The Temporary Wife (19 page)

“I know. I’ve tried everything to get in touch with Jason. Sometimes the calls just don’t go through.”

Meg wondered what was going through Molly’s head. Wondered how she was going to get her back. The Campbells held all the cards, and she couldn’t see any way to beat them.

“Meg, don’t lose faith.”

“I don’t know if I have any left.”

***

The sat phone rang in the airplane cabin and the steward picked it up. Jason was relieved it was working again; he hated being out of touch. And he’d been out of touch for two days. The meetings with the bank had been exhausting and pointless. Essentially, he wasted several days on nothing.

“It’s your brother, Mr. Campbell.”

What the hell? He expected to hear from Meg. Harper. Maybe Owen or Nate. But Josh?

He took the handset. “Hey. What’s up?”

“Jay, there’s a problem. Our parents have petitioned for control of Molly’s trust.”

“What? They can’t do that! It’s in your control, and we’re adopting her. No court will give it to them.”

“Yeah, about that. Mom showed up at your house yesterday morning with a family court social worker, a sheriff, and a court order. They removed Molly from the house. She’s at the estate. I just came from there.”

Oh, shit. Oh, shit.
“Meg . . .”

“Mom said the last she saw of Meg, ‘She was lying in the driveway like a piece of garbage.’ She’s charming, our mother.”

“Molly?”

“Is hysterical. I saw her, and she begged me to take her home. This is such a fucking mess. You were right about them.”

Jason’s stomach lurched, and he tried to process everything his brother said. Meg. Oh, my God. What was Meg thinking?

“Harper is at your house with Meg,” Josh continued. “I called there first, but Meg thinks I’m involved in all this. There’s some paper you supposedly signed, too, but Harper is convinced it’s forged. Another thank-you goes to Mom for that one.”

“Oh, shit, Josh. I have another hour of flying time.”

“I’ll meet you at the airport.”

“Thanks.” Jason didn’t know why, but there was some relief knowing his older brother was in this with him. “I’m going to call home.”

Chapter 21

After thirteen hours of flying, a slow refueling stop, and his nerves fraying one at a time, Jason stormed into the house, Josh following, and found Harper in the kitchen with Owen and Nate. All three of them were on their phones, talking at the same time, and all three stopped when he walked in.

“Someone talk to me. How long has Meg been gone?”

He called the house to talk to her after he got off the phone with Josh. She was hysterical, and he could barely understand her. He called again as soon as he landed, and that’s when Harper discovered that Meg was gone. Her car was gone, and no one knew where she was.

His wife was distraught. Not only was Molly gone, but his parents were trying to make it look like he’d betrayed her.

Harper shrugged helplessly. “She was in your office resting. I was getting a thousand calls, and I didn’t want to upset her, so I came in here. When I went to take her the phone when you called, I don’t know, forty-five minutes later, she was gone. Based on that, at least two hours.”

He ran his hands through his hair, feeling helpless. “Someone tell me about this court order my parents got.”

Nate nodded. “I talked to a friend of mine in family court, and the petition was drafted a couple of weeks ago. There was evidence presented. Attorneys are working on getting it reversed now because it looks like at least one of the documents was forged.”

Jason leaned his elbows on the kitchen counter and dropped his head in his hands. “Jesus Christ, this is a nightmare.”

His cell phone started buzzing, and Jason looked at the unfamiliar number. “Jason Campbell.”

The voice on the other end of the line told him what he wanted to know about Meg, but Jason died a little when he found out where she was.

“I’m on my way. Thank you.”

Josh stepped toward him. “Meg?”

Jason could barely say the words out loud. “She’s at the medical center. She had a car accident.”

“Is she okay?” He’d never seen Josh concerned about anyone but himself, but he was concerned about Meg.

“They wouldn’t tell me. Oh, God . . .”

Harper was next to him, rubbing his back. “Go. She’s probably fine. Just go.”

Josh grabbed his keys and guided Jason’s steps.

“I can’t lose her, Josh. I can’t.”

“It’s going to be okay.”

“I’m the person I want to be when I’m with her.”

“You can tell her that.”

***

Meg lay on the treatment bed in the emergency room at the county medical center and wondered why God had let her survive the crash. When she swerved to keep from hitting a deer, she didn’t know that the wet leaves would send her hurtling into a tree. Right before impact, Meg wondered if she’d make it.

She’d lost Molly. She was tired of fighting. So tired.

Now she had a broken arm and more bruises than she wanted to count. Her arm had been set, and she was waiting to see yet another doctor when she heard a commotion outside the treatment room and saw people in scrubs go running.

There was a crash, the sound of metal hitting the linoleum floor, and then a big booming voice. Jason’s big booming voice.

