The Gambler

by Denise Grover Swank

  He grinned. “You have no idea how happy I am that you aren’t self-conscious about your body. It makes me consider becoming a nudist.”

  She laughed as she pulled a black sweater from the bag. “I figure this is how God made me. Besides, gravity isn’t my friend. One day the girls will go south.” She glanced up at him. “I hope you’re prepared for that.”

  “Libby, you will always be beautiful to me. Even when you’re nine months pregnant with our baby someday.” He hadn’t meant to say that last part, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he knew it was true. Libby would be an incredible mother.

  Her mouth parted as she turned to look at him. “I thought you didn’t want kids.”

  “I didn’t think I did either until you. I love kids. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I seem to have a lot in common with them.” He winked. “I just don’t want to screw up my own kids. But how can they be screwed up with you as their mother?” Then he stopped. “Unless you don’t want kids.”

  She shook her head, smiling with tears in her eyes. “No. I do.”

  “And you married me thinking I didn’t?”

  “I want you more. Kids are bonus.”

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Finish getting ready and let’s get some lunch—it’s after eleven o’clock, so I think it’s past breakfast. How about I call Gram and see if she and Nana Ruby want to join us?”

  “Really?” Her eyes widened in shock. “I thought you’d be upset with her after the whole Twitter incident.”

  He sighed. “Blair and Megan were going to find out the ugly details at some point, and Gram meant well. If we invite her to lunch, she’ll know we’re not angry with her. If she even knows things are a mess back home. She might be totally oblivious.”

  She stiffened in his arms. “You think our wedding was ugly?”

  “I think our wedding was perfectly us, but we both know that your friends—especially Blair—would have been horrified and offended by it.” He bent at the knees to look her in the eyes. “I suspect you got an earful when you called them earlier.”

  “I only talked to Blair and it was enough.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head and her eyes lit up with fire. “Their loss, but it only proves that other than Tortoise, there’s really nothing left for me in Kansas City. I want to move my things to Seattle as soon as possible.”

  “I love you, Lib. I hope I’m worth the grief.”

  A soft smile spread across her face. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get tired of hearing you say you love me.”

  “If I said it as many times as the feeling hits me, I suspect I’ll annoy the hell out of you, but I’m willing to take the risk.”

  She placed a kiss on his lips, her eyes sparkling with happiness. “I like the sound of that. Why don’t you call Gram while I get dressed?”

  He nodded and watched her ass as she dug her jeans and underwear out of the bag. It was a good thing he was out of condoms or he’d suggest they order room service instead.

  He pulled up Gram’s number. “Hey, Gram.”

  “I’m surprised you and Libby are still speaking to me. Megan’s about to birth twin cows.” She sounded more subdued than usual.

  He shrugged even though she couldn’t see him. “Libby says it’s their loss. We love that you got a photo. For all I know it’s one of the only ones. We were supposed to get professional photos, but Angelica broke the camera, so unless one of the homeless guys had a camera, I’m pretty sure that didn’t happen.”

  “I’m not sure why they have their panties in a wad. I thought it was a lovely service.”

  “Thanks, Gram. We loved it too. Say . . . I know we talked about having dinner tonight, but we were wondering if you and Nana Ruby wanted to join us for lunch instead.”

  “Sounds good. Then we can go see Donny and Marie tonight.”

  He laughed. “You want to see Donny and Marie?”

  “Nah. It seemed like a good compromise. Ruby’s a little bit country and I’m a whole lot of rock and roll. What Ruby doesn’t know is we’re going to a strip club after. I’m hoping to meet my Mr. Right.”

  “Well, okay then . . . that works out well. Do you have a preference where we eat for lunch?”

  “That Food Network guy has a restaurant here. How about we eat at his place?”

  “Sounds good. Can you be ready to meet us there at noon? I’ll see if I can get reservations.”

  “We’ll see you kids there.”

  “It’s a date.” He hung up and grinned.

