It's a little strange sometimes to consider that, before John, she's pretty sure that no one ever loved her, at least not like this. Karen never really dwelled on the lack of that, either, realizing what she was missing only when she finally got it. He's said it so many times, but he says he loves her, calls her beautiful, and she believes him, as quietly breathless as if this were a new relationship and he wasn't her husband. That seems like a good thing, that he still has that kind of effect on her.

Of course, the breathless part might also have something to do with the soft press of his lips against her bare skin, her mouth curving into a smile as she looks at him.

"I love you, too," she says, her own voice low in turn and warm. "Definitely like the direction this is going now."