Page 66 of Her Athlete's Wedding Secret
“What’s going on with Tessa? I thought things were going well.”
“She found out about Megan.”
“Not good. What can you do to patch things up? This isn’t going to look good for you. Bill’s been keeping a close watch on you.”
“This might be it for me.”
“What are you talking about? Women cry all the time. Just convince him she was telling a sad story about when her dog died.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Benson said. “I can’t keep her in this marriage now that she knows I still have feelings for my ex. Not when she’s in love with me.”
“Sure, you can. People do it all the time. Do not throw your career away for a reason like that. You’re not thinking straight.”
“I’ve had a long day,” Benson said. “I think I’m going to get some sleep.”
“All right. Just do me a favor and don’t do anything drastic.”
“Fine. I won’t.”
He ended the call, and Tessa came out of the bathroom.
“Who was that?”
“It was my agent. A picture of you crying showed up on social media just now.”
“What? I didn’t even see any photographers around.”
“We were a little preoccupied at the time, and they can have some pretty high-tech zoom features on their cameras. Some of those paparazzi can take photos of you from a mile away.”
“I’m so sorry, Benson. I should have tried harder to look happier in public.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Yes, it is. I could have told you I wasn’t feeling up to going in public. We could have ordered room service.”
“We’ll keep that in mind for the future. In the meantime, I can smooth this all over with my coach. I just have to reassure him that our marriage is solid. But both you and I know that’s not true.”
“There’s no reason to get your coach involved until you know for sure what you want to do. But I don’t want you throwing your career away for me. That feels wrong to me.”
“I won’t do anything drastic. I’ll wait until you have your dream job before I make any big decisions about my career or this marriage.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
* * *
Benson liftedhis tray table and put his seat back into the upright position as his plane descended in New York. Tessa was asleep against the window. The rest of their honeymoon had been strained. He’d tried his hardest to make the best of it, but knowing that it could all end had been torture for him. He’d allowed himself to hope for a small window of time that they could work things out between them, but now he’d lost faith in that outcome.
He couldn’t see a way that they could work things out. Not even therapy would help him overcome his feelings for Megan. He was trapped with those unwanted emotions. He’d become a slave to them for years. He was a fool to think that he could wish them away now that Tessa was in the picture.
The plane landed, and Tessa stirred. “Are we in New York now?”
She looked beautiful with her hair slightly mussed. His heart ached at the pain he knew he’d caused her.
“Yes. We’re home.”
“Home. That seems so weird. I’ve thought of Maple Creek as home for so long, it’s hard to imagine that another spot could take its place.”
“I hope New York feels as much like home as Maple Creek did.”