  Libby stood in front of him wearing a pair of jeans that clung to her hips and a black sweater with a V-neck that dipped into her cleavage and knit fabric that showed off her generous breasts. It didn’t help matters that he knew she was wearing black lingerie underneath. “I’m ready to go. What are we going to do for the next forty-five minutes?”

  He pulled her into his arms, groaning. “Not what I’d like to be doing. You’re gorgeous.”

  She laughed. “How about we find some condoms for later, then wander around until it’s time to meet them for lunch.”

  “That sounds like a fabulous plan. We better get the jumbo package. I hope your purse is big enough.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Gram and Nana Ruby were waiting for them at the entrance to the restaurant. Nana Ruby had ditched the sparkles for a red sweatshirt that said My grandkid can whoop your grandkid’s ass. Gram wore yoga pants and a T-shirt. Her face was red and she was huffing and puffing.

  “Gram, are you okay?” Libby asked, worried. “You don’t look so good.”

  “I’m still sweating from that hot yoga class.” She pointed her finger at Libby. “And for the record, hot yoga is not full of hot men. I stayed long enough to break a sweat, then hightailed it out of there.”

  Noah laughed and wrapped his arm around Libby’s back, resting it on her hip. She glanced up at him with a smile.

  “You girls are stealing all the hot men,” Gram teased. “There are none left for me.” She pointed over to Nana. “Even Ruby has a man.”

  “You’ll find one,” Noah assured her with a wink. “He could be right under your nose and you’re too blind to see it.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “More like I would have to be blind to look at any of them naked. All the fat rolls and floppy skin. Not to mention it’s too hard to get to the good stuff.” She held her hands in front of her, mimicking holding the fat rolls.

  Libby cringed at the thought.

  “Good God, Maude,” Nana groaned. “We’re about to eat.”

  “Thanks for coming to our wedding,” Libby said. “You have no idea how happy we were that you were there.”

  Gram patted her arm, her eyes soft with affection. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, Libby, my girl.”

  Libby gave her a hug, happy that she and Noah had support from someone.

  The hostess led them to their table. After they ordered and their food was served they talked about the wedding and Libby’s friends’ reaction.

  “I understand why Blair’s carrying on,” Gram said, sawing on a piece of steak. “She’s always had a stick up her ass, but I’m disappointed in Megan.”

  “To be fair,” Libby said, sipping from her water glass, “I haven’t talked to Megan.”

  Gram scowled. “I have.”

  Well, that confirmed that.

  “How long are you kids staying in Vegas?” Nana asked.

  Libby turned to look at Noah, surprised by the blank look on his face.

  He studied her face. “I found out a potential client is here. I’m hoping to have a chance to meet with him.”

  “Oh. Okay.” When had he found that out? He hadn’t had his laptop out, but then again, he only needed his phone to check his email.

  “I’m hoping to see him this afternoon. We could leave tonight or tomorrow.” He leaned over and kissed her temple. “I’m eager to get Libby moved to Seattle.”

  Gram looked surprised. �
��You’re moving to Seattle?”

  Libby gave her a sheepish look. “We’d decided on that a couple of days ago. Before . . . our wedding.”

  Gram leaned forward, her eyes glowing. “Is that so?”

  Noah tried to play nonchalant. “Libby’s serious about the artistic side of her photography, not just family portraits and senior photos. The climate is better for that in the Pacific Northwest.”

  “And who brought this up first?” Nana Ruby asked.

  Noah shrugged, keeping his attention on his salmon. “I did.”

  “Is that so?” Gram asked again, sounding like she knew there was more to the story.

  He looked up. “What?”

  “You were just being a good friend?”

  He grinned. “That too.”

  Libby gasped and turned to face him. “What else?”

  He hesitated, then sighed. “Lib, I decided not to come to your wedding because I couldn’t stand the thought of you marrying anyone, let alone Mitch. But then I decided I couldn’t let it happen at all. I intended to stop the wedding.”

  “You did?”

  He cringed. “Yeah.”

