The Temporary Wife (5 page)

“We’ve been seeing each other since about a month after Grace died, and things developed.” He looked at Meg and smiled, and she was amazed, and a little nervous, at what a skilled actor he was. She almost believed him. “When you started worrying about Molly, I decided I’d ask Meg to marry me.”

One of his mother’s eyebrows shot up. “How convenient. You couldn’t have told us this?”

“I could have,” he said. “But I didn’t want to say anything until I asked Meg. She has good reason to be cautious of me.”

Feeling the need to play along, Meg squeezed his hand and looked up. It was certainly no hardship to look at him. “Not anymore.”

Aunt Nancy headed for the doorway. “I can’t listen to any more of this.”

“Jason, this is so sudden,” his mother said. “What’s the rush?”

“We just don’t see any reason to wait. Do you?”

Meg glanced toward the sitting area where Jason’s father and brother were adjacent to each other, conferring. Josh looked up occasionally, and Meg couldn’t help feeling cornered. They knew something was up. Both of them were smart, and no matter how convincing Jason was being, they didn’t buy the story.

His mother approached and looked her up and down. “I don’t like it, not one bit. I always thought you were trying to get your hooks into my son, Megan, and now you’ve succeeded with him and with my granddaughter.”

“Oh, I—”

“There’s nothing you can say to make me believe you aren’t after Jason’s or Molly’s money. You’re a tramp, and I won’t be caught dead at your wedding.”

Sham or not, the comment made Meg bristle, and while it was tempting to tell Jason’s mother exactly what she thought, Meg forced a smile instead. “That’s a shame, Mrs. Campbell. You’ll miss all the fun.”

She looked up at Jason and smiled, and the look she drew from Alicia Campbell was pure contempt. And Meg didn’t care. Jason’s parents were toxic. They weren’t a married couple as much as a couple of parasites sucking the life from those around them as well as each other.

Maybe she should be thankful they didn’t like her. The more she looked at these people and the way they lived their lives, the more she realized that not being liked by Will and Alicia Campbell was a compliment.

Chapter 6

“It’s a beautiful ring.”

She’d heard the same thing all day, but not once did anyone offer Meg congratulations. It was like everyone knew that she was nothing but a big phony. Which she was, although the kiss she and Jason shared in the car a few nights ago was pretty damn real. So real she could still feel it.

But what she was seeing now was the confusion on her friend Jill Wyatt’s face. This was a woman she’d worked with for seven years, one of her closest friends. They were hired together and had been through boyfriends and breakups. Jill was the one who’d finally gotten Grant to stop playing the friend card and ask her out for real.

“I just don’t understand, Meg. What the hell happened?”

“We’ve known each other forever, and when Grace died . . . well, you know. Things developed.”

God, she hated lying.

“But you were dating Grant. I know the two of you were taking it slow, but everyone knew you were together.” Jill paced around the classroom like a nervous cat. “Where has Jason been? And isn’t he the guy you affectionately referred to as Satan on more than one occasion?”

“Okay, so maybe ‘Satan’ wasn’t fair.” Meg was sitting in a tiny chair at one of the small student tables, picking at M&M’s. “Things changed. It may not be a perfect arrangement, but he loves Molly, and we won’t have to be alone.”

Jill sat down across from her and glared. “Sweetie, you were never alone.” Jill leaned in and laid her hand over Meg’s. “I was always there for you, but people are worried that you’re not thinking this through. We know losing Grace was like losing a sister.”

That was painfully true, but what people didn’t understand was that having Jason around did help in some ways. Grace meant as much to him as she did to Meg, and now that they were taking on the raising of Molly together, there was a bond between them, but it was very, very new. “I don’t know what else to say. I hope you’ll come to the wedding.”

“Of course I’ll be there.” Jill swallowed, looking for a way to show some support, but this was not going to be easy. “Tell me about your dress.”

Her dress. That was still kind of a mystery.

“I have an appointment today at a boutique in Cold Spring Harbor.” Meg needed to go for it. She just needed to ask her. “I was kind of hoping you and Charlotte could go with me.”

Surprisingly, Jill’s face bloomed at the idea. “I’d love to go. What time?”

“Really?” Relief washed over Meg. Having her friends at her side, supporting her decision—even if they didn’t understand it—meant everything.

“Of course,” Jill said. “Do you have something in mind?”

“I want to keep it simple. Especially since the wedding is in three weeks.”

“Cold Spring Harbor? Are we going to Emma’s? Because if we are, finding something ‘simple’ might be a challenge.”

Meg nodded. Jason had made the appointment and set up an account at the most expensive bridal boutique outside of New York City.

“Hmmm . . .” Jill was grinning. “I’m guessing your groom has taken care of everything.”

