The Temporary Wife (15 page)

Chapter 15

Meg changed into her costume right after lunch while the class moms were helping the children get ready for the Halloween parade. It was an annual event at her school, and after the parade there would be a special Halloween story and snack, and then the little darlings would get on the bus to go home. For more sugar-laden fun.

Molly only had a half day, so the housekeeper was going to get her dressed up so she could come participate in the parade with Meg’s class.

Glancing at herself in the mirror, Meg smiled. She always did something fun, and this year was no exception. As she put on her lipstick, she wondered what the kids would say about their teacher playing Little Bo Peep.

Her costume was awesome. The pink and white dress fell all the way to her ankles, and the skirt was puffed out by multiple petticoats of tulle and lace. She wore an apron and had stashed her shepherd’s crook in the classroom closet. The sweetheart neckline was pretty but not scandalous, and the final touch was a bonnet on her head. She’d left her hair down, and the curls fell around her shoulders. Meg tilted her head and approved. She looked just like she’d stepped out of a Mother Goose book.

When she walked into her classroom, the kids fell silent, until one little boy, named Jackson, spoke.

“Whoa,” he said. “Who are you?”

They’d just done a poetry unit that incorporated nursery rhymes, and Meg was going to take advantage of the situation. She went to the closet, took out her shepherd’s crook, and faced her class.

“Let’s see if you can guess.”

The kids crowded around, and she checked out their costumes. There were some cowboys, police officers, more than a few princesses, a dog, a couple of fierce-looking ninjas, cats, and mice—she really loved Halloween.

Meg put on her best sad face and stuck her lip out in a pout. “I’ve lost my sheep!”

“LITTLE BO PEEP!” the class shouted.

“Excellent!” At least they remembered.

“Mrs. Campbell,” one of the princesses said, “we have visitors.”

Meg turned toward the classroom door and was more than a little shocked to see Jason standing there with Molly. Her little girl had her fingers to her lips, and her eyes were laughing as she looked at her soon-to-be mom. Jason’s face was something else altogether. If she were dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, he’d have been perfect as the Big Bad Wolf.

He’d obviously come from work, having picked up Molly on his way here. His charcoal gray suit made him every inch the successful CEO, but he’d relaxed the look with his open collar and loosened tie. The grin on his face was positively kissable, and Meg wished she could drag him to a closet to do just that.

Just as she was really getting involved in her carnal thoughts about her husband, Meg felt a tug at her skirt.

Glancing down, she saw the tiniest member of her class, Pia, almost being swallowed by her giant skirt. The child was dressed as a flower, wearing a green shirt and leggings with white petals encircling her perfect little face.

“Who is that, Mrs. Campbell?”

Meg realized there were twenty pairs of students’ eyes and all the moms’ staring at her. Time for her to stop fantasizing and introduce her husband.

She waved Jason and Molly into the room and addressed her students. “Boys and girls, this is
Mr.
Campbell and my little girl, Molly. She’s going to walk with our class in the parade.”

The students gathered around Molly, who was dressed like a fairy, and they swept her up in the excitement of the day. Jason leaned into the door frame, his expression something between boy next door and sexiest man alive, and it was all for Meg.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Molly and I hatched a plan. I came home early so I could bring her here, and I figured we could take her trick-or-treating together.”

Looking up at him, Meg wondered if the happiness she felt in her heart showed on her face. “The two of you came up with this?”

“Yes, we did. What do you think?”

“I like it. I was going to take her to my mom’s neighborhood later. It’s easy to get around.”

“That makes sense.” Jason fingered the ribbon on her puffy white sleeve, and his eyes looked her up and down. “This is some costume. Who are you?”

“Bo Peep.” She swished her skirts flirtatiously and watched his eyes flash. “Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful. Just like you.”

Meg bit her lower lip, letting herself enjoy his words, his gaze. What was making her heart squeeze, however, was the fact that he wanted to see her world.
He was here.

There was a peal of laughter from a group of little girls who had taken Molly as one of their own, and Jason looked over. “It’s chaos here. How do you get them all to do the same thing at the same time?”

Meg grinned. “Magic.” She turned toward the group and clapped her hands in rhythm. Two long claps and three quick ones, and she could see Jason was stunned when the children stopped everything and copied what she’d done. She had their full attention, and her husband was impressed.

The kids were smiling and happy, and she was just about to give instructions for lining up when her entire class started squealing and pointing behind her.

Meg turned, and coming at her was a very large pirate. Grant.
He stalked into the room and snarled at the kids. Jason had his back to the wall by the door, and Grant had walked right by him. Her husband had folded his arms, and his face was stone cold and expressionless. He was not happy.

