The Temporary Wife - By Jeannie Moon Page 0,56

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