  She whacked his shoulder with her napkin. “So why didn’t you tell me?”

  He lifted his hands in defense. “You shot me down a month ago. I figured you were going to take some wooing.”

  “We’ve already discussed the whole proposition thing. And wooing?” she teased.

  “Turns out I’m old-fashioned. Who knew?” A huge grin spread across his face. “I didn’t have sex with my wife until our wedding night. Go figure.”

  “Noah,” she groaned good-naturedly. She wasn’t opposed to people knowing, but heavens only knew what Gram would do with that information.

  Gram laughed. “Oh, we already knew. He told us last night.”

  “What?”

  “We told him to step up his game plan.”

  Libby shook her head, trying to make all the pieces fit. “So when you asked me to move to Seattle . . .”

  “I figured it would give me the opportunity to convince you I was worth the risk.”

  “And when I told you I wanted to take a year off from men?”

  He grimaced. “I wasn’t thrilled, but I was willing to wait.”

  “While you saw other women?”

  He turned serious. “No. Once I put it together that I loved you, I knew there was no other woman for me but you.”

  “But you said you would move . . . get a two-bedroom house . . .”

  “Lib, I fully intended to give you your own room until you were ready. My intention was to show you I’d changed.”

  Overcome with emotion, she pulled his face to hers for a kiss. “I love you.”

  He smiled at her. “I love you too.”

  “And I love that daughter-in-law of mine,” Ruby said with a low growl. “But she’s a pigheaded fool if she can’t see the two of you are meant to be together.”

  Libby offered the woman a smile. “Thanks, Nana.”

  Gram patted her hand. “They’ll come around.”

  Libby was so pissed about their lack of support, she wasn’t sure it mattered.

  Noah pulled his phone out of his pocket and read the screen. “That’s the text I’ve been waiting for. My meeting is set for two.” He looked up at Libby, worry in his eyes. “Is it okay if I leave you for about an hour or two?”

  “Of course it is. I’m not a child who needs to be babysat.”

  He shook his head slightly. “I know you’re not, but I’m taking time from our honeymoon. That doesn’t seem right.”

  “Oh. I hadn’t considered this our honeymoon.”

  “It’s very much our honeymoon, Mrs. McMillan. And while I never really cared for Vegas before, I have a special fondness for it now. Still, after my meeting, I think this city has served its purpose. Are you good with leaving tonight? We can go anywhere you want.”

  She rested her hand on his cheek. “I want to go home.”

  His smile fell slightly and she realized he misunderstood.

  “Our home. In Seattle.”

  He kissed her again, and when he finally lifted his head, Libby’s face burned with embarrassment. He’d practically devoured her in front of the grandmas.

  “If only I were twenty years younger,” Gram murmured.

  “You’d still be too old for him,” Nana said sternly.

  “It wouldn’t matter,” Gram said with a grin. “He’d still only have eyes for our girl.”

  They finished lunch and while Nana and Gram invited Libby to walk the strip, Libby turned them down. “I think I’ll grab my camera and see what I can find to photograph.”

  The two women left and Noah and Libby went up to their room. Noah opened his laptop and studied the screen, his leg bouncing as he read.

  “Noah, why are you so nervous?”

  He looked up at her and blinked. “What? I’m not nervous. Just a regular meeting.”

  He was lying. Why was he lying?

  All the doubts from earlier came rushing back. She knelt in front of him. “I need you to promise me something, okay?”

  “Anything, Lib,” he answered with an earnestness she was still getting used to.

  “I need you to promise to tell me the truth. You know I’ve had a history with men who have been untruthful. I need to know I can trust you.”

  “You have to know I’d never purposely hurt you.”

  “I know, but this is a deal-breaker for me, Noah. I need you to always tell me the truth.”

  He looked into her eyes, an uncharacteristic seriousness setting into his jaw. “I will. I promise.”

  “Thank you.”

  He pushed out a breath. “This deal is important. I’ve been talking to this guy in Seattle and getting the runaround. I found out he’s here, so I’m hoping to seal the deal this afternoon. With the merger . . . the business needs this.”

