For Their Child's Sake

The way he delivered the words was completely joking, but in all honesty—at least to herself—that’s precisely what she was afraid of. For the past two nights, Sam had slept on the sofa and woken before Marley got up so as not to raise too many questions. Thankfully their daughter still had no idea their marriage was a complete farce.

But having Sam so near, having him reawaken suppressed feelings, was dangerously close to teetering over the line of the real thing.

Tara figured anything she said now would only give away her temporary feelings so she skirted around Sam and grabbed the handle of her suitcase. She wheeled it down the hall and found the master suite—which opened with wide double doors.

Talk about a luxury beach house. The second the doors opened, she had a sweeping view of the ocean.

Tara crossed the room, forgetting her suitcase. The breathtaking sight beckoned her to get a closer look.

She curled her fingers around the handles, and pushing the patio doors wide, she stepped onto the private balcony. The onslaught of sea mist hit her and she raised her face to the sun, welcoming the warmth and fresh air. She loved the mountains of Tennessee, but there was something so crisp and invigorating about a saltwater wind.

Maybe this trip was exactly what she needed, what they all needed. How could anyone be in a bad mood or worry with all of this beauty and serenity? The privacy certainly helped because they could focus on Marley with no outside noise. Even if the getaway was only four days, this was still the vacation Sam had promised Marley.

And slowly she realized he was making good on all of those old promises.

“I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight.”

Tara’s heart clenched at Sam’s sultry voice. She glanced over her shoulder, discovering he wasn’t too far away, but his eyes were locked on hers...not the magnificent horizon.

All air caught in her lungs and she shifted her focus to the view before he could read anything in her eyes.

“Yes, well, I hope you make sure Bill knows how much we appreciate staying here.” She gripped the railing even tighter to get a grasp on reality. This was all temporary...the vacation and the man. “And no more charming comments.”

“Am I not to compliment my wife?”

“You really need to quit calling me that,” Tara stated as she forced herself not to turn around. “You even said the other night you knew there was no future.”

“Oh, yes, the other night.” Sam came to stand beside her, but he turned and rested against the railing. “I’ve been waiting on you to bring that up. For now, you are my wife, no matter how short-term or the fact that we are pretending to be happy. Even you cannot escape this.”

Tara pulled in a shaky breath. “The sooner you can sign those papers, the better off we will both be.”

She knew the words were harsh, but somebody had to be realistic. Had he signed those papers when he received them, this would be so much easier on her sanity. They would still have had to play the roles of a happily married couple for Marley, but at least they would both know the end had already come.

Where things stood now was too confusing, too painful.

“Maybe I’m not ready to give up,” Sam stated, the soft words washing over her like the sea breeze. But the impact hit her hard, nearly taking the breath from her lungs.

Tara blinked against the burn in her eyes and vainly attempted to blame it on the wind. In the days since Marley’s accident, he’d left her with the obvious notion that he was fighting for his family.

“Sex will not fix our problems.” She turned to face him, trying to focus on keeping her heart somewhat intact. “Can we please call a truce for the duration of our vacation? I can’t have you doing any more charming things, giving me lengthy glances or saying anything that will make me remember how things used to be.”

He stared at her for a moment, the muscles in his jaw clenching, before he finally nodded in agreement. “You have my word.”

He pushed off the railing and went into the bedroom. There was a subtle sound of the zipper on his suitcase, followed by rustling. Tara remained outside to gather her composure.

When she spun around, once again her lungs seized up and her heart clenched.