Page 97 of All Bets Are Off

“I know but … are you guys going to stay here? I mean … you’re going to have a family at some point, right? Are you going to raise a family here? In a casino?”

The questions made me distinctly uncomfortable, and I darted a quick look toward Zach to see how he would respond. To my surprise, he was already shaking his head.

“That’s not the plan,” he replied. “I know Livvie wants a house. For the immediate future, we’re going to stay here because I have to jump through the hoops my father keeps throwing in front of me. It’s easier to be close. If everything goes as planned, though, by the middle of next year my father will be planning his retirement.”

“And you’ll be taking over?” Mom queried.

He nodded.

“And then you’ll be getting a house?”

“If that’s what Livvie wants,” he confirmed.

“And you’re going to give me grandbabies then too?” Mom was the picture of innocence when she asked the question, but there was no missing the glint in her eyes.

I almost choked on the iced tea I’d been drinking. “Mother!” I was scandalized.

“Hush now.” Mom waved her hand at me and kept her attention on Zach. “You want children, right?”

Zach looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Um…” He glanced to me for help.

“Of course Zach wants children,” I said to my mother. “He’ll make an amazing father. You said that last time we had lunch, when you broached this subject for the first time.” I wagged a finger. “Nothing has changed. We’re not planning on children in the immediate future.”

Mom’s lips curved down. “Why not? You will make lovely parents. If it’s about what I said regarding living in a casino, a baby will be fine in the casino for the first year. After that, you need a house. Toddlers need yards and outdoor playtime. You can get started now, though.”

I bit back a sigh, and not very well. “We just got married,” I reminded her. “We’re not ready for kids yet.”We might never be at all if you freak Zach out and he runs away,I silently added.

“Livvie, you’re thirty.” She said it as if that somehow explained something.

“I’m well aware.”

“Do you know that your eggs are considered geriatric when you reach the age of thirty-five?”

This time I sputtered on my iced tea when I choked. “What?”

“It’s true.” She was solemn. “You don’t want geriatric eggs, do you?”

I had no idea how I was supposed to respond to that. When I glanced at Zach, I found him smiling. “You think this is funny?” I realized.

He shrugged. “It’s kind of funny. The look on your face.” He shook his head. “Your geriatric eggs aren’t going to bug me for the record. I’ll be fine with your geriatric babies. Do you think they’ll look like Benjamin Button?”

I flipped him the bird, a gesture my mother caught out of the corner of her eye and shook my head. “We’re not having kids this year, Mother. We have some stuff we need to get squared away first.”

Like whether or not this is a real marriage.

“Fine.” Mom looked put upon. “If you’re staying here for another year, though, you need some decorations. This place is dire.” She made a clucking sound with her tongue. “Even a few throw pillows would make a world of difference, Livvie. I taught you better than this.”

In truth, I hadn’t given a lot of thought to the decorations. This was Zach’s space. Sure, we lived here together now—and might for some time to come—but this was still his territory.

As if he was reading my mind, Zach held out his hands. “If Livvie wants to redecorate, I’m fine with it.”

“You are?” That was news to me.

“I am,” he confirmed.

“Huh.” I absently scratched my cheek. “Well, I’ll give it some thought.”

“Just let me know what you decide.” He swooped in and gave me a surprise kiss—this was the first time we’d kissed in front of either of our parents—and then he dropped a friendly kiss on my mother’s cheek. “Get some lunch while you’re here. Make sure you charge the bill to me, Livvie. I’m starting to get annoyed with the fact that you insist on paying for sandwiches at the shop downstairs.”

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