What Happens In Vegas

The simplest answer was that she just hadn’t allowed her mind to go there. Yes, he was handsome. All the things they’d talked about in the coffee shop earlier were correct. He had a lot of the attributes she valued in a prospective partner. But in the end, he was just Tyler. That canceled out a lot. “We did kiss once, in tenth grade. This stupid girl dared us at a party in front of everyone.”

“And?”

“And—” she shrugged “—it was awkward. I only have a sister, but I thought that might be what it was like to kiss your own brother. Zero chemistry. A very uncomfortable experience. After that, it was easier to keep things platonic.”

“Tell me it was better the second time around,” Gretchen groaned.

“It was. A million times better.” Amelia should’ve taken into consideration that their first kiss had been with an audience of their peers. On a dare. They’d been fifteen and she had braces. Neither of them had had much experience to go on. It had been a recipe for disaster, but what a difference a dozen or so years could make! “I honestly couldn’t believe I was kissing the same person. Even knowing it was Tyler and I shouldn’t be doing that, I couldn’t stop myself.”

“What happens in Vegas...” Gretchen said, as though that explained everything.

And in a way, it did. The lights and the alcohol and the heightened emotions inspired you to move out of your comfort zone and do something exciting for a change. Unfortunately, not everything that happened there stayed there. The consequences had followed her home.

“What did Tyler say to change your mind about getting divorced all of a sudden?” Bree asked as she thoughtfully twirled her long blond hair around her finger. “You’ve already had a month to think about it, and I was pretty sure you were set on that when you left.”

And now they came to the part she was avoiding. “I was. We were. But um...things changed. I, uh...”

“You’re pregnant,” Natalie stated. There wasn’t an accusatory tone to her voice, just quiet resignation. She gave Natalie a lot of grief for being uptight, but she was very observant. She saw everything, even the things people tried to hide.

Amelia couldn’t respond so she just nodded, thankful that Natalie had saved her from saying the words aloud a second time today.

“Wait, what?” Bree nearly shrieked. “You’re pregnant and you haven’t mentioned it yet? How could you leave that massive detail out of the story?”

“One bombshell at a time, okay?” Amelia frowned. “I just found out and I’m still a little shell-shocked by the whole thing. I mean, it’s as though my whole life has gone irrevocably off course. You think it’s bad to marry your best friend on a whim? Find out you’re having his baby, too. There’s no pretending it didn’t happen anymore. There’s no annulling it and sweeping the memory of it under the rug.”

“That’s why you’re trying to stay together,” Gretchen noted, the pieces finally clicking together for her. “What will you do if it doesn’t work out? Get divorced and work out a custody arrangement?”

“Yes. It will be okay, though. We’ve agreed that no matter what, we’ll stay friends.”

“Um, Amelia,” Natalie said, “you don’t really think that’s going to happen, do you?”

“Of course it will,” she insisted. They’d been friends for fourteen years. They could do it. Of course, that had been without sex and emotions and custody agreements in the way.

“I’m not trying to upset you,” Natalie clarified, “but you need to be prepared for this. At the end of the month, you two might break up. And it may go okay for a while, but eventually things are going to fall apart. You’ll try for the good of your child, but it will get hard. I’ve seen it happen. He’ll show up late to bring the kid back from his weekend and you’ll get irritated. You’ll want the baby for a holiday that’s supposed to be his and you’ll argue about it. Make the most of these thirty days, Amelia. If you don’t have a husband when the time is up, don’t plan on having a best friend for much longer after that.”

She hadn’t thought about that at all. She was certain they would be okay, but she had seen it happen to other people. If she thought sex might ruin their friendship, shared custody and a strained relationship would certainly do it.

Natalie reached out and placed a hand over Amelia’s. The supportive gesture made tears threaten in her eyes. She never cried. Hated to, actually. She always saw it as a weak feminine gesture her mother used to manipulate her father. But in the moment, all the emotions and worries of the past few weeks came to a head and before she could stop them, teardrops started spilling over her cheeks.

“Damn hormones,” Amelia lamented.