“Ahoy, mateys!” Pirate Grant growled. “Me pirate ship is docked offshore, and we’ve been told to bring this maid back to Mother Gooseland.”

Grant caught Meg’s eye and grinned.
Damn.
What was he up to? “Come along, lass,” he said. In one quick move he scooped her into his arms, and the kids cheered. They wouldn’t have done that if they could read the look on Jason’s face, which had gone from amused to lethal in a split second.

The situation was bad. Grant’s behavior wasn’t acceptable, and yet, on the inside, Meg’s heart did a happy dance.

Jason was
jealous
. Her husband was wonderfully, dangerously jealous, and there was nothing that could have given her more hope than the way his arm shot across the doorway, blocking Grant from leaving the room.

“You should put her down now.” Jason’s voice was low and steady. No-nonsense. Grant looked at him, then at her. Meg nodded.

“You should put me down.”

Grant didn’t take another step and lowered her to the floor. Jason stepped toward her and set his left hand on her back before extending his right hand to the pirate, who looked more confused than fierce.

“Jason Campbell. Meg’s husband.” Grant shook his hand, glanced at her, and then mumbled something before he left the room. Meg wasn’t sure what he’d said. The only person she could focus on was the man she’d married.

He wasn’t intimidated by Grant’s size. In fact, she was starting to see that not much intimidated Jason. The secure feeling that washed over her was something she never expected. He really was going to protect her, and protect Molly. He wasn’t a big, burly guy, but he was a
man
, and he was a man who defended the people he loved.

Kathy, her classroom assistant, had the children lined up, and all Meg could do was look at her husband. His handsomeness took on something new, something stronger. A calm settled in Meg’s heart, and she knew everything was going to be okay; she knew she wasn’t alone.

The announcement came for the kindergartners to head outside, and Kathy, who was dressed as a black cat, led the class out of the room.

Meg and Jason stood alone in the classroom for a few seconds, the quiet descending as the children got farther and farther away from the room.

His hand was still on the small of her back, the warmth of it seeping through her costume and deep into her core. Turning, Meg reached out, and Jason did the same. They held each other, just held each other, in the empty classroom.

“I think I hate that guy,” Jason said.

“You made that pretty clear.”

“I don’t want his hands on you. Ever.”

“I think he got that, too.”

He brought his head back, and Meg saw something spark in his eyes, something that was both happy and sad. Wanting to soothe him, she stroked her hand over his cheek.

“What is it?”

“I’m glad I came here today. Glad I got to see you with your students.” He swallowed hard. “Those kids just adore you.”

Meg gave him a little peck on the lips, happy beyond words that he was there, that her world mattered to him. “I love them, too, each and every one.”

He looked at her, his eyes filled with emotion. “No wonder Grace named you as Molly’s guardian.”

“Why do you say that?”

He examined her face. Meg saw pain in his eyes and she wanted to make it better, find some way to give him what he needed. “You’re always giving of yourself, Meg, and you love so much. I don’t know if I can do that. I don’t know if I have it in me.”

Meg hugged him again, hoping that he would see in himself what she had always seen. “You do. It’s in there. It’s always been in there.”

***

Jason saw Meg’s car pull into the driveway from his office window, and he was glad she was home. After the way his visit to her school had unfolded, they had a lot to talk about. He’d watched the Halloween parade and loved seeing how happy Molly was with the other kids, and he got more than a few dirty looks from Meg’s ex-boyfriend. But that was well worth it. He wanted to make sure the asshole knew Meg was not on the market and he should keep his hands off.

He didn’t think it would be an intense afternoon, but the short time he and Meg were alone in her classroom had knocked the wind out of him. When he saw Nielsen pick her up the way he did, Jason’s vision burned red. The rage he felt, the jealousy, that another man was touching his Meg floored him. He’d always been protective of her, but this was totally different.

Jason had thought about all the possibilities for this relationship. Or at least he’d thought he had. He hadn’t counted on making the mistake of falling completely and totally in love with his wife, but that’s exactly what happened. As soon as they started spending time together—having dinner, going to movies, watching TV—as soon as he let his guard down, she had crawled inside him and taken up residence in his heart.

He’d resigned himself to the fact that no one would ever replace what they’d shared when they were younger. She was special, his girl, but the feelings that had been developing from the minute they said
I do
were more than Jason bargained for. He didn’t know if he could handle it, didn’t know if he could be who she needed him to be.

It’s not like his parents gave him a lot of hope. He assumed they loved each other once, but now they existed in this poisonous bubble with no joy, no affection, and he didn’t want to do that to Meg. Meg without joy would be a crime.