“He’s very generous.” That was the truth. Jason didn’t have any problem spending his money on other people. The redecorating of the house was costing tens of thousands of dollars. Jill took her hand and examined the ring once again. “It really is stunning.”

Going with it, and allowing herself to get a little bit excited, Meg agreed. “If you think this is nice, you should see the house he bought.”

“I think a field trip is in order.”

“Where are we going?” Their friend Charlotte Bolt entered the room. Charlotte was the school’s art teacher. She was nearly six feet tall, with striking black hair that she kept tied back in a ponytail. She wore little makeup, but today sported a smudge of aqua paint on her forehead.

“We’re going bridal gown shopping and then to Meg’s new house.”

“Seriously? A new house?” Charlotte grabbed a handful of candy and tossed a few in her mouth. “Good times.”

***

Emma’s in Cold Spring Harbor was
the
destination for brides on the North Shore. Situated in an old house in the quaint village, women shopped for dresses, by appointment only, with a bridal consultant. Champagne was served with fresh strawberries and chocolate while brides and their attendants tried on designer gowns. Meg wasn’t as excited about buying a dress as she should be, but it had to be done. The wedding was going to be at an east end winery in Cutchogue in a little more than two weeks, so she had to find a dress today.

They were greeted when they entered by a perfectly turned-out young man who was manscaped within an inch of his life. He walked them to the private salon, and Meg burst into tears when she saw her mother and sister were waiting for her. The last time she talked to them, her mother hadn’t been sure she could support Meg’s decision and her sister was livid, but when it came down to it, they were the ones she could count on. Her husband-to-be might be a big question mark, but her family, her friends, would save her every time.

Her mother rose from the sofa and wrapped Meg in a hug.

“I’m glad you guys are here,” Meg said, so comfortable in her mother’s warmth.

“I couldn’t miss this, even if I do think it’s going too fast. You’re my baby.” Mom’s hand touched her cheek.

With everyone settled in, Meg let herself be enveloped by the dream and started to try on dresses.

***

Jason didn’t have a lot of close relationships in his life, but Owen Kent and Nate Bayard had been his best friends since the three of them found themselves sitting in the same English class their first day of prep school. They had played hockey together, drank beer behind the field house, and talked about girls. The three of them were now business partners, with each contributing to the success of the operating system Jason developed called Reliance.

They worked insanely long hours, and as a result were self-made billionaires in their early thirties. Jason felt lucky he had them, for a lot of reasons. He might have been the one who developed the software, but without his friends, it would have stayed in a lab and not made its way into the market. They also knew how to keep him sane, which, in his line of work, was always a challenge.

The three of them were single, rich, and in no particular hurry to settle down, but here they were, helping Jason move furniture into his new office, and he was a couple of weeks from becoming a marital statistic.

“This desk is fucking heavy.” Owen positioned the mahogany desktop on the cabinet bases. The three of them had spent the entire afternoon getting the desk together so Jason could have command central at his new house. Meg thought he could delegate parts of his job to others, but what she didn’t understand was his role in supporting client software, and that meant midnight calls to Hong Kong or India or being available when the European markets opened.

Troubleshooting an issue for a major bank on the spot or dealing with a hacker threat before account numbers were compromised and millions stolen weren’t things that he could save to do between nine and five. It didn’t happen a lot, because the software was pretty much bombproof, but Jason dealt with security problems personally. It was why clients trusted them and why he was so successful. The truth was Reliance was still relatively small. Their numbers were huge, but Jason, Owen, and Nate were very hands-on.

“It’s a nice room, though,” Nate said. “Damn big house.”

“Yeah, we needed something so Molly has a place to play.”

“I cannot believe you’re getting married, man.” Owen dropped onto the leather sofa that had been delivered earlier in the day. “Of all of us, you were the last one I expected to get caught.” Jason just smirked, unable to tell them he was the one who went looking for marriage and essentially coerced Meg into it. He heard the door slam across the house and wondered if Meg mentioned that she was coming here this afternoon. He knew she’d had the appointment for her dress earlier, though. How long did it take to pick out a wedding gown? He heard her voice, heard Molly, and then he heard a peal of laughter and realized his bride-to-be brought friends.

Nate smiled when he heard the noise. “Ah, the womenfolk are home. We get to meet your mystery girl.”

Jason cocked his head, but remained silent. He was actually looking forward to the two of them meeting Meg.

“By the way,” Nate began, “does this room have cave status?”

“You need a moose head on the wall,” Owen said. “Or better yet, Bambi. That’ll keep the chicks out.”

“What are you putting on the wall?” Jason turned when he heard her voice, but it was Nate’s quiet reaction that got his attention.

