23
Megan rushed over to the table and picked up the small folded piece of paper. Her vision blurred as she read the words.
I’m sorry, Megan. I can’t go through with this. I will contact a lawyer for an annulment. I’m sorry if this hurts your chances to further your career. I won’t say anything to anyone. Hopefully they won’t find out. —Adam
She rushed to the closet and threw open the doors. His clothes were gone. He’d left. She sunk to the floor and grabbed her head.
No.
This couldn’t mean the marriage was over. Not now. Not before she had the chance to tell him. She’d been so stupid. How could she have let him go?
Her chest tightened, and she blinked away the tears. She had to make this right. She’d hurt him so terribly. Senselessly. Why had she been so selfish?
Her hands shook as she brushed the moisture from her face. She could fix this. She had to. Shaking, she stood and crossed the room to pick up her cell phone. It was cold and heavy in her hands. She dialed his number and listened to it ring. No answer.
She hung up and dialed again. Still nothing. Was he blocking her calls? Of course. He didn’t want to talk to her. What did she expect? He had basically put his heart out on a line for her. And she’d smashed it.
If he wouldn’t take her calls, then the only thing left to do was go home and talk to him in person.
The noises of the airport were making Adam’s head pound. He hadn’t slept at all last night. His wedding night. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was not how he planned to spend his honeymoon.
He’d been hoping the time alone with Megan would be enough to show her how he really felt. The plan had been to ease her into the idea of them staying married. He’d really screwed that up. Handled it like a fool.
He expelled another breath. Maybe this was for the best. Megan didn’t love him. Even if they’d had a wonderful honeymoon together, that wouldn’t have changed her feelings for him. If she didn’t have those feelings now, nothing he could do would force it upon her.
Leaving was his only choice. He knew that now. He couldn’t stand to pretend to be married to her, pining after something he could never have, while she broke his heart every time she looked at him. Getting away from her was the only solution.
A woman brushed by him then stopped and turned. “You’re Adam Warner.” Her eyes grew wide. “I just loved your show. And your live wedding…it was so romantic.” Her gaze traveled over the terminal. “Are you and Megan leaving so soon? I thought you were honeymooning here.”
What was he supposed to say to that? He one-shoulder shrugged. “We decided to go somewhere else. More privacy.” He winked, and the woman blushed.
“Oh, that makes perfect sense.” She looked around again. “Tell Megan I hope you enjoy your honeymoon.”
His stomach soured. “Of course.” The woman bustled away and got lost in the crowd. He hoped that wouldn’t happen again. He wasn’t sure he could continue to keep this up.
They announced his flight was boarding, and he stood and dragged his carry on up to the desk. The man ahead of him must have been a heavy smoker, because the smell of tobacco and stale smoke hung thick in the air.
He had two weeks off for his honeymoon, and he didn’t plan on returning home. The ticket in his hand said LA. Adam’s plan was to meet with his agent and go over some of the opportunities that had come his way since the show had aired and become so popular. After finding another job, he would turn in his resignation at KLKX. He couldn’t keep doing the morning show with Megan. It would be too painful.
Even though the thought of moving on was appealing, he couldn’t get his heart into it. He’d miss working at the small town station. The wacky banter with Megan. The way she put him in his place. He shook his head. Getting over Megan was going to take a while. He handed his paper to the boarding agent and entered the jet way.
The thing that he didn’t understand was how Megan couldn’t have any feelings for him. He was sure she was attracted to him. How could she not be, when she responded to his kisses like she had?
Frustration overwhelmed him as he plopped down in his seat. It wasn’t worth rehashing again and again in his mind. She didn’t want him. She’d only been acting.
He had to let it go.
When Megan finally stepped off the airplane at the Omaha airport, it was late and she was exhausted. A few people turned their heads and whispered behind their hands, but no one approached her. She wondered what they thought, her being alone the day after her wedding aired.
She picked up her luggage and headed for the car rental counter. She’d been carted around so much lately, it was going to be different driving herself around. Her car was parked at her apartment. Seemed like a lifetime since she’d been behind her grandmother’s old Accord. Even though she could afford a new car now, something told her she wouldn’t be trading it in anytime soon.
By the time she arrived home, it was too late to go see Adam. She let herself in her apartment and dragged in her suitcases. She’d go see him first thing in the morning.
Sleep evaded her, and she ended up tossing and turning all night. Why hadn’t she just taken the time to process her feelings earlier? Why had she reacted the way she had when he told her he loved her? She rolled over again. She had to talk to him.
When sunlight finally came through her window, she was ready. A quick shower and some make up, and she was out the door.
It didn’t take long to drive to Adam’s house. The porch still sagged, and paint was still peeling off the sides of the house. No dog bounded up to meet her this time. The house stood still, no sign of life. Was he not back yet?
She climbed the steps and looked in the window. She couldn’t see much. She knocked on the door. No response. Where was Adam? She waited for another minute before pounding again. “Adam, open the door!”
