by Jeannie Moon
“A little clingy, but that’s to be expected since she doesn’t feel well. A couple of times she just wanted you.”
“I’ll be down in a couple of minutes. Has she had her medicine yet?”
“She got it when she had lunch and is due again in about an hour.”
“Okay. Thank you for watching her.”
Thank you? Jason had just been smacked upside the head with an emotional two-by-four, and she was saying thank you? Like he was some fucking babysitter?
“Meg?” She stopped on the first step and faced him. “You don’t have to thank me for taking care of her. I’m going to be her father.”
“I know,” she replied. “I just—I know this isn’t your usual thing.”
“And it’s yours?” He went to her, and even though she was a step up, she still had to look up a little to meet his eyes. “You had a shitty day, and I know it was my fault. I’m sorry, but I’ll say it again: You aren’t in this alone. Not even close.”
He brushed his fingers over her cheeks, examining every feature and feeling his heart stumble when he locked on her bright green eyes. Her pain was right there, and it was raw. He wanted to kiss her because he didn’t know any other way to soothe her, assure her. But her body language was telling him hands off. “You’re not alone,” He said again.
“Yeah, I am,” she said, and walked upstairs.
Chapter 13
“Where’s your husband?”
Meg cringed at the way her brother asked the question. It was their mother’s birthday dinner, and while Jason didn’t really want to go, he promised he’d be there. But here she sat in her family’s favorite Italian restaurant, with Molly on one side of her and an empty chair on the other.
“He must be stuck at work,” she said, hoping the concern didn’t come through her voice.
The last couple of weeks had been hell, starting with that damned event and ending with her meltdown in the kitchen. Since they’d been married, Jason was rarely home before midnight. Lately, though, he’d been walking on eggshells around her, and he had been getting home a little earlier each night. He’d had dinner with them a couple of times this week, helped Molly with her homework, and ignored his cell phone.
She thought maybe he’d thought about what she said. He seemed to be making an effort to be more of a friend to her and a presence for Molly. It was nice having him around at night, and Jason seemed to like being with them.
When she accused him of having sex with Harper he denied it, but the conclusion that they’d been sleeping together in the first place wasn’t hard to come to. Harper’s body language, her reaction to Meg, everything, screamed, He’s mine.
Her face must have tipped off her brother that there was something wrong. He was furious she’d married Jason, and would like nothing better than for Meg to leave him.
“If you want to divorce him, I know a good attorney,” Kevin said. “A few guys on the team have used her, and she’s a barracuda. That prenup won’t stand a chance.”
“The prenup is extremely generous. Keeping it in place would be fine.”
Her sister was on Molly’s other side, and they were coloring a place mat together. Caroline was the one who’d inherited all her mother’s control and tact, and she’d been trying so hard not to say anything bad about Jason, especially in front of Molly. Kevin didn’t really care about that. His protective older brother side came out full force.
She hated this. Kevin and Jason had been close friends growing up, almost as close as she and Grace, but when the breakup came and she turned up pregnant, it all went to hell. Jason was a nerd, but he was an athletic nerd who played hockey well enough to be recruited by some pretty big schools. Her brother, however, was a first-class baseball player all the way, and physically he made Jason look puny.
Kevin had wanted to beat Jason to a pulp when he let his father go on unchecked about her pregnancy scare. Jason never said a word, never took responsibility, just let his father rage on about how the baby could be anybody’s. Her brother had never forgiven his friend. The two of them hadn’t talked since, and Kevin tried to talk Meg out of marrying Jason right until he walked her down the aisle. No, nothing was going to be easy.
Meg wanted to forgive him, and she’d started to when they were on their honeymoon. Unfortunately, those few days of closeness were gone. Back in the real world, she was just the girl he screwed in secret.
Or wanted to screw in secret. Meg wasn’t letting that happen again.
She’d gotten a text from him a half an hour ago that said he was on the way, and she ordered his dinner figuring he’d be there in time to eat, but now that was looking doubtful. Nothing new. Once again, he’d let her down.
