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I ran out in a rush, burdened with embarrassment.
“You’re staring at Daniel,” Bella whispers in my ear. “He can’t take his eyes off of you. Is this a movie moment? Are you falling in love across a crowded casino floor?”
I tear my gaze away from the well-tailored dark blue suit Daniel is wearing to glance at my sister. “Put your dreams away, Bella. I’m never falling in love again.”
Her head falls back in laughter. “That’s not how it works, Gina. Love is going to find you. It might even happen here.”
I turn to walk away. “I’m going to my room before dinner.”
Bella rushes to fall in step next to me. “To catch your breath after seeing Daniel?”
Yes, but I won’t admit that to her.
“To change my dress,” I say before I add for good measure, “I want to check on Arietta, too.”
Our future sister-in-law is just fine. Ten minutes ago, she left the casino to go up to the suite she’s sharing with our brother. I suspect she did that to check in with her dog sitter, who just happens to be our grandmother.
“I’ll go find Barrett,” Bella says with a sigh. “When I left our room, he was in the shower. Maybe I can convince him to get dirty before dinner.”
Shaking my head, I laugh. “You’re taking advantage of your child-free weekend, aren’t you?”
She winks. “Absolutely.”
Still chuckling, I wag a finger at her. “Play safe, or Luisa will have a sibling in nine months.”
“Would that be so bad?”
“That would be phenomenal.” I don’t try hiding my excitement at the prospect of becoming an aunt to another little bundle of fun. “Are you pregnant?”
My sister shakes her head. “No, but if it happens, we’d be thrilled.”
“Me too,” I whisper.
As we reach the bank of elevators that lead up to our rooms, Bella wraps an arm around my waist. “You know that all I want is for you to be happy, right?”
I look into her eyes. “I know.”
“Promise me you won’t hide your heart away forever,” she whispers as people gather around us, waiting to board the elevator. “Just because you lost on love a few times doesn’t mean you won’t find it again. We are in the luckiest place on earth, after all.”
I laugh as I hear another person shout when a slot machine’s bells and whistles signal a win in the distance. “I promise you my heart is right where it needs to be. Safe and sound in my chest.”
She fakes an exaggerated frown. “Fine, but you can’t hide from fate forever. One day it will find you. When it does, you’ll know because that will be the day that your heart meets its match.”
CHAPTERTWO
Gina
I have onlymyself to blame for this.
Dominick has been nothing but generous to me throughout my life. When I was burdened with student debt after attending NYU to earn a degree in behavioral science, my brother secretly cleared that for me.
He was by my side when I bought my apartment, negotiating like the financial genius he is so I’d get the best possible deal.
My brother has always looked out for me, so I wanted to do something extra special for him when he got engaged.
I arranged this Vegas getaway to give him a break from the stresses of managing the investment portfolios of Manhattan’s elite. His fiancée, Arietta, is in law school, so this weekend has given her a chance to unwind.
If I had known that Daniel would show up for this trip, I might have made a last minute excuse not to board the plane at La Guardia, but now I’m sitting across the table from him with no escape in sight for at least a couple of hours.