“Aw, honey, it will be okay.” Bree got up and snatched a tissue from the other side of the room to give to her. “Everything is going to work out, I know it.”

“It absolutely will,” Gretchen chimed in. “No matter what happens with Tyler after the thirty days are up, you’re going to be a great mom. We’re going to throw the greatest baby shower in the history of baby showers. And I’ll paint a mural in the nursery. We can even turn the extra office into a playroom with toys and a crib so you can bring the baby to work. Bree’s getting married soon—we could have babies all over the place before too long.”

Bree’s eyes widened a touch and she choked on the last sip of her latte. “Um, yeah,” she said with a rough cough to clear her lungs. “Babies all over the place.”

Amelia had to smile through her tears. She really did have amazing friends. Gretchen was right. No matter what happened with Tyler, things would work out. Neither the marriage nor the baby had been planned, but she would make it through this. “Thank you, guys. I feel a lot better, now.”

“That’s what girlfriends are for,” Natalie said with a soft smile. “You know we’re always here to celebrate, commiserate or eviscerate. Whatever you might need.”

“Okay. For right now, all I need is to keep this quiet. Please don’t mention it to anyone. Really. No Facebook posts, no offhand comments when clients are here, no telling my mom I’m at the obstetrician if she calls and I’m not around. We’re keeping all of this a secret until we decide what we’re going to do. You guys are the only ones that know.”

“Sure thing,” Bree said. “I won’t tell a soul.”

“Me, neither,” Gretchen agreed. She looked up at the clock on the wall and sighed. “We’d better get back to it. I’ve got the future Mr. and Mrs. Edwards coming by to pick their invitations on their lunch break.”

All four of the women stood and started back to their various tasks. Mondays were Amelia’s Fridays. She was off the next two days, so she needed to get things in order for the upcoming weekend. That meant submitting her grocery order to the food suppliers. She also needed to email the finalized reception menu to a couple doing a ’50s rockabilly-themed wedding. There wasn’t time to sit around and mope about her situation for long.

Life went on. And so must she.

* * *

Tyler was pretty certain today might qualify as one of the longest days of his life. Probably because he hadn’t slept since he arrived in Nashville and the two days had blurred together into one. By the time Tyler rang the doorbell of Amelia’s apartment to pick her up for their dinner date Tuesday night, he had been awake for forty hours straight.

He’d learned early on that sleep was for the guy who came in second. He’d accomplished a lot since he dropped Amelia back at the chapel. He’d made arrangements to manage his business dealings from Nashville. He got some of his employees to take on more business travel to free up his calendar. There was still a trip to London on his schedule in a few weeks, but he would play that by ear. He really needed to be there for the Sotheby’s auction. Perhaps he could talk Amelia into joining him for that trip.

Work handled, he met with a real estate agent and toured half a dozen potential homes. He was pretty certain he’d found the one, but he wouldn’t decide until Amelia had seen it. He’d also turned in his rental car and picked up something more suitable for the next few weeks.

With the logistics in place, he directed his attention toward more romantic pursuits. He made dinner reservations and set out in search of a nearby florist that carried her favorite flower. She’d said she wanted romance and that she expected him to know exactly what she would like. Well, mission accomplished.

Amelia opened the door of her apartment. Before she could even say hello, her gaze dropped to the bouquet of roses in his hands. Not just any roses—green beauties. They were a pale-green-and-ivory rose with darker green edges. The flowers reminded him of tiny cabbages, really, but she’d always loved them. Her favorite color was green after all.

“Wow,” she said. She looked up at him with a wide smile brightening her face.

“I was about to say that same thing.” Amelia looked amazing. She was wearing a plum-colored dress that popped against the ivory of her skin. It almost looked like strips of fabric wrapped around her body. It had cap sleeves with straps crisscrossing over her collarbones. It molded to her shape, making her incredibly voluptuous figure even more outrageous. She had the kind of dangerous curves that required two hands or a man could lose control. “You look beautiful tonight.”

“Thank you. This is a Herve Leger bandage dress I saved up to buy, and I’ve never had the opportunity to wear it. It’s on the snug side to begin with, so I figured I should wear it tonight while I can. If I could get away with it, I’d wear it every day until I hit my second trimester, but it’s just not that practical.”