“He’s not here.”
The small voice behind her startled her and she jumped, turning around. A young boy stood in the driveway, one strap of his coveralls sliding down his arm. “He’s gone.”
Megan put her hand to her chest. “You scared me. Where did you come from?”
The boy pointed. “I live over there.”
“Ah, I see. Where did Adam go?”
The boy shrugged. “My mom said he’s on a moneynoon and won’t be back for a while.”
The mispronunciation made her smile. “I see.”
“But don’t worry, moneynoon’s don’t hurt. I asked.” The little boy beamed up at her.
She wasn’t so sure that was true. “Thanks.”
Megan left Adam’s house, frustrated and broken. She tried his cell again, with no luck. She refused to leave him a message. There was no way she was going to tell him she loved him in a voice mail, let alone a text. She needed a different plan.
And then it hit her. She still had some shows with Adam scheduled in. After the wedding appearances. Adam couldn’t skip them. They were in the contract.
If she could get Leon to work something out, she could come clean in a way that Adam couldn’t ignore. She picked up her phone. The seconds ticked by as she waited for Leon to answer his line, her heart pounding. If he would go for this, he might get the biggest publicity stunt yet. He answered with a quick hello.
“Leon, it’s Megan. Listen, something happened.”
“What?”
She chewed her bottom lip. “Um, Adam left. Said he was done.”
“Whoa, we’ve still got a few more shows lined up for you two. He can’t quit now.” The panic in his voice was evident.
“I know. But I have an idea.”
“Wait.” Leon paused, apparently thinking of what he could do to salvage the situation. “What if you guys stage a fight? Something explosive. On air! That would—”
“Leon!” She took a deep breath. “I don’t want to stage a fight. I want to come clean.”
A noise sounded like Leon had dropped the phone. After a moment, he came back on. “Megan, you can’t do that. You’ve signed contracts. You know how much trouble you would be in if you did that?”
“I read my contracts. I signed one saying I wouldn’t reveal the outcome of the show. Another keeping me from talking about the show before it aired. Another agreeing to marry Adam, and another agreeing to a certain number of appearances. Not one of them said I can’t reveal how I truly feel about him.”
“How’s that going to help you? If you go on national television and tell everyone you hate Adam, your fans will turn against you. You’ll ruin the show and your reputation.”
She rubbed her temple, pushing herself to go on. “I don’t hate Adam. That’s not what I’m going to say.” She steeled her nerves and plunged ahead. “I actually fell in love with him.”
Another loud clunk came through the line and she was sure he’d dropped the phone again. “What? You did?”
“I know it sounds stupid, and I can’t explain it, but as Adam and I pretended to have a relationship, I found myself falling for him. I’m in love with him.” When Leon didn’t say anything, she added, “For real.”
Leon softly swore under his breath. “Are you serious?”
She ignored his question. “The thing is, Adam told me basically the same thing. He fell in love with me as well.”
“Wait, what? Why did he leave you then?”
Heat flooded her face as she remembered her wedding night. “His admission shocked me. I wasn’t ready yet to admit how I felt. So I sort of told him I didn’t feel the same.”
“Oh, that’s cold, woman.”
“I know. I wasn’t thinking straight. But now I have to tell him, you see?” She stared at the suitcase beside her bed, still unpacked. “I have to tell him the truth.”
She could feel Leon’s excitement building on the other end of the phone. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you serious?”
“We’re scheduled to appear on the Penelope Jones show next week. I want to come clean. With all of it.”
Silence. She knew that would make him squirm. “What do you mean, all of it?”
“I know about Doctor Lemon. I know the first show was a setup, the machine was fake, the whole bit. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to tell all of it.”
Leon sucked in his breath and didn’t say anything for a minute, probably letting it sink in. “When did you find out?”
That wasn’t the question she had expected. “I overheard you and Adam talking after our first date.”
Leon laughed, which surprised her. “Ah, the karaoke makes so much more sense now.”
“Yeah, ha ha, funny. I was really hurt, Leon. You’d planned to humiliate me on television.” As she spoke, the old pain bubbled up again.
“Hey, it wasn’t personal.”
“What if I drag you into this, on the Penelope Jones show? Make America hate you for what you did. Would it be personal then?”
He sucked in a breath like he were going to argue with her, but then stopped. It was as if she could see the wheels turning in his head. She imagined his face, maybe draining of color, as it sunk in. “You’re right. I wouldn’t like that.” Another moment of silence came. “I’m sorry, Megan.”
“You’re a good guy, Leon. Just a little too ambitious. Try to take it down a notch, okay? Or someday, someone is going to turn the tables on you.”
“You’re all right, Megan.” He sounded submissive. Maybe he knew what she could do to his name if she dragged him into this.
A smile crept across her face. “I knew you’d understand. Now, here’s what I want you to do for the Penelope Jones show.”