“Hey.” Her voice broke the silence in the room like a breeze. He turned in his chair, and there she was—sweet, smiling, perfect, and for the time being she was his. She’d left Bo Peep behind and was back in her work clothes, a pair of black pants and a gray turtleneck sweater. She looked happy, and if he thought about it, other than during the shit he’d put her through, Meg always looked happy.

“Hey, how was the rest of the day?”

She walked toward him and sat on the edge of the desk. “It was quick. The kids had a ball and were nicely sugared up when they went home.”

“You looked like you were having fun, too.”

Meg licked her lips, and much to Jason’s surprise, she settled into his lap, wrapping both arms around his neck.

“You know what made me happy?” She kissed him gently. “Having you there.” Another kiss. “Listening to the class moms talk about how hot my husband is.” A deeper kiss this time, and her tongue touched the seam of his lips, sending a shock right to his groin.
Christ.

“I’m hot, huh?” She leaned in and smiled against his mouth. By this time she’d pressed her body right to his. He could feel every lush curve, every hollow. Jason’s brain was starting to shut down just from being so close to her.

“You are very hot,” she said. “Especially when you’re jealous.”

“I wanted to fucking kill that meathead.”

“I know.” She nipped at his earlobe, and Jason wondered how he could be considered a sane man for not doing everything humanly possible to keep this woman in his bed. She nuzzled his hair and whispered in his ear, her breath like a warm touch. “My hero.”

The last kiss was hungry, demanding, and Jason went with her to a place that he knew they would have a hard time coming back from. He wanted her. He wanted to be everything to her. To love her, to protect her, to be the man she needed. He didn’t know if he could.

“Have faith in us,” Meg said, her eyes exploring his like she was reading his mind, yet still looking for an answer.

Jason held her close, knowing they were on the brink of something wonderful or tragic.

He wanted it to be wonderful. Meg deserved wonderful.

Chapter 16

Meg sat on the bed in the master suite of Jason’s luxury Manhattan apartment, dressed for a black-tie benefit that she was certain would show her for the fraud she was.

Her dress was gorgeous, black silk chiffon with sequin embellishments on the top and the bottom all floaty and soft, moving around her like a mysterious cloud; her hair and makeup had been professionally done. But she wanted nothing more than to be in sweats with a beer.

That wasn’t an option, though. In a few minutes, about twenty-five of Jason’s business associates would be coming in the door for drinks before the benefit, and she was expected to be the executive wife. To mingle and make small talk. She just hoped she didn’t screw up.

There was a light tapping on the door, and Jason poked his head in. “You ready? They want us to sample the hors d’oeuvres before the guests arrive.”

“Okay.” Not that she could eat. She was sure her stomach would revolt and she’d be in the bathroom. Once she stood, wobbling on her four-inch heels, she went to the dresser to dab on some perfume. Jason came up behind her and ran his hands over her bare shoulders and down her arms, locking eyes with her reflection in the mirror.

“I have no doubt you will be the most beautiful woman there tonight.” Leaning in, he kissed her neck, just below her ear, and Meg thought about the past week, when they kissed and touched each other whenever they got the chance. Molly caught them once and was totally disgusted. She made her objection known, complete with the requisite “ewww,” and nothing could have made Meg happier. She felt like a newlywed, stupidly in love and swamped with desire. Her body was a raw nerve ending when he touched her, and there was something in him, something that was telling her that he wanted this to work between them. He may have been hesitant or unsure, but he wanted it.

“Is the room comfortable for you?”

“Very, but . . .” She trailed off, wondering if she should be direct or more coy. She went for coy, since it had been working for her so far.

She looked at their reflection in the mirror; it was intimate. Now directly behind her, Jason’s arms moved around her middle and pulled her snugly against his body. His large hands opened and spread out on her belly, pressing her so close, she could feel his erection against the small of her back.

God, this was torture.

“Is there something you need?”

Meg decided against the coy games. For the first time in her life, she’d tell Jason exactly what she wanted. It wouldn’t be easy—there was risk involved even though they’d gotten closer. But Meg put her faith in him. “I need you. I don’t want us to have separate bedrooms anymore.”

“Really?” His eyes were on hers and he hadn’t moved a muscle. If he hated the idea, now would be the time to let go. He didn’t.

“Yes, but you have to promise me that you won’t give up on us.”

“I don’t want to.” He turned her in his arms, and Meg tilted her head to see him full-face. He was doing the same, examining her features, drawing in what he saw.

