Page 48 of Her Athlete's Wedding Secret

“Some days it was like that. On her good days, she was fine. She came out and cooked dinner, but the house was always a wreck. When we were growing up, my dad was the one who kept things organized, but after he left, my mom started hoarding stuff. She would go ballistic if I ever tried to throw anything out.”

“That sounds like a miserable way to live.”

“It was hard.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Benson said. “I hope our next three years together are happy ones for you.”

“Thank you, Benson. I hope so too.” Tessa’s eyes looked sad when she said it.

It was awful to be anticipating your divorce when you were on your honeymoon. But it wasn’t like they could talk about their life in the future when they’d already agreed that it would only last three years. After that, Tessa would have her money, and she’d be sure to leave. Why wouldn’t she? She would have everything her heart desired at that point.

“What about you?” Tessa asked. “What was your childhood like?”

“It was happy. I was a little troublemaker. I put my parents through a lot, but they were always patient with me.”

“What was the worst thing you did as a kid?” Tessa asked.

“I was quite the pyromaniac. I was about five years old when I learned about matches. One of my favorite things to do was go get the matches.”

“Didn’t your parents keep them up high?”

“Well, of course, they did. They kept them in the cabinet above the refrigerator, pushed to the back. They thought I couldn’t climb that high, but I figured out how to stack up chairs and pots and pans. Then I scaled the refrigerator and climbed right up there. I’ve always been athletic, even from the beginning.”

“What did you do once you got the matches?”

“I was quite the construction expert.”

“What does that mean?”

“I built log cabins out of the matchsticks and set them on fire.”

“Did you burn down anything else?”

“The log cabin went up in flames so fast because of the matchsticks, and I got excited about it. Eventually, I discovered gasoline. Boy, that was fun. I singed off the hair on my arm and my eyebrows a few times. One day, all my fun came to an end when I burned down one of my log cabins in the living room. I put it on a plate, thinking it would be safe. But I didn’t realize how close it was to the drapes, and it went up in flames fast. Before I knew it, I had a blazing inferno. My mom had already learned at that point to keep a fire extinguisher handy, and she was able to put it out. From that point on, my dad kept the matches and flammables in the gun safe.”

“You weren’t kidding,” Tessa teased. “You really did put your parents through a lot.”

“I still am,” Benson said.

“How are they taking the whole wedding thing?” Tessa asked.

“They think we’re going to find a way to stay together,” Benson said. “My mom and sisters are optimists and romantics at heart.”

“What about your dad?” Tessa asked.

“He’s frustrated with me.”

“Why?”

“He’s angry that I got myself into trouble in the first place. I think he blames himself for not being a better father.”

“That wasn’t his fault!” Tessa said.

“I know. But that’s how my dad is. He thinks my behavior reflects on him. It’s just not the case.”

“I agree.”

“He tried his best to teach me, and he did a fantastic job. I just chose to ignore what he’d said.”

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