Page 74 of Her Athlete's Wedding Secret

“It brings me a lot of peace of mind to know that you’re doing so much better.” Tessa felt like she could live her new life in New York without constantly worrying about her mom. She still wanted her mom to have around the clock care until she got on her feet.

* * *

Tessa and Bensonordered some coffees and scones at Josie’s Coffee Shop. It felt nice to be doing something so ordinary with him. The last time they’d gone to Josie’s together, they had still been pretending to be in love. Now they didn’t have to pretend at all. The longer Tessa spent with Benson, the more she began to see his love for her shining through. He was affectionate and attentive to her. Especially in private.

Being in Maple Creek made Tessa think about all the people she’d had to pretend for. She couldn’t wait to tell Lauren and Chase that they had fallen in love. She knew they’d be happy for them. Maybe they would stop by after they grabbed their coffee.

When their order was up, Tessa and Benson grabbed the goods and headed to a table. “I like being with you,” Tessa told him.

“That’s good to hear,” Benson said, sipping his hot drink. “You know, I’ve been to lots of little New York City coffee shops, and Josie’s tops them all. You can’t beat her special brew.”

“It really is fantastic,” Tessa agreed.

“Well, if it isn’t the honeymooners!” Mrs. Wheaton approached them with a coffee in her hand.

“Hi there, Mrs. Wheaton,” Tessa said. She wondered if the old busybody knew how much trouble she’d caused in their marriage.

“Don’t you two look cozy!” She appraised Tessa and Benson all cuddled up together in a booth.

“This is the comfiest spot I can think of,” Tessa said, smiling up from her place next to Benson.

“Benson, you got lucky with this one. There’s no denying that she’s in love with you. It’s such a shame what happened with your first wedding. At least you know this one is staying by your side.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Tessa said. “He’s stuck with me forever.”

“That’s so beautiful!” Mrs. Wheaton crooned. “What a happy ending to such a sad story for Benson. Why, when I heard about what that other girl did to you, I couldn’t believe it. You poor dear. What you must have endured.”

Tessa cringed. She knew Benson had wanted it kept secret. Who knew how many people Mrs. Wheaton had told in Maple Creek? It would only be a matter of time before the papers covered it. When that moment came, Tessa was determined to be there by Benson’s side to support him through it all. If that was what he wanted. She’d learned her lesson about being too controlling and smothering. Sometimes it was better to let the person know you were there for them before stepping back to allow them to make their own choices.

It was difficult for her to trust Benson, but she was working on it. She wanted to show him that she could allow him to come to love her at his own pace. And life wasn’t a competition. Did she really need to eclipse Megan in his heart? Wasn’t it enough for her to grow in his heart in her own way?

But she’d been so insecure before. But the longer she spent with Benson, the more she saw that it didn’t matter what had happened with Megan before. He loved her today. And that love would only grow. It was fresh and new, like a sapling. She just had to make sure their love was cared for and nurtured. She was more than willing to do that.

Mrs. Wheaton said goodbye and then disappeared from the shop.

“Are you okay?” Tessa asked.

“The whole town probably knows about my past with Megan now,” Benson said.

“I’m so sorry.”

“You know, now that the secret is out, I’m starting to realize that maybe it wasn’t that necessary to hide it in the first place.”

“What do you mean?” Tessa asked.

“I thought Megan was such a big deal, but now that I’m with you, I see that it didn’t matter what happened with her. Megan did me a favor by leaving.”

“How’s that?” Tessa asked.

“If she hadn’t taken off, I wouldn’t be here with you now.”

Tessa’s heart felt like it would burst with happiness. “Do you mean that?”

“I do. You’ve made me a happy man. I feel better than I’ve been in a long time. I didn’t know I could feel this much joy.”

“Were you not doing well before we got together?”

“I was using the reckless behavior to numb the pain. After what happened with Megan, I didn’t think I was worthy of a woman’s love.”

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