AJ's Salvation by Sam Destiny

just my mom. She won’t tell anyone we’re dancing,” her son decided and then turned to her, smiling. He wore an apron, just like Jamison, and she wanted to take a picture.
    Jam’s features softened as she picked up her son and placed him on the counter. “You look exhausted,” he commented and reached out. But she avoided his touch, bending down to tug at her son’s clothes. Philomena’s words stuck with her, and this was insane. Then again, this was Jam, the only guy she had ever wanted. And she was lonely. Very lonely. Who could blame her for wanting a little time in paradise? She could, and she knew she would regret it once Jam went back, but maybe, just maybe it was worth it. After all, wasn’t that saying ‘better loved and lost than never loved at all’?
    “I’m …” She trailed off because she wasn’t sure if she was mentally or physically exhausted anymore.
    “Champ, turn around,” Jam called, coming over to her. 
    “You got it,” her son called, turning his back toward them. It took a second until Aly realized what Jam was aiming at, but by then he had already reached around her, bent her back a little, and grinned with mischief in his eyes.
    He was kissing her as if he hadn’t seen her in forever, tasting of rosemary and something sweet, then he stood, straightening her. “Hey,” he beamed, obviously feeling pretty proud of himself.
    “Oh, Jam,” she whispered. She wouldn’t be able to resist him. Ever.
    “Can I look again?” Lesso called, seemingly getting bored. 
    “Sure thing. Rosemary. I want it,” she commented, catching her breath while biting her lip. Jam’s eyes got dark, and she wished they were back in high school. She wanted to be brave and talk to him. She didn’t want to give him any chance to turn her down. God, how she wished she had avoided Jam getting anyone else’s kid. She wanted him to be the father of her kids.
    “Champ, tell your mom what we cooked while I prepare the table,” Jam ordered and Alessandro nodded, taking her hand to lead her over to the stove. He could barely look into the pots, but he still pointed at them all. 
    “We wanted you to have something you don’t get every night, so we cooked some steaks, made potatoes that we then … what was it called?” He scrunched up his face in thought. Eventually, he shook his head. “We threw them in butter and some green stuff that smells like Dorly’s candles. And we made salsifies. They look like asparagus, but they taste a lot better.” Alessia did a double take. 
    “You tried them?” she asked in utter disbelief, and Lesso nodded. 
    “And he liked them,” Jam interrupted, coming back in. “Wash up, we can eat.”
    Aly cleaned her hands alongside her son, making sure they were dry before they went to the table. There was a candle burning. Jam had foregone the tablecloth, and she was thankful for that. Alessandro had a tendency to pull on the material and make everything tumble over.
    The food was incredible. The beef was soft on her tongue, just the right kind of cooked with only a little rosy color left. She hated blood and couldn’t eat anything that was still spilling onto her plate. The potatoes were well done and bite-sized. The mixture of herbs came off well, and she couldn’t get enough of it. Alessandro didn’t have any of the potatoes, which didn’t surprise her. He only ate them if they were fried and cut into wedges. She didn’t trust her eyes, though, as he had two helpings of the vegetables; the salsifies vanished quicker than she’d ever expected.
    She stayed silent while Lesso told her about his day at school and the way he and Tom had teased some younger girls. 
    “I told him that was no way to treat a girl and asked him if he’d ever treat you that way. He promised he’d apologize to the girls tomorrow,” Jam assured her before she could say anything at all.
    “We weren’t really mean. We just pretended spiders were on their clothes,” Lesso pouted, but Jam