As expected, Ivy was chatting away in the group, completely engrossed in the banter. Typical. This woman! She’s perfectly happy gossiping with everyone else while her own husband is left to one side.

Bob: Mrs. Smith, how old are you, anyway? Are you going back for a graduate degree or something?

Jay: Probably an MBA, right?

Coach Murphy: You guys are so nosy. What, a lady can’t keep learning just because she’s older?

Mrs. Smith: Senior year undergrad. Took a three-year break—never finished my degree.

Dale: Ah, that explains it!

With that, everyone got it. They figured she must have taken time off for health reasons, and now that she’d beaten whatever she was dealing with, she was putting her life back together and heading back to school.

Jamison scrolled through the conversation, a small smile tugging at his lips. His long fingers tapped the screen.

Dr. Handsome: @Mrs. Smith, congratulations! Wishing you all the best with your studies.

The moment he appeared in the chat, excitement flared up.

Bob: Long time no see, Dr. Handsome! Guess you’re too busy being in love to hang out online.

Jay: Yeah, we thought you’d blocked us all by now.

Seeing him pop up, Ivy smiled at her computer screen. Was this guy bored out of his mind and using an alternate account just to tease her?

Thinking of what they had planned tonight, she felt her cheeks flush and her heart skip, embarrassment nearly overwhelming her. Just seeing his username on the screen made her nervous.

But there was no way around it—she couldn’t avoid what was coming, no matter how much she wanted to.

Ivy took a deep breath, checked the time—it was almost nine—then bit her lip, steeled herself, and stood up.

Time to head back to the bedroom.

Jamison was still chatting in the group when the door suddenly swung open.

He jumped, immediately putting his phone down.

Ivy lingered in the doorway for a moment before stepping inside, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary. “What are you up to? You look like you got caught red-handed.”

Jamison smiled, quickly slipping his phone under the pillow and shifting gears. “Nothing. Just waiting for you. I thought maybe you were avoiding me tonight and wouldn’t come back.”

“Avoid you? Please. I was busy with something important. Now that I’m done, here I am.” She tried to sound nonchalant, shooting him a sidelong glance. “Already showered?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, I’ll go take mine.”

“Alright.” He agreed, then added with a teasing grin, “Need any help?”

“No, thank you!”

She wasn’t helpless, and the last thing she needed was a guy recovering from an injury trying to assist her.

Ivy retreated to the bathroom, locking the door behind her, then sat on the closed toilet lid, feeling anxious, conflicted, and uncertain all over again.

Just thinking about Jamison, freshly showered and waiting for her in bed, made her so nervous she barely knew what to do with herself.

With her heart pounding, she dawdled for half an hour before finally finishing her shower.

The second she cracked open the bathroom door, Jamison glanced over.

“Finally out! I was about to barge in and check if you’d drowned in there.”

Ivy’s skin, already pale, was now flushed and dewy from the steam. Her lips were a vivid pink, her eyes bright and sparkling. She looked like a ripe cherry after a summer rain, her whole body glowing with a tantalizing freshness.

Jamison only had to look at her once before he felt a rush of heat sweep through him.

But he held himself in check, afraid that if he moved too quickly, he’d scare his delicate little wife.

Ignoring his teasing, Ivy quietly walked to the bed and sat down.

Jamison caught a whiff of her sweet scent and felt his throat tighten, his fingers trembling where they rested on the covers. Almost without thinking, his hand reached out, seeking the curve of her waist—