“I don’t give a flying fuck about privacy! Where is my wife?”

“Sir. Please. I don’t want to call the police.”

“Call them! Go ahead! I want to find my wife. They told me she was here.”

Meg knew she was supposed to stay in bed, but she’d never listened to anyone before, and there was no reason to start now. And she needed to see him. To find out what happened to Molly.

Sitting up she felt a little dizzy, but once it passed, she swung her legs to the side and stood. Everything hurt. Everything. But she took some steps, and soon she was in the hallway looking at her guy. He looked upset and exhausted. His brother stood nearby, and Jason was listening to a nurse who’d managed to calm him down. There was a security guard standing by, but Jason wasn’t raging anymore.

The nurse patted his arm and he nodded. Then Jason turned his head and he saw her. She saw him mouth her name, and within seconds she was wrapped in Jason’s arms. “Oh, thank God. Meg. Thank God.”

He was holding her so tight, and deep down, Meg knew he hadn’t betrayed her. She could feel it in the way he held her, in the way he said her name.

He would never betray her.

“Oww, oww.” She suddenly felt pain in her arm and shoulder where they were crushed between them.

He jumped back a little, concern etched on his features. “Oh, God! I’m sorry. Jeez, did I make it worse? I’m so glad you’re all right.”

“I don’t know if I’m all right, but I’m not dead.”

“Oh, baby.” Jason stroked her face with one hand and kept the other laced in her hair. “I love you, Meg. I love you. I can’t lose you, and I will get Molly back. I will.”

She nodded. “Okay, I . . . I . . .”

“I love you.”

Meg leaned her head against his shoulder, and with a nurse directing him, he gently led her back to the treatment room. Once Meg was settled, she tried to relax, but she kept thinking about Molly in the back of the car yesterday.

Jason was talking to her doctor, and to her surprise, Josh stood by the treatment room door. He smiled and she was surprised again, because he didn’t do it that often. And especially not at her. Too bad. He actually looked like a human being when he did. “Hey there, champ,” he said.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m the designated driver. Distraught husbands don’t belong behind the wheel.”

Jason took her good hand when the doctor left. “Josh is here to help.”

“Help? Josh?” she asked. Josh never helped anyone except himself.

“Yeah.” Jason leaned in and kissed her temple. “Okay, you’re being released, and once we’re home we can get updated on the challenge to the court order. Harper’s been at it since yesterday.”

“She’s been so great. Don’t you dare fire her.” Meg would still be frozen in the driveway if Harper hadn’t come when she did, and she’d been nothing but compassionate since the whole mess went down.

“Really?” Jason found Meg’s shoes, slipped them on her feet, took her hands, and helped her stand, grinning because he knew she’d read his letter. “I guess she needs a raise.”

Meg agreed. “A big one.”

***

Once Meg was settled in their bed, Jason gave her the pain medication she’d been prescribed, knowing it was going to knock her out. She needed to sleep, and by the time he left the house with his brother to get Molly, she was snoring like a drunken frat boy. He was so relieved she was safe at home that he wondered when he was finally going to crack.

Emotions had swamped him when he’d helped her change and seen all the bruises forming on her body. All he could think about was how lucky they were that she wasn’t more seriously hurt.

“She’s okay,” his brother said, as if reading his thoughts. “And we’re getting Molly now. The sheriff will meet us at the gate.”

“I know. I just keep thinking about what could have happened.”

“But it didn’t, and your miracle worker of an assistant got this court order thrown out in record time. How the hell does she do it?”

“I have no idea.” That was the truth. He had no idea how Harper got anything done. But she always did.

“I could use her. The firm is in deep trouble. Having Molly’s money would sure help our parents out of trouble.”

When they pulled up at the gate, the sheriffs were already there. They’d sent two cars to help out. Josh pressed a button in the car that was programmed for the gate, and once it opened, the two county cars went in ahead of them.

It was five thirty. That meant his mother was on her second martini, having a strict rule about never having a drink before five in the evening. Of course, by six, she’d be starting her third.

He got out of the car in time to see Carla open the front door.

The sheriffs and social worker went inside, and Jason and Josh were right behind them. Carla smirked and looked at the brothers with skepticism and approval. Her smile said it was more the latter. “You two on the same team now?”

“Where Molly’s concerned, it would seem so,” Josh said.

“It’s about time,” she snarled.

Jason kissed her cheek and entered his family home for the last time. He’d never come back here. Never. This part of his life was over, and once Molly was home, he was going to start the next phase, the one that mattered, with Meg.

His girl. Always.