“Whoa,” his friend whispered.

Meg stood in the office doorway, gave a little wave, and smiled the sweetest damn smile he’d ever seen. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“No, not at all.”

She took a cautious step into the room, and Jason had to love that both his friends were struck mute at the sight of her. She put a small, shiny bag on a table near the doorway and continued in. Her hair was pulled back on the sides, away from her face, tumbling down her back, and all he could think about was how it felt in his hands the other night when he was kissing her. Her pale blue sweater scooped low in the front, and the slim tan skirt hugged every curve. There were heels, of course, ridiculously high, sexy heels. She was a teacher fantasy, the stuff of every high school boy’s wet dreams.

It was a good thing her students were only five.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He moved toward her, loving how she fiddled with her ring and feeling oddly happy that she brought people here to see their new home. “Home office setup,” he said, as he took her hand and led her toward his friends, I was high time she met them. “Meg, this is Owen Kent and this is Nate Bayard. We run Reliance together.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.” She shook their hands, but something in her manner changed. There was a pained expression on her face, a chill, and Jason realized she recognized Nate and Owen’s names. She knew these were friends he’d known since high school and they had no idea who she was.

Shit.

Meg glanced down and he could see she was trying to regroup. Talk about an emotional slam. “So,” she finally said, “Is the big-screen TV or in here or the family room?”

She motioned to the the monitor still in a box on the floor. She was keeping her cool, but avoiding eye contact, telling him that Meg was hurt. Badly. However, she didn’t flinch, didn’t have a meltdown, she just carried on, so he did the same.

Clearing his throat a little, Jason answered. “That will actually be connected to the computers. Sometimes when I’m working out a problem, the larger image helps me see more of the picture.”

Her eyes widened, and he loved the shock, but also the admiration he saw. “That’s a computer monitor? Wow. How many monitors will be in here?”

“One large one and two smaller ones on my desk.”

“You’re going to glow in the dark from all the radiation.” Her mouth turned up at the corners and she stepped toward him.

Without any thought, Meg let her fingers run down the placket of his shirt. She was so damn sweet, so damned beautiful, and he knew already that he didn’t deserve her. When her pink tongue darted out of her mouth to lick her lips, Jason couldn’t stop his body from reacting. And dammit all if she didn’t know it.

He found himself chuckling, liking the familiarity between them. It felt like it did when they were younger, when they joked and teased and told each other everything.

When it was easy.

“What the hell is this?” Jason turned his head to see Owen and Nate pulling apart the gift bag Meg was carrying when she walked into the office. Leave it to those two boneheads to open someone else’s present. Jason moved toward them and saw Owen unwrap a small picture frame.

“Man, this is an oldie,” Nate said as he started at whatever was in the frame. Jason thought maybe it was a picture of Molly.

He guessed wrong. The picture was of him and Meg when they were together in high school, and the image hit him square in the heart. Jason remembered the day vividly. One of her friends had taken the picture when they’d gone upstate for a day of skiing—which meant Meg spent her day sliding down the bunny hill on her ass. At the end of the day, they were sitting together on a bench near the lodge while they waited for the bus to pull up. She had settled with her back against his chest, and Jason remembered his arms being securely around her waist. She had snow crystals in her hair, and she smelled like winter and sunshine. Her face had been turned toward his, and the smile melted his heart.

“Why don’t I remember this?” Owen’s face was a mix of confusion and disbelief because he didn’t remember going on that ski trip and he didn’t remember ever meeting Meg. This part of Jason’s life was new to them, and they didn’t understand it at all. Owen and Nate looked at Meg, who was fiddling with a scrap of paper she found on the desk, and Jason was reliving the entire nightmare from fourteen years ago, facing every mistake he made. Watching Meg’s stricken expression as Nate and Owen looked at the photo was ripping at him. The laughter coming from the other side of the house gave him an excuse to pull her out of there and try to fix this.

Jason stepped toward her and took the paper from her hand. “Who came in with you?”

“Some friends from school. My mom and sister are here, too. They surprised me. Everyone wanted to see the house, so here we are.” The way she said it sounded like an apology, like she’d intruded, and it made Jason feel even worse.

He nodded, brushing his hand over her shoulder. “Come on. You can introduce me to your friends and I can say hello to your family.”

Meg drew a breath, still holding on to her composure, but he could tell the old feelings had flooded back. But she didn’t lose control; she wasn’t sixteen anymore, and Meg’s inner strength wasn’t going to let her break.

Smiling weakly at Nate and Owen, Meg straightened and astounded Jason yet again, being gracious. If it were him, he would have escaped, which proved his inner seventeen-year-old was still alive and kicking. “It was nice to meet you both,” she said pleasantly.