it go on. He could fix this. He was probably the only one who could. “I tried. They’re not budging. They want Molly with them and they’re pulling out all the stops to do it.”
“I’ll fight back. I’ll figure out a way . . .”
“You can’t fight back on your own.” Jason raked his fingers through his hair. “You need me.”
“No,” she said firmly. “I don’t need you.”
“Be reasonable. You do need me, and I have an idea.”
There was something in Meg’s eyes when she heard him say he had an idea . . . hope maybe? But it was shadowed by the suspicion he knew she felt toward him. He deserved all of it, and more; the trust wasn’t going to come easy.
“What’s your idea?” she asked.
This was it. He had to tell her straight out what he wanted to do, and then hope her reaction wasn’t to throw him right out of her house. “We need to get married.”
Chapter 3
Jason wandered into the empty classroom and looked at the miniaturized world of Megan Rossi. There were tiny desks and chairs. The sink was low, the cupboards were low, and there were reminders everywhere that children occupied the space. In the corner there was a rug and a big armchair that he assumed was used for story time. In the opposite corner was the teacher’s desk. It was piled high with papers, books, and art supplies, and there were a few photos tucked inside a desk blotter. There were pictures of Meg with her siblings, and he remembered good times they all had growing up together. He glanced at one photo of Meg and a big blond guy with a blocky head and no neck. He had one arm around her shoulder, and they looked like they were at a barbecue. Nothing strange or unusual, just people getting together. Normal. Something he didn’t do often enough in his overchoreographed life. He thought about it; this was probably the first time in months he’d been out of his office during the day. That couldn’t be a good thing.
Jason wondered about the guy in the photo. Was it her boyfriend? Was it serious? He was freaking huge and hopefully the guy didn’t have a temper.
He felt strange being there, like he was invading her privacy, but this couldn’t wait. He needed to talk to her. After she turned his proposal down flat the other night, he had to find a way to convince her that getting married was the only solution to the problem of Molly’s custody.
Considering their past, it was a pretty crazy idea. Hell, the last thing he wanted to do was get married; he liked his life the way it was. But even though their history wasn’t sunshine and rainbows, it was a sound idea, and one that could keep his parents from pulling Molly into their ugly little world.
It was only for a year. Surely they could tolerate each other for a year. He’d already had his lawyer draw up the prenup, and it would give Meg everything she needed to keep his parents from petitioning for custody again when they separated. Then they could both move on with their lives and Jason could relax knowing his sister’s wishes had been honored.
He heard Meg’s voice come from an open door on the far side of the room. “Where are those markers?” she said, talking to herself.
Then something crashed to the ground and he couldn’t get back there fast enough. When he rushed through the door of what was a very large closet, he was faced with the finest ass he had ever seen. She was packed into a slim skirt that hugged every glorious curve. The woman was built like a dream.
Of course, she also seemed to have a death wish, because she was wearing a pair of ridiculously high heels and now stood on a chair, on her toes, reaching for something on the top shelf. What kind of kindergarten teacher dressed like she did? He looked around and saw a box of crayons scattered on the floor, while Meg pitched herself forward, trying to get her hand around another box. Before he could offer to help, she made a furious attempt to grab what she was going for, and that’s when momentum took over.
The final lunge forward caused an equal tilt back. Her arms windmilled for balance, and her feet slid on the chair. Seeing that Meg was headed for a crash landing, Jason moved