Alice went to kiss his hand again, but Jamie pulled it back, replacing it with his face.
‘We haven’t done this in a long time,’ he added, inches from her lips.
‘We haven’t done a lot of things in a long time.’
He ran his finger down to her neck brace. ‘We can catch up when you feel better.’
‘I feel better now.’
Jamie grinned. ‘You need to rest.’
‘I can still kiss.’
He lightly nudged her nose with his own. ‘You sure?’
Alice leaned closer, joining their mouths, and just for a moment Jamie stilled, absorbing her touch. She had no idea how often he had dreamed of being with her. He mumbled her name, and she raked a hand into his hair, immediately heating the kiss, and Jamie was way more than overwhelmed. He was lost in her.
After a moment, they came up for air and simply smiled at each other.
‘Should we talk some more?’ he asked. ‘I want everything to be perfect.’
‘Is there such a thing?’ Alice pecked his cheek. ‘I don’t know what to say anyway.’ She sat back and sighed. ‘This morning I was still angry with you, then when you didn’t show up, I got scared. Just thinking of you hurt or alone, destroys me. Always has.’ She shook her head. ‘People say we’re a strange pair. Maybe we are.’
‘We’re just us. Who knows how other couples are really? No one can be sure what goes on behind closed doors.’
‘Our marriage has been hidden away.’
‘It doesn’t have to be that way now.’ He glanced at the door. ‘Not sure who your mum has told, but Ginny and Will know, and I’m happy to shout from the rooftops that you are my wife, the best wife in the world.’
Alice blushed. ‘Now you’re just being soppy.’
‘No, now I’m just letting you know how I feel about you. How I’ve felt for so long.’
‘Are we strange, Jamie?’
He shrugged. ‘Don’t care if we are. We’ve always worked. We’ve always had a strong bond. All I know is, life feels better when you’re around.’ He lowered his head and inhaled deeply. ‘When you used to visit me in prison, it was as though happiness itself had walked in. I can’t begin to describe those moments.’
Alice lifted his chin. ‘It was so hard saying goodbye. I hated it.’
‘Me too.’
‘I couldn’t go through that again.’
‘You won’t have to.’ He tilted one side of his mouth. ‘Unless you get yourself arrested.’
‘Flipping heck, I never thought of that.’ She placed a hand over his heart. ‘Let’s both agree prison is in our past.’
‘Definitely. So no more trouble from you.’
Alice blew out a small laugh, then smiled softly. ‘I can’t believe we’re here together now.’
‘Yeah, it’s a little surreal at times, isn’t it?’
‘I’m going to talk to my mum again. If we’re going to be together properly, I want her to hear it from me.’
Jamie agreed. ‘But I do want to talk to her as well. Just say my piece. Let her know exactly where I stand. It’ll be bettercoming from me, then she’ll know it’s not just you sticking up for me.’
‘Meanwhile, will you take me to bed?’
