The rest of their time in Kent and London went by in a blur of food, snow, presents, and enjoying her new status as Goldie Sorenson, married woman; however, not even her joyous new life could keep the worry from working its way into her thoughts.

Goldie was starting to see her life as a series of covert ops, and a deep sense of unease clouded every day.

Operation Get (secretly) Married had been a success, in that she was married to the man of her dreams, and no one knew, especially not one Griffen Edwards, esq.

Now she just had to get through Operation Report, in which she'd finish the horrible dossier on Jeff and the girls and hand it over to the aforementioned Griffen Edwards, and then she could focus on Operation Grandparents, in which she'd somehow convince Jeff to let the Velasquezes be in the girls' lives. If she were successful, she wouldn't have to go into Operation Lawsuit, in which she would somehow keep from Jeff the knowledge that she'd not only had previous knowledge of, but had also participated in building a case against him.

Goldie was exhausted just thinking about all of it.

She spent the evening of the first night they were back in New York on her laptop, putting the finishing touches on the report she owed Griffen Edwards. Jeff, too, had a lot of business and correspondence to catch up on because of their time abroad, so he didn't question the time she spent in her old bedroom "working."

Her cursor hovered over the "send" button, as Goldie contemplated not sending it, simply deleting it and telling Griffen she quit. Surely that would be best? However, she knew that if she didn't send it, if Griffen knew she never intended to send it, there was absolutely no way she could keep him from going straight to Jeff and telling him the whole, sordid story.

No, the best thing to do was what she'd already decided: Send the report, then convince the Velasquezes not to take Jeff to court. And the best, the only way to do this would be to convince Jeff to let them into the babies' lives.

Then everything would be fine.

"Darling? You about finished?"

Goldie jumped guiltily and looked up. Jeff was standing in the doorway.

"Just have to send something real quick. I'll be there in a sec."

"Let's watch something fun tonight," he called as he walked down the hall toward the stairs.

"Sounds good," she responded.

She resolutely clicked on "send," and took a metaphorical sigh of relief.

She put the whole thing out of her mind and joined Jeff, where they went retro and watched Raiders of the Lost Ark.

She got a text from Griffen when the movie was half over.

You mean you're not going to bring it in person?

No, why would I?

Well, you know, now that I have the report, you're technically not working for me anymore, at least not until I give you your next assignment. I was thinking of asking you out, socially.

No thanks, let's just keep things like they are. In fact, I actually plan to do a little traveling in the new year, and I don't know when I'll be available again, so let's just consider the report my final assignment for you, okay?

You're quitting.

Yes, as of now. Thanks for the work.

She turned her phone off, just as Jeff, who was engrossed in the movie, turned to ask if everything was okay?

"Yeah," she said firmly. "Everything's fine."

After the movie was over, she casually asked, "Have you thought any more about letting Maggie's parents see the girls?"

Jeff sighed. "That's still on your mind, huh?"

Goldie nodded. "It's just that it's the end of the holidays, Jeff. The girls saw your parents. Hell, they even spent time with my parents, who weren't even related to them at the time." She blinked at Jeff, willing him to soften. "Can you imagine how absolutely destroyed your parents would be if they knew that these three gorgeous children were out in the world, the only remaining proof of your precious child's time here on earth, and they never got to see them?"

Jeff stroked her cheek. "You're so kindhearted, always; it's one of the things I love about you. Look, if it were just up to me, I don't think I'd mind—you're right, it would be a very desolate world for my parents if they never got to see the girls." He shook his head. "But I have to think of what Maggie would've wanted, don't I? And as I've told you, over and over, they were estranged, hadn't spoken amicably in years, when the girls were born.

"And what if they start up again, about the babies' souls, all that garbage about baptisms and that?"

"Would it be so horrible for the girls to be baptized?" Goldie countered. "I mean, you had a christening ceremony or whatever in the Church of England, and you turned out fine, right?"

"A christening is not the same as a baptism, there are a whole different set of implications," Jeff responded, shaking his head.

"Not if you don't believe in it. Not if you don't believe in it, right?" Goldie put a gentle hand on Jeff's arm. "Just meet with them, once. Invite them here. You can't know what would be in Maggie's heart if she were alive today."

"This is that important to you?" Jeff pulled her up from the couch and they headed upstairs.

"It is."

"I don't even know if they live in the same place, or have the same phone number. How do I know I could even reach them?"

"You can try," Goldie said. "Does this mean you'll try?"

