Page 14 of Married in Vegas: In His Arms

Any other day I would have closed the drawer and not pried. But betrayal sat on my tongue. If he hadn’t opened it, I had two very important questions. First, what had he bought and for whom? We hadn’t spoken in ages, so it wasn’t for me. The second question was why he’d lied about the key. He’d apparently had it all along. I let those two questions justify my next move.

There next to the little black bag was a card. I opened it.

Under the jeweler’s logo was a handwritten note.

The ring has been sized to your specifications. If there are any problems, please let us know.

The card tumbled end over end as it fell from my slack hand. Tears threatened as I imagined the worst.

The paparazzi had speculated that Cam would propose to Claudia. He’d been seen out with her more times than anyone else. Is that why he was pissed when I brought up her name? Had I been his final hurrah?

I let the towel fall and searched for my dress. I wrenched it up and I thought better about leaving without saying a word because I wasn’t running. I had cause to leave.

I hadn’t expected the door to be unlocked. So when I forcefully turned the knob, momentum carried me two stumbling steps inside the misty bathroom led by the opening door.

It wasn’t hazy enough I couldn’t see an outline of Cam and I watched him turn.

Before he could speak, I said more than asked, “Did you have the key all along?”

“Chris,” he began, finally using my preferred nickname. “Let me explain.”

“Why don’t you explain to Claudia or whoever you bought that ring for?”

I didn’t wait for an answer. I finally fled his suite holding up the bodice of the pink chiffon catastrophe I’d been forced to wear to the wedding by one arm. It had gotten a little too tight after my last fitting. Either it was the ritual glazed donut I ate for breakfast every morning or Eddie’s wife hated me. It was probably both. And in a rush as I’d been, I’d been unable to zip the damn thing up all the way.

Cinderella had nothing on me fleeing through the halls of the hotel to the elevators, uncaring of the stares I got. I hadn’t had makeup remover. Cam hadn’t seemed phased by my raccoon eyes, but the mothers who were holding their kids close as I dashed by thought differently. I did the hundred yard dash through the casino to make it to my designated elevators to reach my room.

Chapter 6

It wasn’t like I was rolling in money. Between student loans and rent, I had barely enough money to feed myself not including gas money or anything else. Yet unwisely, I used my credit card and paid that extra two hundred to get on the next flight. I’d hoped to fly standby, but they assured me I was too far down the list to get anything earlier without booking.

After I’d gotten to my room and begun to pack, I’d made that call and negotiated until I was blue in the face and just paid to be out of Vegas.

Though I wasn’t sure he try to find me, all Cam had to do was call his brother and make up an excuse to get my room number. I’d made it out of the hotel without incident and tried not to cry the whole time.

Cam had a reputation with the ladies, but I always assumed I was different. Not in the sense he’d marry me or anything. But that we would be truthful about who we were to each other.

By the time I barreled through the doors of my apartment, I’d gone from sad to mad.

“Asshole,” I muttered as I pushed the door closed behind me.

The air conditioning soothed my heated skin. Today was hotter in Dallas than it was in Vegas and that was saying something.

My little sister lounged on the couch with her feet propped on the table in front of her. Her perfectly sculpted eyebrows lifted in question.

“Things didn’t go well?” Jillian asked.

The last thing I wanted to do was admit humiliation to her, but what were sisters for. I couldn’t admit this to Eddie. Cam’s actions were one of the reasons he’d warned me away from his brother if he caught me staring.

“Don’t bother,” he’d say. “He’ll only break your heart like every other girl in school.” Then he’d babble on about how his brother’s reputation was the reason no girl would go out with him.

“I had sex with Cam,” I blurted to Jillian.

Eddie might have been my first best friend, but he didn’t know what Jillian did about my crush on Cam.

“Oh,” was all she said.

“Thanks for your support,” I said grudgingly and headed for my room.

“Don’t bitch at me. Tell me what happened.”

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