Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“You think that’s why you became successful?” I ask.
“I do. I knew my mom couldn’t take care of herself. And Avril and Poppy were just babies. I knew it was down to me.”
His words feel like a drag on my insides. What a burden for a child of fourteen. “Your mom was depressed?”
“Couldn’t get out of bed most days. Dad had a life insurance policy that paid out and took care of the house. And it took care of some of the bills, like medical insurance and daycare. But I knew it wouldn’t last forever, and it wasn’t going to cover college or a new car or a new roof. So I did what I needed to do.”
“Worth,” I say, trying to convey how sorry I am for what he went through.
“It was a long time ago. Anyway, we should talk about something more suited to the Vegas Strip,” he says.
“Like how you’re the kind of guy a girl should marry in the Little White Wedding Chapel and never let go?”
“We’ll end the evening that way.” His tone is completely serious, without any trace of humor. He checks his watch. “We have an hour and a half before the wedding bureau closes. Let’s get a drink at Ghostbar first. The views from there are the best we’re going to get.”
I can’t help but laugh at his lack of enthusiasm, and a small smile curves around his lips. I’m not sure if he’s smiling at my amusement or something else. I feel so safe with him, I want to know every expression he has and what they all mean.
Ghostbar is on the 55th floor of the Ivory Tower, with sweeping views of the Strip. It feels like we’re overlooking a fireworks display, bursting with color and light.
Worth has bought a bottle of tequila that looks like it cost more than I earn in a year and tastes even better. I’m two shots in, and with Worth by my side, it feels like everything other than right now is ten thousand miles away. I don’t need to worry about any of it.
“It feels like we’re flying above the city up here,” I say. “It’s so much brighter than New York.”
“Flashier,” Worth says.
“Yeah, but there’s more energy, like it’s a dream version of New York where you can create your own reality.”
“Where you can get married to a perfect stranger?” he asks.
“Exactly,” I say. “I totally get why people get married here on a whim.”
“You wanna try it?” he asks me, fixing me with a look that tells me he’s totally serious.
“Do I wanna try what?” I tease. I know what he’s suggesting, but I want to hear him say the words.
“Wanna marry me?”
It’s ridiculous, but the question pulls at me, like my instincts are all reaching toward Worth and the promise of more.
“I think I do!” I say. I bite down on my lip, knowing how crazy that sounds.
“You said you would never get married.”
“Not in my real life, but this is Vegas.”
I bend, pour us two more shots, and hand one to Worth.
“What about when we get back to New York?” he asks.
I shrug and throw back my shot. “Let’s worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.” I’m sure twenty percent of the Vegas economy is based around undoing the bad decisions of the night before. Right now, I just want to prolong this feeling of freedom—freedom based on truth and not lies.
“I’ve made a lot of money by making sure I take opportunities when they’re presented to me.” He tips back his shot.
He pulls out his wallet and puts a lot of money on the table, not bothering to count how much. He picks up the tequila bottle, scoops up my hand, and stalks toward the exit.
The driver doesn’t even bat an eye when Worth asks him to take us to the wedding license bureau.
“Didn’t we drive past there this morning?” I ask Worth. “You think our driver knew we’d be coming back?”
“Maybe,” Worth replies. “Maybe JJ can see this thing between us.”
“This thing?”
“The thing we feel. You feel it, just like I do,” he says. “Like we’ve known each other for decades, like I can see what you’re thinking before you say it. Like I can feel when you enter the room without even looking around.”
I close my eyes in a long blink as my heart expands in my chest. It isn’t just me. He feels it too.
“Maybe you didn’t get it right away at that brunch. I did. The moment I laid eyes on you, I just…” He shakes his head. “I can’t explain it other than to say that I knew I’d know you a long time. Maybe for forever.”
My breath hitches in my throat. He’s so earnest and open. I want to climb him like a tree and kiss him… everywhere.