Page 50 of Puck, Marry, Thrill

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.

Jamie looked up, eyes full of emotion. “You’re beautiful – mind, body, and soul,” he said, and meant every word with every inch of his being. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed the ring reverently, a quiet kind of worship in the motion. She didn’t even realize how much she gave him just by being herself.

“You don’t have to do all those outrageous things to win me over…”

“You don’t like me playing with you?”

“I love it – but if you don’t feel like it…”

Jamie felt her breath catch in her throat as he spoke, his words threading through the air with a tenderness that never failed to undo her. She froze for a second, heart thudding because it wasn’t just what he said—it was the way he said it. Soft. Certain. Like loving her was as natural to him as breathing.

“It’s my greatest thrill to watch you blush across the room when you read a text message – or see your eyes cross when I whisper something in your ear.”

His laugh came then—low and a little sheepish—and Jamie soaked it in like sunlight after rain.

“Oh man, I do love some of the things you do…”He rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes dropping for a moment like he was suddenly shy.“I’d love it if you kept doing those things. It makes me feel like a million bucks.”

Something warm and fierce bloomed in Jamie’s chest. She never thought she’d be someone’s safe place, someone’s joy—but here he was, looking at her like she was magic and mischief all rolled into one.

“Then consider it a rule in our marriage – because I enjoy blowing your mind, Snack Cake.”

The words rolled off her tongue with playful boldness, but there was a tremble underneath—an ache that came from loving him so deeply it made her bones feel it. She grinned, unable to stop herself. That ridiculous, endearing nickname. That unfiltered affection. That heart.

“I love you,”he murmured, the words soaked in devotion as he pulled her into him like the world could end any minute, and he didn’t want to miss another second.

Jamie melted against his chest, hearing the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, feeling his strength wrapped around her. This man, this love—it was everything she hadn’t known she was waiting for.

“I love you too – now – we should go to the bedroomright now. I cannot let little Zachary see his step-mama rock his daddy’s world. The poor boy would be scarred for life if he got a glimpse in my head…”

He let out a wicked little laugh, and before she could blink, he scooped her up in one smooth, strong motion, tossing her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing at all.

“You got it,”he said, with a gleam in his eye and all the joy of a man who knew exactly what he had. “You gonna let me get a peek into that mind of yours?”

“You got a front-row seat, Kenneth…”

“Hallelujah,” he sighed – and gave her backside a playful swat.

Jamie let out a delighted squeal, and the laugh that escaped her lips was wild and uncontained—pure happiness. It wrapped around her heart like a ribbon, tying her to this moment, to this man, to this life she’d never dreamed would be hers.

She rested her cheek against his back, holding on tightly. Her heart was full, almost too full.

This was hers.

This was love.

And she wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

13

KENNETH

Kenneth’s chestrose and fell with the rhythm of his breath, sharp and steady as he sat on the bench, the cool sting of the ice beneath his skates grounding him in the here and now. The chill of the arena wasn’t enough to quiet the fire roaring in his veins. Their first game. The one that would either silence the critics or feed them like wolves at a fresh kill.

The Wolverines. A dream team by design. Top talent from all over the league. The best of the best, tossed together in a blender and expected to pour out perfection. On paper, they should’ve been unstoppable. But in reality? The odds weren’t exactly in their favor. Not because they lacked skill—far from it. But chemistry? That was the gamble.

Yet something surprising had happened in the weeks leading up to this moment. They hadn’t imploded. They hadn’t fallen into ego-driven chaos or let tempers divide them like everyone expected. Sure, there had been a few “little tiffs,” moments where pride bumped heads with pride, but nothing more than that. No locker room blow-ups. No fights on the ice. And Kenneth knew why—because not one of them would put up with childishness. They were here for something more. Something bigger than themselves.

They were focused. They were driven. They were dead set on proving everyone wrong.

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