It didn’t take long for him to focus in on her mouth, and even less time for him to kiss her. His lips were sure and firm as they moved over hers, testing and teasing. But what she was most aware of were his hands. His hands, which were large, but gentle, made her feel safe. One was threaded through her hair, the other was resting on the small of her back, and Meg melted into him. Sheathed in the gauzy, sequined material, which flowed over her like water, she was completely aware of her body and how it was responding to him, how his touch, his kiss, made her burn. The guests coming, the benefit, nothing mattered as much as Jason and how she felt when he held her. In those moments, Meg drifted away and said a secret prayer that he could finally love her the way she loved him. The way she’d always loved him.

“God, I want to take you to bed right now, but people are going to be here soon.”

“We’ll have all night.” She stepped back from him, missing the warmth of his body, but if she didn’t right then, she wasn’t going to.

“And tomorrow. I have no intention of letting you out of bed tomorrow, either.”

Meg giggled. “So what do we have to do with the food?”

“Sample it. Make sure we approve what the caterer has prepared for the guests.” He smiled and then gave her a quick peck.

“What if we don’t like the food?”

“What?” She could see it was something he’d never considered.

“What if the food is awful?” she asked.

“I guess,” he said, “I’d have to run to the store and get chips and salsa.”

“You could really splurge and get some peanuts, too.”

Jason took her hand, and for the first time since they were married Meg felt like they were in this together. The whole better-or-worse thing made sense, and it wasn’t just the physical attraction, either. The way he held her hand, looked at her, talked to her—there was another force at work, and Meg had decided to believe in this man and in her feelings for him.

“There’s just one thing,” he said. “Harper called a little while ago.”

Meg felt a pinch behind her eyes at the mention of the Harpy. “Did she want to make sure we had an ample supply of small children for her to consume?”

That stopped him right in his tracks. He closed his eyes and shook his head, but couldn’t help grinning. “Don’t say that when people get here, okay?”

“Whatever you say.”

“Okay, well . . . Harper told me she ran into my mother at the club and, ah, she extended an invitation to them.”

Meg stopped this time, right before she entered the living room. “I’m confused. You can’t possibly mean that she extended an invitation to them to come here without checking with you first, do you?”

“I do. I’m sorry to drop this on you. I know it’s not right, and I gave her hell for it, but this is an opportunity to show my parents and Harper that we can’t be pulled apart.”

Meg tried to wrap her head around the bombshell and took three deep breaths before responding. This was going to be fine. She had to have faith. Another deep breath. “Okay. Is there anything else?”

“My brother’s coming. With Harper.”

The burn in Meg’s stomach was her blind hatred of Harper Poole. “Of course he is. What a perfect couple.” Meg didn’t like Josh Campbell. She never had. He was a bully, just like his father. This whole night had suddenly gotten more complicated.

The caterer was set up in the gourmet kitchen, preparing an array of elegant finger food. Meg, suddenly hungry, surveyed the choices. “This is quite a spread. Do you entertain a lot?”

“No, but I wanted people to meet you.”

“What?” He wanted
what
?

“This party is for you, Meg. No more hiding.”

Those few words, telling her the party was for her, that he wanted to show her off, took away the ache from past wounds, took away the fear that she wouldn’t be accepted. His simple gesture helped her see that nothing was like it was before. He wanted to be with her, and Meg had no idea that being wanted could make her feel so powerful.

***

Jason watched Meg circulate among his friends, and if he was worried, he shouldn’t have been. Owen’s and Nate’s dates had taken her in, and she seemed to be having a good time. Seeing her like this, in the elegant space with New York in the background, made him think about the years behind them, the years when he’d hidden her because he thought she wouldn’t fit in.

For someone so smart, he was a fucking idiot.

If she was the least bit uncomfortable, you couldn’t see it. Everything about her was poised and confident, and she was so beautiful, with her long, loose curls and goddess face. Jason wasn’t focusing on anything but her.

Nate came up next to him and handed Jason a neat Glenlivet. “Catherine likes Meg. It’s nice for her to have someone to talk to at these things. She said something about all of us going out to dinner. You in?”

Jason nodded. “As long as Meg’s there, so am I.”

Nate sipped his drink. “I know you guys were having a rough time of it, but it seems better. Is it?”

“It’s getting there. It has to. I know I’m not what she needs, but the thought of losing her makes my stomach knot.”

“Leaving out the obvious—that she’s hot and an absolute doll—she seems to understand you.”

“She sees right inside me, Nate. She’s always been able to see everything.”

The door buzzed, and when his housekeeper opened it, his mother swept in, followed by his father, brother, and Harper. He glanced at Meg, who looked like she’d just been thrown to the wolves. The second she made eye contact with him, they moved toward each other.
Strength in numbers,
he thought. Once they came together in the middle of the room, he took her hand.

