The Temporary Wife - By Jeannie Moon Page 0,54

hands on her slumping shoulders. “You aren’t alone. You have me and you have Molly. What do you need me to do?”

She shook her head, and never in his life had he seen someone so defeated. “Jason, I never had you. Even when you said I did. Fourteen years ago you lied to me, to your friends, and when I thought I was pregnant, you did everything but accuse me of trying to trap you. Your father did that.” She stepped away from him. “Now, I’m just a rescue project and you’re still keeping me hidden from everyone. So the way I see it, I have Molly for now, but the scary thing about that is if we’re found out, if this farce of a marriage is exposed, I’ll lose her, too.”

Grabbing another napkin and blotting her face again, Meg walked to the back stairs that came directly from the bedroom hallway into the kitchen. She seemed to compose herself a bit. “I’m going to change and then I’ll take Molly into the family room with me to watch a movie. She’s been okay?”

“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