  She kissed him and smiled. “That wasn’t so bad, was it? Why would you hide that from me?”

  “I don’t want you to worry.”

  “Noah, we’re married now. If you’re nervous, then it’s my job to worry. Just like it’s your job to be nervous when we go to New York for my exhibit.”

  He pulled her onto his lap, evoking a surprised laugh from her. “You’ve decided to finish your project?”

  She grinned. “Let’s just say this morning’s photography session inspired me.”

  He lifted his eyebrows in mock recrimination. “I know it’s a New York exhibit and they’re much more liberal there, but I strongly discourage using the photos of my penis, no matter how impressive they are.”

  She laughed. “You’ve ruined my theme. I planned to photograph the penises of men all over the country. I could group them by region. Or would it be better to organize them by length?”

  “The only penis I plan to let you near is mine.” He looked up from his laptop. “And if I had more time, I’d let you get even closer to it now.”

  “Later,” she murmured.

  “I know we’ve paid for the room tonight, but I’d still like to go home this evening if it’s okay with you. I’ll book us tickets when I get back from the meeting.” He grinned. “But there will be plenty of time for you to get reacquainted with my penis before we go.”

  She laughed. “Sounds perfect.”

  He stood and set her on her feet. “Wish me luck.”

  She gave him a kiss. “Good luck, my love.”

  “You’re all the luck I need.” He gathered his laptop and put it into his bag. “Are you sure you’re okay by yourself?”

  She picked up her camera bag. “I’m fine. I’m going to explore outside the hotel. I have some ideas about capturing the fountains at the Bellagio.”

  He grabbed her left hand and kissed her wedding ring. “Flash this at any man who gets within six feet of you.”

  She laughed.

  “You think I’m joking. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known and I’m not the only one who notices. When w
e get home I plan to get you a huge-ass diamond to blind any man who comes near you.”

  She tried to keep a straight face. “Huge-ass. I think I heard they added that to the list of diamond sizes.”

  He looked into her eyes, all teasing gone. “I love you, Libby.”

  That caught her attention. “Noah, what aren’t you telling me?”

  He hesitated and then flashed her a smile. “In full disclosure, my apartment is a total bachelor pad. I think I even left dirty laundry on the floor when I was throwing my clothes around in my haste to pack. I hope it doesn’t scare you off.”

  “Just take me home and we’ll sort it all out when we get there.”

  He gave her one last look, the seriousness in his eyes scaring her, and left the room.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The beauty of Las Vegas was it was warmer than Kansas City, but the wind still nipped through the weave of Libby’s sweater. She hugged it tight, wishing Noah was with her to keep her warm. But she knew this meeting was more important than he was letting on. Why hadn’t he told her about it sooner? When had he found out the guy was in Vegas?

  She lingered in front of the fountains, waiting for them to turn on. She knew they were on timers, but they seemed to be lagging behind.

  While she waited, she photographed people on the strip and found herself concentrating on couples. There were two distinct groups—those who were simply there together and those who wanted to be with their significant others. The ones in the former group filled her with sadness. With one couple, the husband wore a look of irritation while his wife stared at him with a yearning that broke Libby’s heart. But there were others. A wife on her phone while her husband lagged behind. And another couple that had clearly had a recent argument—the wife in tears, her husband with a set jaw and a hard look in his eyes.

  But the couples in love filled her with hope. Those couples had to touch each other in some way, even if only with their eyes. She watched as a couple in their forties stopped next to the fountains, probably waiting for them to turn on. The wife wore a light jacket and shivered when the wind gusted, so her husband pulled her into his arms. After wrapping his jacket around her back, he kissed her gently. The moment reminded her so much of her and Noah during their visit to the Czechoslovakian egg. Other than the kissing, had they looked like that? She remembered his gentleness and realized he’d already known he loved her. He’d planned that entire day out of love for her. How had she been so blind?