had a king-sized bed and a fold out child-sized Murphy bed from the wall that looked like a cabinet. The inside of the Murphy bed had a Disney scene that any child would love. The king-sized bed was facing the window with the sheers pulled back, allowing the beauty of the lights to weave their spell, and she wanted to look but couldn’t take her eyes away from the pink elephant in the room.

The bed.

This wasn’t a honeymoon, according to Kenneth, but my goodness, that bed said otherwise. It was massive, with cream colored sheets and six pillows fluffed and propped against the padded headboard. There were chocolates on the pillows, a few rose petals, and everything screamed ‘romance’ –except him.

Kenneth didn’t say a word still.

‘Mr. Mute’put their bags down on the luggage caddy and the table like they were nothing, unzipping one and getting out pajamas for Zachary. It was almost like he was ignoring her, but he had invited her to come with them. She had no idea what to do, what to expect, and couldn’t read him at all and then she heard a knock at the door.

“Can you get that?” Kenneth asked. “Zachary, let’s go brush your teeth.” And he walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

No explanation.

No nothing.

Opening the door to the room – she stared.

“Madame Salas?”

“Oui?”she replied, grateful for all the French she took in high school and in college because touring France had been on her bucket list that had zero checkmarks on it due to poverty.

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