Page 56 of Puck, Marry, Thrill

“I like that part of our relationship, too,” he added with a grin.

“Good. You were going to give me a complex.”

“When I was going to say that – it wasn’t put out there lightly, Jamie – and it never would be. It would be like lopping off a vital part of my soul because I love showing you how much I care.”

“I feel the same—and I never want it to fade,” she whispered.

“Same.”

There was a stretch of silence then, but it wasn’t empty. It was full—of warmth, of everything unspoken, of the little boy asleep in her lap, the flickering lights of the tree, and the steady presence of the man beside her. Her throat closed around the words she wanted to say next, nerves suddenly rising like a wave cresting inside her.

“In fact…” Jamie hesitated, her voice catching. She felt his gaze shift fully to her, felt the weight of his attention settle completely.

She reached out, careful not to disturb Zachary, and laced her fingers through Kenneth’s. Her other hand still held their son gently, cradling his back. The moment felt delicate and suspended, and she could feel tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Kenneth asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

“Nothing,” she whispered, her smile trembling. “Everything is right.”

“You look nervous.”

“It’s because I’ve never had a positive pregnancy test before.”

The words hit the air like a match struck in darkness. She held her breath as they hung there, fragile and powerful and raw.

Kenneth’s eyes widened. She saw it—the moment the meaning hit him, and the flare of light in his gaze shimmered into something else. Something deeper. Emotion shimmered there like starlight on water.

“We’re going to have a baby?”

“I’m always spot on regardingthat… never late, you know? And Friday was my day.”

“Tomorrow is Friday.”

“I know.”

“You’re six dayslate, so you took a test?”

“And poof – baby.” Jamie gave a tearful laugh, smiling through the emotion that clogged her throat. “I have to admit that I couldn’t keep it to myself. Zachary knows. He said that he was happy, but only if I had a dog.”

She made a face, part exasperated, part amused, and shot him a look.

Kenneth laughed—really laughed. The sound made something in her heart ease, soften, settle.

“I explained that I would have a baby boy or a baby girl – and it would be his sibling, but we would discuss getting a dog as a family when you got home.”

“It’s not a bad idea and would teach him responsibility.”

“Right?”

“A dog…” He shook his head slowly, wonder etched across his features, his eyes still locked with hers. They both laughed again, but this time, it was quieter, reverent. A shared moment of disbelief and joy, and something sacred that pulsed between them.

They were growing—theywere growing.

A family. A dream. A life.

And Jamie, holding the little boy she already loved like her own, with a baby growing inside her and the man she adored sitting beside her, felt fuller than she ever had in her entire life.

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