Eden’s smile resembled the Cheshire Cat’s. All her pearly whites and the empty spaces where her wisdom teeth once resided were on full display. After five years of marriage, Jermaine still made her feel like a kid at Christmas.

“Jermaine, stop making me smile,” she blushed as she stirred the egg and ricotta cheese mixture.

“It’s my job to keep that smile on your pretty face. Making sure my wife is happy is how I keep the other men away,”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that. Happy wife. Happy life. And I am very happy,” Eden admitted.

Jermaine couldn’t see it, but he knew she was smiling. A slight pain poked at his heart. He knew he had a good woman, but the world was filled with so many other women. Who was he to deny the other women the opportunity to experience a ride on the Jermaine Express.

“I love you, Eden,” Jermaine blurted truthfully.

Eden froze at the sound of her name coming from her husband’s mouth. He hadn’t called her by her birth name in so long that she didn’t think he remembered it. Truthfully, she didn’t even use her government name when conducting business. She knew now that something was wrong.

“Ok Jermaine, what’s wrong? You never call me Eden. It doesn’t even sound right coming out of your mouth. Whose ass do I have to beat for messing with my man?” Eden asked jokily, but seriously.

Jermaine laughed.

“Calm down killer. Nothing is wrong. Nothing that I can’t handle,” Jermaine joked. “I hear a lot of moving around in the background. What are you doing?” Jermaine asked as he read the incoming text messages on his iPhone.

“You know I’d never let the head of the household come home to an empty plate. I’m making you a vegetarian lasagna and a rainbow salad. By the time you get here, dinner will be ready,” Eden said as she removed the phone from her ear and put it on speaker, because for the life of her, she could never keep up with her AirPods.

“Awww Babe. You know your lasagna is my favorite, but it’s Thursday. I’ll be here at the office late as usual. I thought bringing Malcolm on as a Partner would lighten my workload, but it’s making shit worse,” Jermaine said while responding quickly to the second incoming text.

“Now I see why you called me Eden,” Eden sighed as she shook her head. “You know I love Malcolm, but he doesn’t know what being a partner means. He wants to be in control. He wants your spot. Sometimes friends and family simply can’t work together. It’s a sad fact,” Eden shrugged.

“You’re right. What are you doing now, I still hear a lot of movement?”