Susan and Ted had been married twelve years, with two young kids and a comfortable life in Southern California. But lately, comfort had turned into routine. Their sex life had grown quiet—almost rare—and Ted had started to worry. Between her work as a high school Honors English teacher and his job as an accountant, then their young children’s schooling and soccer, there was little time—or energy—for much else. He noticed...

It had been three months since Las Vegas, and yet the memory hadn’t faded; it had settled—like warm light in a room they never used to visit—making everything else look a shade brighter. Ted and Susan’s routines still existed (pickups, lunches, laundry, bills), but now their marriage carried a pulse. They touched more in the kitchen. They laughed more in bed. They didn’t look away from hard conversations. Lamar didn’t flo...