Jeff looked at her as he held his toothbrush, and nodded, defeated. "I'll look through my papers and see if I still have their address and phone number."

Goldie went to him and took his toothbrush from him, setting it carefully on the bathroom counter so she could jump into his arms and hug him. "Thank you," she said. "Thanks for agreeing to try." She released him after planting a soft kiss on his mouth.

"I think this marriage is going to consist of you asking me for whatever you want, and me just saying yes," Jeff observed as he picked up his toothbrush and began to brush. "I'm such a pushover where you're concerned."

And Goldie, who was brushing her own teeth, smiled at him in the mirror. "Sounds perfect," she said through the toothpaste. "I have no issue with that."

As she left the bathroom, she pulled her pajama top off, then lowered the bottoms in one smooth movement, hooking the waistband and sliding them down.

Jeff, who saw the motion out of the corner of his eye, glanced over and saw his wife, standing, gloriously nude, in the doorway to their bedroom.

"Let's get to bed, hm?" She turned and walked into the darkness, knowing he was watching.

Jeff quickly hung up the towel he was holding and hurried to their bed, where Goldie was waiting for him.

"Come on, Chief, what are you doing still dressed?" Goldie teased, unbuttoning his pajama top.

"God, you're so beautiful," Jeff murmured as he gathered her into his arms. "Your skin is so soft—" he turned on the lamp next to the bed. "Look at you."

Goldie lay back on the bed, smiling up at him, her curvy body luminous in the lamplight.

Jeff straddled her and scooted down, so he was sitting on her legs. Very deliberately, he lifted them at the knee, pulling her legs apart and planting them on the bed.

He could see her sex, round and soft like the rest of her, gleaming with wetness already, and could even smell her a little, a tantalizing fragrance of Goldie the woman.

He leaned forward, putting his hands on her hips and lifting her a little. "Been a while since we've done this, hasn't it?" he murmured as he watched her hand fist the sheet in anticipation.

"I don't remember, only about sixteen days," Goldie answered, laughing.

"Too long for something so fun." Jeff lowered his head and kissed her, from her hipbones down, around her thatch of dark blonde hair, gentle kisses that did little more than tease both of them.

Goldie lifted her hips of her own accord, chasing his mouth, wanting more, and Jeff couldn't take it anymore. He licked into her plump wetness, loving that first taste of her.

He heard his wife gasp and moan, felt her body tighten, and knew that she'd come very easily tonight. He licked over and over, poking his tongue as far into her as it would go, and felt her legs go around his neck to lock on his back.

He slid two fingers into her up to the knuckle as he sucked on her, forcing her legs even wider apart.

"You taste so good, so good," he murmured. "God, I could almost get off now—"

"You want to—turn around?" Goldie gasped. "Come up here so I can—"

"No, I want to make you come, then I want to fuck you," Jeff answered, shaking his head so she could feel his hair against the insides of her thighs.

He worked on her with his mouth and fingers, and barely five minutes went by before she was drilling her head into the pillow and tightening her legs around his head as she came.

"Oh god, Jeff, Jeff—" she called, arching her back off the bed. She slowly relaxed as Jeff continued to lick her, her release.

She finally sat up and smiled at him, hair coming out the braid in beautiful disarray. "Your turn," she said with a little smile.

"Right. Hands and knees, wife."

"My, aren't we bossy."

"You heard me," Jeffrey growled as he grabbed her by the neck and pulled her close. He smiled and kissed her, knowing she could taste herself on his lips.

"Oh, going to be like that tonight, is it?" Goldie rolled over and got on her hands and knees, and seeing her opening, nearly dripping wet from their earlier activities, between the twin globes of her bottom nearly ended it for Jeff right then and there.

He grasped her by her hips and thrust into her, hard, making her cry out a little and lift her hand to press it on the headboard. He plunged into her over and over, pulling her into his hips a little with each movement. The sound of their skin slapping together filled the room.

Jeff's motions got faster and faster, and a little sloppy, losing its rhythm, and Goldie knew he was going to finish soon.

"Oh, god, Goldie," he managed before he felt the spasms, felt his essence leaving his body as he curled his body over her. He squeezed her bottom together as he collapsed on top of her, gasping for breath.

He finally slid out of her and Goldie turned to face him, scooting as close as she could. "So, that was fun," she said, tracing his chin with her forefinger.

"It was indeed," Jeff agreed, putting his arms around her. "Have I fucked you good and proper? You ready for sleep?"

She was, and they did, both of them.