Fashion before comfort with Amelia, always. “I would vote for that. I wouldn’t get anything done staring at you the whole time, though.”

“You’re sweet,” she said, a rosy color rising to her cheeks. “I can’t believe you remembered my favorite flower.”

“Of course I did,” Tyler said as he held the bouquet out to her. “For you.”

“Come in,” Amelia said as she took a few steps back into her apartment.

He followed her into the cozy one-bedroom corner unit she called home. Golden overhead lighting shined down from an antique-looking fixture. It illuminated every detail she’d worked hard to put in place. It was a cute little apartment, spacious by New York standards, and very much Amelia. The furniture was shabby chic in style, mixing older, worn antiques with a few newer, brighter pieces. There was a mishmash of throw rugs, embroidered pillows and candles scattered around the space.

She had always had a keen aesthetic eye, be it for fashion, furniture or food. Even back in high school, when Tyler’s daily uniform had included jeans and a T-shirt, she had always gone above and beyond when it came to her style. To her, decorating an apartment was like getting her place dressed up to go out. He couldn’t be bothered. He wanted things to be functional and not too fussy. Like his clothes.

He watched Amelia disappear into the tiny kitchen and put the green roses in a tall crystal vase filled with water. She had been right when she said there wasn’t room for him to live here with her. It was comfortable, welcoming, but not really big enough for more than one person. And she certainly would have difficulty raising a child here, too. There was no room for a nursery. No yard to play in. A couple toys on the floor could create a treacherous obstacle course.

“What?” she asked, coming toward him with the vase in her hands. “You look disgusted about something.”

“Not disgusted. I was just thinking of how small your place is. Reminds me of the first apartment I rented when I moved to New York to apprentice at Levi’s jewelry store.”

“It suits me just fine.” She placed the flowers in the middle of her square white dining room table. “It’s quiet, I have reserved parking and the price is good. I’m really not home that much anyway.”

“Well—” he frowned “—no matter what happens with us, we’ll need to find you a new place. Either you’ll move in with me or we’ll get you something bigger for you and the baby.” He raised his hand to halt her protest. “Don’t start. You and I both know you’ll need more space when the baby comes.”

Amelia shrugged and scooped up her purse. “I had been thinking about getting a townhouse before all this started. But there’s no sense in worrying about it now. We’ve got time to figure out things like that.”

“Absolutely. Right now, we need to focus on not missing our reservation.”

“Where are we going?”

“The Watermark, downtown.”

Amelia smiled as she picked up her jacket and followed him outside. “Nice choice.”

He escorted her to the parking lot, but Amelia stopped abruptly at the curb. “What’s the matter?”

“Where’s your BMW?”

“I’d only rented that for a couple days. I turned it back in when I realized I was going to be staying awhile.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his keys and hit the button to unlock the doors of the white Audi SUV parked beside hers.

“I see you finally found a place that would rent you an Audi. I bet you’re happy now.”

Tyler held open the passenger door and helped her inside. “Actually, I bought it,” he said before slamming the door shut.

By the time he got in on his side, Amelia was shaking her head. “You’re from another planet, you know that?”

“Why?”

“Because,” she argued, as they pulled out of her apartment complex, “you buy luxury cars on a whim—with cash, I’m certain. You think a mansion in Belle Meade is a reasonable suggestion. You gave me an eight-carat engagement ring for a spur-of-the-moment wedding in Vegas. That’s not normal, you know?”

Tyler smiled and focused on the freeway stretched out ahead of them. “I worked hard to be abnormal. Would you prefer I have a dead-end office job and scrape pennies together for the monthly payment on my practical sedan like everyone else?”

“No...” she said thoughtfully. “I suppose it wouldn’t make a difference. Even when you were broke, you were abnormal. Just abnormal with less money.”

He chuckled. “I’m not sure if I should be offended or not.”

“Don’t be. I’ve kept you in my life this long with you the way you are. If you’re abnormal, then I guess I am in my own way, too.”

