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I swallowed past the lump of emotion threatening to clog my throat. She might not know it yet, as I was only coming to the realization myself, but there was nothing I wouldn’t do for this woman. “Absolutely.”
ChapterForty
ADDISON
My legs were shaking. Nerves were undoubtedly a big part of anyone’s wedding day, but mine were a living, breathing ball of anxiety. Finding out I was pregnant and marrying Leo in the same day was overwhelming, to say the least.
But it was the way he looked at me which really flipped my stomach. Because suddenly this didn’t feel like a marriage of convenience. Didn’t seem like we were making this decision for the sake of our family. Instead, it felt like there could be something more between us.
“Do you think we should ask him to take out the love stuff?” I asked, testing.
Leo shrugged. “Guess it would be more honest that way.”
I did my best to hide my disappointment.
He went over and whispered a few words to the newscaster from the eighties who would soon marry us.
It was stupid, not to mention pointless, to grieve over a love which had never been offered. Instead, I needed to focus on what I did have: a man who treated me like I mattered. Who had a soft heart beneath his gruff exterior, and who was giving me a future I’d always wanted. As a mom.
I wasn’t sure what Leo said to the officiant, but the words of our ceremony sounded more like a contract than a love match. I supposed, being in Vegas, the man had several variations on how he married people. He didn’t care so long as the bill was paid.
When it came time for the rings, Leo sighed. “Sorry, Addy, I forgot about this part. We’ll get them later.”
“It’s okay.” One more example of how this wasn’t a real wedding.
He turned toward the officiant. “Let’s skip over the rings.”
“All righty. I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
We both stared at each other, equally shocked it was already over.
“You may now kiss the bride. Unless you want to take that part out too?”
Leo’s hands lifted to frame my face. “Not a chance.”
And just like that, we had our first kiss as husband and wife.
I expected to head back to the house after the wedding, so I was surprised when Leo pulled into the Mandalay Bay hotel parking lot. “Where are we going?”
He didn’t answer until he parked and killed the engine. “I wanted to do something special for our wedding night. You got shortchanged on the whole ceremony thing.”
When Leo was thoughtful, it made it hard to remember we weren’t in love. “I got you as my husband, and I have a baby on the way, so I don’t feel shortchanged.”
He flashed his teeth in a grin. “Come on, Mrs. Chambers. We have a wedding night to get to.”
On the way through the casino lobby to the front desk, he held my hand. Within minutes he had a keycard and was guiding me toward the elevator. There he scanned the key and hit the number for one of the top floors. Once the doors opened, he led us down the hall until we came to our room, tapping the card until it turned green. “Wait here a moment.”
For what? I watched as he propped open the door and came back into the hall, squealing as he then scooped me off my feet.
“This is good luck for the wedding night, right?” he asked.
“Anything that saves me from walking probably is.”
He shook his head. “Don’t even joke about it. Although…maybe you could not wear heels for the next nine months?”
“You don’t have to do any convincing.”
He set me down gently onto a plush sofa. Holy crap. The living room was the size of his house. “Did you get a penthouse or something?”