But she wished he’d get there just so her brother wouldn’t have any ammunition. He may have been pissed at Jason, but he was taking his anger out on her, and she was getting sick of it. Another crack and she’d rip his head off. Her brother might be a big, tough jock, but he was no match for Meg when her temper flared.
But then she looked around the table and sighed. As angry as she was at her brother’s crappy attitude, Meg wasn’t going to ruin her mother’s birthday, so she plastered a smile on her face when their food arrived and pretended like nothing was wrong.
Molly leaned over her spaghetti and gave a big sniff. “This smells so good,” she said. “Is Uncle Jason coming?”
“He should be here soon.” She hoped he’d get there soon.
“He promised me last night. I told him it was ’portant,” Molly said.
“He promised me, too. I’m guessing something happened at work. Do you need the spaghetti cut, or the meatball?”
“Nope, I know how to use a knife and fork, but I never cut spaghetti.”
She attacked her dinner, and Meg swallowed hard, not noticing that her brother, sister, and mother were all staring at her, all of them drawing their own conclusions, and all of them hating Jason even more than they did before. The problem Meg had was that her feelings were the opposite.
“You can’t keep going like this. Just end it.” Caroline asked. “Or would that make things worse?”
“I’m thinking worse.” Because then she wouldn’t just be fighting Molly’s grandparents, she’d be fighting with Jason, the man who petitioned to be Molly’s adoptive father, the man Molly would miss incredibly. She couldn’t do that to the child. She just lost her parents; right now she needed stability.
But then an ugly thought niggled in her brain. What would it do to her in a year or two if they divorced? One set of parents dead, another divorced? The child was going to need therapy for years, and as a teacher Meg should have seen it. She should have known better.
She should have thought about this. Quick fixes were never good in the long run, and now Molly might pay the price.
***
Jason tossed his keys to the valet as he stepped out of his car in the Matteo’s parking lot. He was forty-five minutes late for Mrs. Rossi’s birthday dinner, and he knew Meg was going to be furious. Scratch that—she was going to be upset. She didn’t get mad, but if he did something stupid or inconsiderate, she looked at him like a just-kicked puppy.
The last few weeks had been a roller coaster. Between his fuckup with the benefit, Harper being a bitch, and Meg’s ex getting her to see everything their marriage was missing, Meg had been through the wringer. He’d been trying to make it up to her a little at a time—being around for dinner, spending time with Molly—but he still didn’t feel like he was doing enough.
Tonight he’d let her down again.
And he hated it.
He walked through the restaurant, dodging waiters with bottles of wine and large trays of food, looking for her tousle of blond hair. Of course, the first thing he saw was Kevin Rossi’s massive back. Great.
He held a small gift bag for her mother, and when he approached the table, he breathed out when Molly was the one who saw him first. She jumped from her chair and headed right for him. “Uncle Jason! You’re here!
”
“Yes, I am,” he said, guiding her back to the table.
“You’re very late. We’re eating already and your dinner is getting cold.”
“I see that.” He was now getting the evil eye from Caroline and Mrs. Rossi. Kevin just sat there, like a wall, and Meg smiled weakly. She was not having a good time.
“I’m very sorry to be so late. Bad planning on my part.” Passing the bag to her mother, he said, “Happy birthday, Mrs. Rossi.”
“Thank you,” she said, and put the bag aside. He noticed that Kevin hadn’t said anything. Hadn’t stood, hadn’t done anything. He was just mountain of muscle.
Seeing the empty chair next to Meg, Jason walked with Molly to the other side and sat down, hoping his wife would say something to him. Anything. Even a sarcastic comment would work.
But it didn’t happen. Meg had reverted to being reserved and polite, and it was driving him nuts. Jason had come to one very important conclusion: Meg scared the crap out of him. He’d realized it when she told him her ex-boyfriend had made a play for her. Something instinctive took over, and he didn’t know if it had been building since they reconnected or if that incident triggered it. But making Meg happy had become important to him, more important than just about everything.
