The Temporary Wife - By Jeannie Moon Page 0,57

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!”

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