Page 47 of Her Athlete's Wedding Secret

He wasn’t sure he should bring up the fact that they needed to keep pretending after the kiss they’d shared on the beach. He didn’t want Tessa to think that he was still going along with the act. Not after he’d kissed her without spectators. But the truth was, he needed to keep the act up if he wanted to convince Bill.

When they got back into the room, Tessa and Benson took turns showering. There was no other option but for them to share the bed. The floor was stone and sleeping on it would be miserable. “Are you going to be okay with me sleeping in the bed?” he asked.

“It’s fine. I can’t have you sleeping on the floor here.”

“The bed does look pretty comfortable.”

“We’ve already slept in the same bed. I think we’re past asking permission now.”

“I just wanted to be sure.”

Tessa climbed into the bed, and Benson got in on his side. Tonight, she wore a tank top and shorts.

“It’s kind of weird to think that we’re sleeping next to a pool and no fourth wall,” Tessa said.

“I like it.”

“It’s a little hard to get used to. What if a bird flies in here?”

“Then we’ll have an unexpected adventure.”

Tessa giggled and snuggled against him. “Is this okay?”

Benson turned toward her and smiled. “It’s nice.” He stared off into the distance, out the side of their room. Before he knew it, her breathing had evened out, and she’d fallen asleep against his chest. He gently kissed the top of her head before settling into sleep himself.

* * *

The sky turnedgolden on the horizon as Benson sipped the glass of champagne the crew member had brought him. “How are you feeling?” he asked Tessa.

“I feel amazing. I think I was born to be on the water.”

“Me too. I’m thinking about buying a sailboat myself.”

“Have you been sailing before?” Tessa asked.

“A few times.”

“Where would you keep your boat?”

“Probably Florida.”

“That sounds nice. I’d love that.” Tessa had her hair up, and she wore a pair of sunglasses with a white sundress. They’d spent the day shopping on the island, and he’d had a wonderful time buying Tessa little souvenirs and trinkets. They’d taken plenty of pictures and even encountered a few paparazzi while they were in town.

“I’d love to take a private sailing trip around the Caribbean,” Benson said. “Get ourselves a nice yacht.”

“That could be a great way to spend our summers for the next three years,” Tessa said.

Sadness sat heavily on his heart as he thought about saying goodbye to Tessa. From the way she was talking, it sounded like she expected that the marriage would end right on schedule. But why wouldn’t she? Other than the kiss they’d shared on the beach, he’d given her no indication that he wanted romance.

He grabbed a piece of watermelon and munched on it. The crew had provided a fruit and cheese and cracker tray to go with their champagne. “What was your childhood like?” he asked Tessa.

She looked out into the distance. “At first, it was happy. I was oblivious to any problems my parents seemed to have. They hid it well from me. Then one day, when I was ten, my parents sat me down and told me they were getting a divorce. It felt like it had come out of nowhere. My dad took a job in Michigan, and life went downhill from there. My mom’s mental health got progressively worse. When she had her good days, life was blissfully happy. But when she had her bad days, she was either screaming and crying or she’d lock herself in her room for days on end and refuse to come out. I had to bring her food when she got like that. She’d come to the door and take it from me and then lock her door again. It was a lonely existence for me.”

“What about your dad? Why didn’t you go live with him?”

“I went back to visit him in the summers, but I didn’t want to abandon my mom. I was worried about her.”

“It sounds like you were more of a mom to her.”

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