It was crazy, but when Meg was in the room, his future was right there, and all he could do to stop from thinking about it was to remind himself of what he and his family had done to her in the past. He’d thought keeping his distance was the best way to stick to the agreement and protect her and Molly. The only thing he’d done, though, was make them unhappy.
Damn. He sat next to her, and her scent, the light and flowery scent she always wore, crept inside of him and made him think of those days and nights at sea when she was all his.
He leaned over. “I’m sorry. I really tried to get here sooner.”
“Is everything all right?” Meg asked.
“Like I said, bad planning.”
Looking across the table, Kevin was staring, his eyes lethal.
“Kevin. Good season?” Way to sound like a pompous ass, Jay.
To his credit, Kevin said nothing, even though Jason was certain he wanted to curse him out, beat him to death, or both. Meg’s brother turned toward his mother, who was opening the gift Jason had given her. He hoped she liked it.
When she pulled out the well-worn copy of The Great Gatsby, she looked confused.
Kevin only half laughed. “You got her a used book?”
Jason shook his head. Kevin wasn’t stupid, but he was confrontational, and Jason wasn’t going to take the bait. Not this time. “Open it, Mrs. Rossi.”
When she did, there was a quick intake of breath that told him he’d shocked her a little. Perfect. “This is signed by Fitzgerald.”
“It’s a signed first edition.” He turned to Meg. “I was waiting for the courier to deliver it. That’s why I was so late.”
“You waited? For a gift?” Meg asked.
He nodded, knowing he’d just scored a home run with the women at the table, which wasn’t his intention. He just wanted to do something nice for her mother. Now it felt manipulative, but if it kept everyone from hating him, he’d take it.
“I admit, I procrastinated. I should have started the search for the book as soon as I remembered you were passionate about Fitzgerald. But the dealer only found it two days ago, and it took a bit to get it here.”
His mother-in-law fingered the old volume, and a smile turned up the corner of her mouth. “This is incredible, Jason. I’ll cherish it. Thank you for being so thoughtful.”
“Am I forgiven for being late?”
Her gaze narrowed, and Jason realized he’d just pushed his luck.
“For being late, yes.”
The woman wouldn’t give him an inch, and he could hardly blame her. “Fair enough.”
Meg took his hand under the table and squeezed, and he felt like he’d just saved the world. Even though he couldn’t be the man she wanted or needed, he didn’t have to be an ass, which he’d been excelling at since the wedding.
“I should have called you,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “That was lovely of you to do for her.”
“I’m glad it got here on time. That’s not an easy book to track down.” That he remembered something so obscure, her love of the great American classic, was a shock in itself. But he’d never forgotten the time Mrs. Rossi helped him with a paper on F. Scott Fitzgerald and kept him from failing English in eleventh grade.
He held Meg’s hand for a while, loving how it calmed him, how he felt like he belonged to this family, even marginally, even when he didn’t deserve it.
Once he’d eaten and they’d all had cake, he noticed Molly swaying in her chair. The kid was asleep sitting up, and the wobble to each side was starting to be a concern. Jason was afraid she was going to fall right out of her chair, so he walked over and scooped her up. Settled into his lap, she snuggled right in and fell into a deep sleep.
“Is she okay?” Meg asked. “She looks pale.”
“She’s warm,” he said. “How has she been today?”
“She told me she was tired from school today, but that’s all.” Meg reached out and touched Molly’s forehead with the back of her hand. “She has a fever. I hope it’s not strep again.”
“She just finished her antibiotics.”
“That’s why I’m worried.”
He kissed Molly’s hair and thought about the last time she was sick. The poor girl had been miserable.
Jason stood, cradling a sleeping Molly, while Meg said good-bye to her family. Her mother looked concerned, but her siblings, Jesus, contempt was all over their faces. Fucking hell. He might not be who they wanted for her, but he wasn’t an ax murderer, for Christ’s sake.