Tyler had to heartily agree with that assessment. For whatever reason, he had lasted in Amelia’s life far longer than any other man. Probably because they weren’t dating, so she didn’t try him on like a pair of shoes and cast him aside when he didn’t fit just right. When they’d crossed the line in Vegas, he’d known he was putting their friendship at risk. Despite their long-standing relationship, adding sex to the mix could potentially land him in the discard pile. Even with their agreement to remain friends no matter what, that was still a very real danger.

That was why he’d come to Nashville fully anticipating they would file for divorce and pretend that night in Vegas never happened. He’d never dreamed they might continue their romance, much less stay married.

The wild card in this scenario was their baby. It was Amelia’s anchor; it might be the only thing that would keep her from bolting from this relationship like every other one before it.

Might be.

Tyler had agreed to Amelia’s thirty-day arrangement for their child’s sake. He would put everything he had into convincing Amelia to love him. Everything but his heart. His wasn’t any good to anyone anymore. It had been irrevocably broken, and he didn’t dare expose it to more damage.

If she fell in love with him, everything might work out, but even then, Tyler wasn’t holding his breath. He was fighting an uphill battle with Amelia. Even if he did everything right, she could find fault in him. No one was perfect, not even her grandparents. It made him wonder how much of their idealistic marriage was truth and how much was fantasy built up in Amelia’s mind.

Tyler slowed the Audi and pulled to the curb outside the restaurant. He handed over the keys to the valet and rounded the car to escort Amelia inside.

The interior of the Watermark was dim, with pot lights illuminating the tables from the exposed beams overhead. The hostess escorted them to a white linen-draped table for two near the window. Amelia chose to sit on the side with the long white leather banquette, and Tyler sat opposite her. A server quickly took their drink orders and disappeared, leaving them to look over the menu and admire the view.

Tyler knew he should be looking at the impressive cityscape or deciding on his appetizer course, but he found himself distracted by the view directly in front of him. A square glass-and-chrome candleholder in the center of the table cast a mesmerizing glow across Amelia’s face. It highlighted the subtle cleft in her chin and soft apples of her cheeks. Her skin looked peaches-and-cream flawless, nearly glowing with radiance.

It took everything he had not to reach across the table and brush his thumb over her full, coral-painted lips. They looked soft and shiny with some sort of gloss that made them shimmer in an utterly kissable way. He wanted to kiss her again tonight, and keep doing it until every drop of that gloss was gone and her lips were bee-stung from it.

That was how she had woken up in his hotel room the morning after their wedding. Her red hair had been everywhere, her mascara had been smudged and her lips had been pink and swollen. She’d looked like a woman who had been well and truly loved the night before. Tyler’s whole body stiffened as he thought of being able to make love to her again. It was a masochistic thought, one that wasn’t likely to get him through dinner without discomfort, but he couldn’t shake it. Once they’d crossed the line in Vegas, he couldn’t force himself back.

“Have you ever eaten here before?” he asked to distract himself with conversation.

She shook her head, oblivious to his thoughts. “No, but I’ve been dying to get into their kitchen. The executive chef here is well-known for his amazing creations. I’m certain nothing we eat will be bad.”

“So I chose well?”

Amelia smiled. “You chose very well.”

“All this rich food won’t be too much on your stomach, will it?”

She shook her head, making the sleek auburn waves dance over her shoulders. “I hope not. But really, I’ve only had trouble early in the day. By midafternoon I’m starving. I’m anxious to try the duck. It is so hard to find well-prepared duck. What about you?”

“I’m thinking the cobia. Or the lamb.”

“Ooh...” Amelia’s dark brown eyes lit up with excitement. “Get the lamb and let me try some. You can try my duck, too, if you want.”

“Sounds good,” he said with a smile. Very few things got Amelia as excited as food. The old saying about the way to a man’s heart being through his stomach was just as true with her. Whenever they were together, he went out of his way to find someplace they could eat that would be new and exciting for her.

She was a fashionista at heart, but her first love was cooking. He hadn’t been at all surprised to see her go into a culinary program. She had been bringing him food all through high school, using him as a guinea pig when she wanted to try out a new recipe. It was almost always good. And beautiful to look at. Rarely was food both, and that was where her talent really came into play.