***

Meg watched the dark settle out the bedroom window and tried to sip the soup her mother had brought up on a tray. Her stomach was a little shaky from the medication and the nerves of wondering where Jason had gone while she was asleep.

“Not hungry?” her mother asked.

“No, not really.” She adjusted her body and moaned because everything was starting to hurt. But she really had to move. “I think my bruises have bruises.”

Her mom nodded and was right there to remove the tray so Meg could stand and stretch. She wobbled a little, and her mother stood by in case she needed a hand for support.

Walking around, Meg steadied herself and realized that standing was the most comfortable position at this point.

Turning slowly in the middle of the room, Meg tried to decide if she should crawl back into bed or opt for the chair for a while. The bed looked comfortable, but she knew she’d be even stiffer if she didn’t stay up.

Her mother was sitting in the chair by the fireplace that dominated one wall in the master bedroom and was looking at a book. Meg was still standing. “Do you know where Jason went?”

“He wasn’t specific. He and Josh were leaving when I got here. Something about Molly.”

“I hope she’s okay?”

“Will and Alicia are morally bankrupt, but they won’t hurt her.”

“I know, but she was so scared. She was screaming for me, Mom, and I couldn’t help her. I couldn’t do anything.”

“I know. Oh, honey, I know.”

Meg was moving to the chair when she heard Jason’s and Josh’s voices—and then, like a miracle, she heard Molly.

“Mommy!” The pounding footsteps on the stairs were like music. “Mommy! I’m home!”

“Oh, thank God,” Meg whispered right before Molly charged into the room. She stopped running just before getting to Meg.

“Are you hurt?”

“Yes, but I’ll be okay. I can handle a hug.” Meg sat on the bench at the end of the bed and extended her arms to her little girl. “You’re home.”

“I’m home.” Molly cuddled close, and Meg didn’t care if she ached or not. Having her this close was a miracle after what had happened yesterday. Just when things were getting better for Molly, her grandmother traumatized her.

Way to go, Grandma.

Meg’s mother excused herself when Jason entered the room, leaving Meg with the man who changed everything for her. The look on his face was a wash of emotion. That he was home and that Molly was home were the only things Meg could focus on. The pain be damned.

He sat next to her, and his big hand settled on her spine. She could see he was wary of hurting her, so he gently rubbed up and down, up and down.

“Told you I’d bring her home.”

Meg turned toward him and looked up at him, examining his features, admiring his beautiful face, and loving his strong heart. The best part was knowing it was hers forever.

Meg kissed him and smiled against his mouth. “I love you, Jason, and there’s no doubt about anything.”

***

At night, the quiet finally let Jason think about everything that had happened the last few days. Today, especially, they’d been through hell and back.

Meg was on her side, asleep, her injured right arm resting on a small pillow between them. He hated that he couldn’t hold her, but her bruised body just couldn’t handle it.

He was going to go by the junkyard tomorrow and take care of all the paperwork. The car was totaled, and from all accounts, including the EMTs and police who were at the scene of the accident, she was lucky she wasn’t seriously hurt or even killed.

Her brother came out from the city to gather her personal items from the car and bring them to the house. He’d taken a few pictures, and Jason was glad Meg didn’t remember much. The image of her in that wreck was more than he could handle.

He could have lost them both. Both her and Molly, for different reasons completely.

And if that had happened, Jason would have been nothing more than an empty shell.

He had never understood what people meant when they said they were grounded, but being with Meg, letting himself love her, showed him what it meant. He had what mattered in the people in his life. His business, his self-importance, didn’t mean much if he was all alone.

“Why are you still awake?” Her voice was quiet, sleepy. “You have to be exhausted.”

He turned on his side and reached out with his fingers to touch her face. “I am, but I can’t sleep. Too much running through my head.”

“What are you thinking about?”

“That I could have lost you.”

“You didn’t, though. I’m right here. A little banged up, but I’m here.”

“Next week when you’re feeling better, we should go to the lawyer and tear up all the agreements. I want to be married to you without an expiration date. I don’t even want one on file.”

“Eh, I don’t know. The prenup
is
pretty generous.”

He laughed because he knew she hated all the papers. The day they signed everything, he had thought the documents provided the ultimate protection for a person. He was wrong.

Protection came from those you loved and those who loved you. From the faith you had in one another.

“So, when you get better, what do you think about getting started on some siblings for Molly?”

“Really?” Her smile was so wide, it could have blinded him. “I think it’s a great idea.”

They settled into silence, and Jason was actually getting sleepy when Meg spoke. Her question caught him off guard.

“When did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That you were in love with me.”

He thought about it and tried to pin down a moment, some event that made it more real. He came up empty. “Truthfully, I can’t think of a defining moment, because you were always there. You’ve always been my girl.”