The Temporary Wife - By Jeannie Moon Page 0,52

to shit luck on my part. But you’re not, and I want to fuckin’ kill this guy.”

“Please don’t say that.” Meg dropped her head because she couldn’t look at him without feeling the most crushing guilt. She cared deeply for Grant, and she didn’t deserve his love or his loyalty because, despite all the problems, she was hopelessly drawn to Jason. There was something there between them, something that kept her foolish heart tied to a marriage that was supposed to mean nothing. Meg knew it was the same stupidity that kept her in denial in high school. The very same, and she fought it every day.

Grant’s hand cupped her cheek and the guilt tripled. He was so tender and gentle as he brought her face up. There was such hurt in his eyes, such hurt. “Why did you marry him?”

What could she say? The truth? That Jason offered protection? If she’d told Grant the truth at the outset, he probably would have offered to marry her. Her brother offered the money for a lawyer, and the problem would have most likely gone away.

But something inside her had made her accept Jason’s proposal, something from long ago that hoped beyond hope that the love she felt for him wasn’t a mistake. She adored Grant, and she had thought she could love him, but the feelings she was having for Jason made everything else seem pale. Still, Grant deserved the truth.

“It’s very possible the marriage won’t last. His reasons for asking me were about Molly, as were most of my reasons for saying yes.” Meg’s heart filled with sadness as she thought about her reality, but it was hers. She owned it.

“Most?” Grant said.

“I love him. I always have. I buried it a long time ago, but it’s still there.”

God, I said it out loud.

Grant nodded, possibly understanding, but Meg needed him to understand everything. She took his face in her hands and let herself get lost in the blue of his eyes. It was a different blue than Jason’s. Grant’s eyes were lighter, brighter, like a summer sky. “You are such a good man, and I don’t deserve what you feel for me. I don’t know why I feel this way about Jason, but I do.”

Grant took hold of her hands, pulled them from his face, then he kissed her gently. “I love you, Meg. I’ll be here for you, however you need me.”

“Please don’t be nice to me. Please.”

“I’m your friend, first and always. Don’t forget that.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think Campbell deserves you.”

She couldn’t do anything but nod. Men like Grant were rare, and right now she was feeling like she was the one who didn’t deserve him, even as a friend.

***

Jason watched Molly sleep on the couch in his office and he wondered how people who worked at home got anything done. When the call came from her school that she was running a fever, he didn’t let Meg know until he had already picked her up, gone to the pediatrician, and gotten her medication from the pharmacy. He knew it was conference day and it was one day Meg really couldn’t miss. The doctor had taken a culture, but as soon as she’d looked in Molly’s throat she’d known. It was covered with white spots. She was particularly worried about her tonsils, which would have to come out if she had recurring bouts of strep.

Handling this was one small thing he could do for Meg to show her he was invested in their relationship. One way to try to make up for being a dick and leaving her home from the benefit and for messing up in a million other ways.

Meg would be home in a little while, and then he could focus on one thing and not five. Molly’s sleep was temporary at best. It seemed she woke up faithfully every half an hour, looking for something to drink or eat, a story, or a hug. He didn’t hear her the last time she woke, and the next thing he knew, she was climbing into his lap. What surprised him was that rather than being annoyed by the interruption, he just focused on the little girl who needed his attention. The warmth of her coursed through him, and his heart swelled knowing she needed him.

Molly had been at the center of all his decisions for the past two months. Giving her the life she deserved, the life his sister wanted