Page 61 of Her Athlete's Wedding Secret

Tessa and Benson stayed at the waterfall for another hour, splashing each other and flirting and kissing. She finally felt like they were a real couple on a honeymoon. At least it felt like it at that moment. They still hadn’t taken their relationship beyond kissing, and she was okay with that. She didn’t want to rush anything. They had plenty of time to explore that side of their marriage.

They eventually dried off and took some pictures of the two of them. Tessa hadn’t felt this happy in all her life. She put back on her tank top and shorts for the hike back to the car. “That was awesome,” she told Benson.

“I’m glad you liked it. That waterfall came highly recommended.”

“I like the way you have all this planned out. It’s made the trip a lot of fun.”

“Thanks, Tessa.”

“So what’s on the agenda for the rest of the day?”

“I thought we could go to the restaurant on the beach and eat while we watch the waves breaking on the sand.”

“That sounds lovely,” Tessa said. “I’m in the mood for some seafood.”

“You’re in the right place for that.”

“I want shrimp. With pasta.”

“That’s right. You’re a pasta lover.”

“Mm-hmm. It’s my favorite.”

“How do you stay so skinny when you love pasta so much?” Benson asked.

“I work out. I usually burn most of it off on the elliptical.”

“You can get away with eating pasta if you’re hitting the elliptical.”

“You sure can. It’s not easy though. I’ve had to be pretty dedicated. I love to eat junk.”

Benson laughed. “I hear you there. I have to watch myself, or I’ll eat all kinds of bad stuff.”

They arrived at the car, and Benson unlocked it. He put his backpack in the back seat, and Tessa put her towel on the seat so she wouldn’t get it wet. It was so humid in the rainforest that she hadn’t dried off all that much. She didn’t want to trash the rental car with her wet behind.

They buckled up, and Benson drove back to the resort. “I could go for a nap,” Tessa said with a yawn.

“That sounds nice. But I want to shower first. I feel all gross and sticky.”

“Yes. A shower sounds like heaven,” Tessa agreed.

They parked at the resort and then walked back to their room. “You can take a shower first,” Benson offered.

“Thanks.”

When she got out of her shower, Benson went into the bathroom after her.

She climbed beneath the soft covers. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, Benson’s phone buzzed against her leg. She reached down to grab it, and when she did, her finger swiped open the screen. The text appeared before her. It was from one of his teammates named Gus Henry. She recognized the name from watching sports. She knew that Benson was close to him.

Gus:How are you holding up?

Had he confided in Gus about their relationship being fake? He hadn’t told specifically her, but she knew he had sworn a couple of his teammates to secrecy. She knew she was invading Benson’s privacy, but she couldn’t help but catch her name earlier in their text messages. They were talking about her? She read that Benson had admitted to Gus two days before the wedding he still had feelings for Megan. Gus had told him to be patient, that love for Tessa would come. Benson hadn’t responded. That was the last text before today.

Tessa set the phone down as pain hit her hard right in the center of her chest. Benson was still in love with his ex? No wonder he hadn’t wanted anything real with her. He was still hung up on some other girl. Tessa felt the humiliation burning on her cheeks. She’d been a fool to think that she could have a normal, happy marriage with Benson. Now she knew why he was so defensive about Megan. He still wanted her. He would probably always want her.

Tears slid from her eyes. She rolled over and curled up in bed. She didn’t want Benson to know how upset she was. She didn’t want to admit to him that she’d gone through his phone. Why had she been so stupid to let herself fall for Benson? It wasn’t like he hadn’t warned her. He’d told her not to fall for him. And she hasn’t listened. She wished she’d never read his text messages. She could have continued with their marriage, blissfully unaware of Benson’s feelings for Megan. They could have had a happy future together.

Benson came out of the shower only wearing a pair of athletic shorts. Why did he have to look so good? She rolled away from him and faced the opposite side of the room.

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