Tonight was where his talents came into play. He was a successful jeweler because he knew exactly what the client was looking for, even if they weren’t entirely sure. He had the ideal night planned for Amelia. After two hours of talking and dining, including a decadent chocolate soufflé to share, they strolled through the trendy downtown area known as the Gulch. They wandered together, hand in hand, looking in shop windows and listening to the live music streaming out of some of the bars. The conversation flowed easily, the way it always had with them, not stifled by the fact that this was a real date.

By the time they returned to her apartment, Tyler was confident they’d had a successful date. Amelia was smiling and laughing, relaxed for the first time since he’d arrived in Nashville. It was a good night. But it could be better.

He walked her to her door, hesitating as she unlocked it. He wanted to go in pretty badly, but he wouldn’t. Thirty days didn’t seem like long, but it was long enough not to rush.

“Dinner was great,” she said as she turned back to face him. “I had a nice time.”

“Me, too.” Moving closer, Tyler rested his hand on her waist.

Amelia didn’t pull away or stiffen at his touch. Instead she looked up at him with a soft, inviting smile. He accepted the invitation, leaning down to cup her face in his hands and capture her coral-painted lips with his own.

She melted into him, pressing her ample curves against the hard wall of his chest. As his tongue glided across her lips, she opened her mouth to him. Her own silky tongue met his, a soft moan muffled in the back of her throat.

The sound conjured memories of their wedding night. His body instantly stiffened, his palms tingling to touch her. He moved his hands back to her waist, letting them roam over the stretched fabric that clung to her every curve. Tyler boldly cupped the swell of her rear and pressed her hips against the hard ridge of his desire.

The growl deep in his throat made Amelia chuckle softly against his lips and pull away. Her hand caught his, moving it back to her waist. Her eyes were closed, her breath fast and shallow. He understood. That was enough for tonight. He withdrew his hand, placing one last soft goodbye kiss on her lips.

“I want to take you somewhere in the morning.”

“I suppose you aren’t going to tell me where.”

He smiled wide. “What’s the fun in that?”

She sighed and shook her head. Although she acted exasperated by him, he could see the glint of excitement in her eyes. When that was there—the way it had been on that sidewalk in Las Vegas—he knew he had her intrigued. That was key to getting her to go along with whatever harebrained idea he’d come up with.

“I’ll pick you up at nine.”

Five

“So seriously, where are we going?”

Tyler shook his head. “Ames, I haven’t told you the past three times you’ve asked. What makes you think I’m suddenly going to change my mind?”

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m your wife. It’s now my job to nag at you until I wear you down and you do what I want.”

He chuckled and slowed the SUV to turn off the main commercial thoroughfare and into a large, sprawling subdivision. “I thought we were trying to date. You’re not supposed to pull those tricks out of the bag until later.”

“Tricks?” she replied in mock outrage. “What about those tricks you pulled on me last night? Those flowers, that restaurant...”

“That kiss,” he added.

Amelia didn’t reply to that. Instead she turned and looked out her window to watch the houses they rolled past. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d made an excellent impression on their first official date. She’d had a better time with him than she had on half the dates she’d been on in the past year. Perhaps the fates knew better than she did. Or maybe they were just having fun messing with her head.

The houses they passed were large. On meticulously groomed lots. And not far from work. That was when everything clicked into place. They were going to look at a house. But here? Despite her attempts to dissuade him, he’d apparently sought out a place in Belle Meade. They were obviously not on the same page when it came to the real estate market.

Finally, Tyler turned into a driveway that was barricaded by a large iron gate. He punched in a code and the gate opened, revealing the incredible estate hidden beyond it. They drove down a narrow lane lined with trees and hedges, then circled around a courtyard fountain, stopping in front of the double-doored entrance of stacked stone stairs.

Thoughts of denial swirled in her mind as she looked up at the house. Correction—mansion. This was no three-bedroom starter home. To buy it would cost several million dollars, easily. The rent was probably high enough to give her heart palpitations. Was this what he’d envisioned when he’d talked about a home where they could raise a family together? She couldn’t even fathom it.