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I remembered when I was lucky to make that amount in a month. I’d felt rich.
I could hear Roe reminding me that, “In the world of watches, three grand is nothing.”
And I would tell him, “But I don’t fuckin’ live in the world of watches.”
I pulled Roe in for a hug, feeling a little overwhelmed. And it had less to do with the watch and a lot more to do with this world I did live in. The one I was fortunate to share with Monroe Finlay.
“Thank you, buddy.” I squeezed him a little harder, stealing another second or two, and felt his hands on my lower back.
“You’re welcome. It actually works for me that you’re frugal. Makes it a lot easier to find you presents.”
I chuckled and pulled back, eager to inspect my new watch. It was fucking beautiful. I had great taste. Simple but classic. Black leather strap, stainless steel case and bezel, pale silver background, with black details.
While I put it on my wrist, Roe filled two plates with food and suggested we eat on the balcony. That worked for me. I smiled at my watch, incredibly happy, and made a mental note to up my game for when Roe turned thirty in a few years.
I grabbed us drinks and followed him outside. The room being soundproofed and blasted with AC made the outside this time of year perfect. It was sunny and about seventy-five degrees, and the city noise from thirty stories below worked better than the sound machine my sister slept with.
“I fucking love Vegas.” Roe glanced out over the Strip.
I fucking loved this food. And yeah, Vegas too. I got comfortable on the sofa and didn’t waste a second in trying a bit of everything. The chicken wings, superb. A bacon and cheese slider went down right after. Beer, stellar. The champagne could wait. I preferred beer. French fries, several dipping sauces, mozzarella sticks—I was in heaven.
*
It couldn’t have been a more amazing day. It was just Roe and me, vegging out, resting, talking, drinking beer, eating our body weight in food and cake, laughing, sharing memories, only leaving the room for a couple hours to lose some money in the casino and to have dinner. Then we were back on our balcony, discussing our Travel Back project. Which made me wonder why I would ever want to spend a week away from him.
We could fight like any other pair of friends, but we solved things fast. The rest—I mean, we were the definition of a well-oiled machine. When we were quiet, the silence was comfortable. When we talked, we lost track of time. He made me laugh like no other, and I knew it was mutual. Roe was an expressive guy. He spoke with his hands and held nothing back. If he was happy, you could tell.
After a late siesta, we woke up on the other side of the Vegas coin. The Strip glittered outside, families had stowed away their kids, a younger crowd flooded the streets, and music from several venues traveled up to the balcony.
It was time to get ready.
Roe was nervous again.
I came in from the balcony and tucked my shirt into my pants. “Quit bein’ nervous. It’s gonna be fun. No bitching from me, I promise.”
He smiled distractedly and fastened his… Huh. Suspenders were a thing in this day and age? They actually looked good. And much more comfortable than this vest I was about to put on. But Nikki had sworn I looked hot in it—and that my ass was sexy in these pants. That was always nice to hear.
I looked at the rest of my clothes splayed out on my bed and figured I would put on the tie before the vest. Might as well get that over with, because I was bound to wrestle with the damn thing before I got it right.
I popped the collar of my shirt and smoothed the tie around my neck, then closed my eyes and went through the steps I’d learned as a kid. Couldn’t do it in front of a mirror—I fucked it up every time I tried.
“So, uh, listen,” Roe said, clearing his throat. “I wanted to wait till tomorrow because today’s about you, but I kinda need to get something off my chest.”
I glanced over at him and furrowed my brow. “I don’t care whose day it is. If somethin’s on your mind, tell me.”
He shot me a quick smile and sat down on the edge of his bed. “Okay. Um…”
I gave up on my tie when I noticed he was struggling to find the words. Completely unlike him, so that worried me a little. Was something wrong? Everything okay with his family? Was it about work?
“It’s gonna be complicated between Sandra and me for a while,” he admitted. “We had a big fight over the phone yesterday, and I think she could tell I was tryna make my way to the exit, so to speak.”