“Stick close and don’t let anything they say get to you. Smile. Just smile.”

“Okay.”

“You’re better than them, keep that in your head.”

He heard Meg choke on a nervous laugh. “Right.”

Pulling her to the side of the room, out of the crowd of people, Jason took her face in his hands, more certain of what he was saying than ever before. “You have
always
been better than them. Don’t let my family scare it out of you.”

Meg dropped her eyes, unsure around his family, and he could see that she was still letting all the old intimidation play on her confidence.

“Meg, don’t let them make you feel like you don’t belong. They are in our home. I’m right here with you.”

She looked up, her eyes hard, scared. “You’ll stay with me?”

Jason saw from the look on her face that that was the question that had been weighing on her all this time—would he stay? Would he be there when times got hard, when they were challenged, as they were going to be, by both their families?

Would he stay?

He rested his hand on her cheek and made sure her eyes were on his. “I’m not going anywhere.”

There were a few seconds of quiet, complete quiet, where she kept focused on him. Then, without a word, Meg took the hand he had on her face and held it tight. Then she kissed him.

Jason didn’t realize he was holding his breath until he exhaled, and Meg beamed at him. It was the sweetest, most beautiful thing he’d seen all day, because it said she believed him. “I had to do something or you were going to pass out.”

He kissed her again, and only stopped because someone tapped him on the shoulder.

“Not saying hello to your family, darling?” His mother looked exquisite, as always, everything as smooth and glistening as a sheet of ice. Jason leaned in and kissed her cheek, never letting go of Meg’s hand.

“Megan,” his mother said as she reached out and fingered the sleeve of her gown. “You look lovely. What an exquisite dress.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Campbell. We’re so happy you and Mr. Campbell could come.”

She sniffed in that dismissive way she did with the staff on the estate and glared at Meg. “Not that we’ve ever been invited to anything here, still, it would have been
nice
if we’d been invited by my son’s wife and not one of his underlings.”

Jason watched Harper parch at the use of the word
underlings
at the same time Meg choked out a laugh. It was certainly time Harper got a little dose of her own medicine. She’d been rude, pretentious, and intrusive since the wedding. She was his friend and he cared about her, but Meg was his wife, and Harper needed a reality check. His mother was appeased for the moment and relaxed a little more when one of the waiters brought her a dirty martini.

She downed half the drink while his father was glad-handing some hedge fund guy. They didn’t relate to each other. Didn’t talk at all, and this was what Jason was afraid of. He didn’t want to be like them.

But watching Meg, he realized that he could choose not to hurt her. He could choose the way they lived and loved. He could decide.

“You certainly clean up nicely, Megan, but next time no oversight with us, or I will be annoyed, and you do
not
want me annoyed.”

His mother walked away before Jason could respond, and he looked down at Meg, who, for some reason, was smiling.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“Fine. She was nicer than I expected.”

“Nicer?” Jason couldn’t imagine how anything his mother said could have been construed as nice.

Meg took both his hands and kissed him. “She expected me to call her. To act like a wife. She’s a complete bitch, to be sure, but she’s accepted that I’m in your life.”

That’s when Jason saw the full scope of his mistake all those years ago. If he’d just stuck by her, if he hadn’t been such a coward, they would have been okay. He didn’t know if they would have stayed together, but he wouldn’t have hurt her so badly, he wouldn’t have abandoned her when she most needed him.

Meg was the braver of the two of them . . . he saw that now. She was the one willing to take a chance, put her faith in people, and see the good in things even when there didn’t seem to be any.

Jason looked across the room at his parents, and his father waved him over. The familiar dread that usually hit when he had to deal with them didn’t come this time, and he glanced down and saw that his hands were still tangled with Meg’s. The rings he had given her never left her finger, and he thought about that. Thought what it meant to be tied to someone—to commit. He rarely wore his wedding ring, hadn’t thought it was important, but that was going to change. Right now.

He grasped Meg’s hand and pulled her back to his bedroom.

“Impatient?” she asked, the smile on her face saying she was ready if he was.

“Don’t start; just looking at you makes me hot.” He opened the wooden jewelry box on his dresser and took out his wedding ring, holding it out to her.

“I don’t understand.” Meg took the ring, looked at it, and frowned. “What do you want me to do with it?”

He took two steps forward so he was less than an inch away from her, crowding her space, and using all his willpower to keep his hands off her body. Jason offered his left hand. “Put it on me.”

“What?”

There was no space between them, no air, just their heat, desire, and this thing they were trying to figure out. Jason didn’t know what it all meant, but for once he wasn’t going to question it or try to make sense of it. He was just going to go with his gut.