Page 23 of Reluctantly Married

They finished eating in silence, Megan trying not to notice the way Adam’s shirt clung to his muscles, still damp from the rain. Or how her insides got all mushy when his lips curled into a grin. She cleared the table, hoping to give Adam the hint to leave.

When she was done, she didn’t sit back down again. Instead of standing, Adam looked up at her. “Can I ask you something?”

She folded her arms. What she wanted to say was, “No. Now take your lying butt out of here.” What she really said was, “Sure.”

Adam cleared his throat, leaning back in his chair. What was he doing? Maybe she didn’t want to talk about it. Instead of coming out and asking, he hedged. “I didn’t want to say anything while Dale was filming, but you mentioned something that made me curious.”

She pulled her chair out and sat, her blue eyes staring at him. “What?”

“Did you have a bad childhood?” He didn’t mean to blurt it out.

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Heat crept up his neck. He’d better explain. “I mean, you said something about parents screwing up their kids, so I just figured…”

Megan sat there staring at him, her mouth still hanging open.

Great. He shouldn’t have said anything. So stupid. “You don’t have to tell me, if it’s too personal.”

She regained her composure. “No, it’s okay.” She stared down at her lap. “My mom and I…we never got along.”

He’d already figured that out, but he didn’t want to be rude, so he waited for her to continue.

“Nothing I ever did was good enough. Like when I made her breakfast in bed for Mother’s day. I couldn’t have been more than ten years old. I wanted to surprise her. I snuck downstairs and made scrambled eggs and toast.”

“You were allowed to use the stove?”

Megan laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “I’d been making meals since I was little. My parents have demanding jobs, and were never around. They hired a sitter, but she mostly ignored me, lounging on the couch talking on the phone with her boyfriend. Someone had to cook, and my little sister was only a baby.”

“What did your mom say when you made her breakfast?”

A scowl crossed her face. “She scolded me for waking her up on her day off, then she threw the plate across the room. I ran to my room and cried for an hour.”

“How awful.” His heart ached for her.

“She had a terrible temper, and nothing I did was right. My grades were never high enough. My performances never perfect enough. And when I majored in communication, well, that was a stupid waste of time, according to her.”

Indignation rose in him. “What does she do?”

Megan scoffed. “She’s a surgeon. Of course. She saves lives for a living.”

“Sounds like she forgot the most important life. Her daughter’s. Some people can never give praise, no matter how hard you work.”

“She’s got her perfect daughter. My little sister Wendy can do no wrong.”

That threw his theory out the window. “How about your father? Did you have a good relationship with him?”

She smiled. “Yeah, we get along. He tends to be the soft middle to our Oreo cookie. If he weren’t around to separate us, I think Mom and I would have killed each other a long time ago.”

Adam laughed, glad the mood had lightened. He hadn’t meant to get so personal with her. “I’d better be heading out.”

Was that disappointment that flashed across her face? A few minutes ago, he’d have sworn she was about to toss him out.

“Okay.” She stood. “I guess I’ll see you at the station.”

On impulse, he grabbed her hand. Warmth spread through him. “I meant what I said earlier. I’m sorry for everything.”

She looked at him funny, but he didn’t explain. How could he tell her he was sorry for ever going along with Leon’s stupid ideas? Sorry for the cruel things he’d said on air. Sorry he couldn’t forget all about the station and do things the proper way.

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