The little one in his arms wiggled, and he buttoned her sweater so she wouldn’t get a chill while they waited for the valet to bring Meg’s car.
“I don’t feel good,” Molly mumbled. “My ears hurt.”
“I know, honey. We’ll get you home and tucked in. Is there anything you want?”
“Will you read me a story?”
“Sure,” he said.
Her eyes opened and her little lip popped out in a pout. “Two stories?”
“Am I being hustled?” he asked. Molly grinned, and he couldn’t help but smile back. “Two stories, and that’s it. You need to sleep.”
She nodded, satisfied, and he got her settled into the back of Meg’s car.
“I’ll see you at home,” Meg said, walking around and getting into the driver’s side. “Could you get some ginger ale?”
“We’re out?”
“I forgot to put it on the grocery list.”
It was the only thing Molly drank when she was sick. That and water. “Sure. Anything else?”
“No, that’s it.” Meg looked over the car, behind him, a worried look crossing her face. Jason figured her family was lined up, waiting for her to leave. “See you at home.”
He smiled, trying to reassure her. The next thing he had to do was reassure them.
Once her car pulled away, Jason felt a hand clamp onto his shoulder. That didn’t take long. When he turned, Jason faced not just Kevin Rossi, but his mother and his sister as well.
Great.
“We need to have a conversation.”
“Okay. Shoot.”
“Jason,” her mother said. “This has to end. It’s not good for Meg. She’s trapped, and it’s not fair to her.”
“Not fair?” He folded his arms and glared at the three of them. “I’m sorry I was late, but I work long hours. I make sure Meg has everything she needs, and I’m not unfaithful to her. She and Molly are my whole world right now.” That was the truth. At least he hadn’t told Meg’s mother an outright lie.
“You need to stop playing at this. You two aren’t really married,” Caroline said. “For God’s sake, you have separate bedrooms!”
&nb
sp; That they did, and he hated it. It may have taken him being figuratively knocked over the head, but he now realized he wanted nothing more than to wake up every morning with Meg curled against him.
“We’re doing our best. Everything happened fast, and I want to make sure she’s comfortable.”
“That is such a load of shit,” Kevin said. “You married her because your family couldn’t stand that she had the kid and the trust fund. You’re doing your daddy’s bidding just like always.”
Jason stared for a moment.
“What? You think I married her to keep my parents happy?”
“I think you’ll screw my sister over as soon as you get the chance.”
Jason let his head get around the accusation. It made him feel a little sick inside that Kevin’s reasoning made sense. They thought that he was in the marriage for his family, not to protect Meg and Molly. To screw her over for his old man. Considering their history, Jason couldn’t fault them.
But how could he make them understand that they were wrong?
“My parents hate that we got married. The only thing that shut them up was when we put Molly’s money in a blind trust.”
“I don’t trust you, Campbell,” Kevin said. “I don’t. Because of your family my father dropped dead from a heart attack. If you do anything to hurt my sister or Molly, I will fucking crush you.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t already.” Jason tugged at his cuffs thinking about everything the Rossis went through after they left the estate. Mr. Rossi dying just a month later was the blow that left everyone reeling. Logically, Jason knew his family wasn’t directly responsible, but it felt like it. And that alone made him want to make amends. “Look, I’m going to take care of them. You aren’t going to have to crush anyone. Just let us figure it out.” The valet pulled up with his car, and Jason slipped a tip into his hand. “And you have to trust me, because I’m the only thing standing between her and an ugly custody fight.”
When he got in his car and closed the door, he thought he probably shouldn’t have said what he did. They could have explained away the separate bedrooms, but now they all knew this marriage wasn’t what it appeared to be on the surface. Meg’s family wasn’t the problem, though. They’d protect her and Molly at all costs. It was his family, his parents, who would cause a shitload of trouble if they thought for one second there was a vulnerability.