Page 169 of Vegas Heat

My lips quirk up. “They loved you, too.”

“Really?”

I nod, and I lean over and drop a soft kiss to her lips. “Really. You fit in like the missing piece.” I pull back.

She studies me for a beat before she asks, “Wanna go join the mile high club?”

I laugh, not sure how to tell her I’m already a member, but she narrows her eyes at me.

“You’re already a member, aren’t you?”

I twist my lips. “Guilty. But I’d love to upgrade my membership if it means I get to bang you on a plane.”

She laughs, and it’s just one more thing to love about Gabby Grant. Everything feels so blissfully easy right now.

I just wish I could shake the feeling that it won’t last long.

CHAPTER 27: GABBY

My dad lifts his glass in a toast on Sunday evening at dinner. “To the future,” he says, and Joanie and I clink our glasses to his.

We’re back at Desmonds, Dad’s favorite steakhouse in Vegas, and I think he chose this place because he feels comfortable here.

It’s the firstofficialdinner with my dad and his girlfriend, and I don’t waste the opportunity to point that out after I set my wine glass down. “So did you invite me to this dinner tonight so we could talk about the future?”

He glances at Joanie and offers a sheepish smile. “Maybe.”

I giggle. “Well, don’t beat around the bush. Hit me with it.”

He clears his throat, and I smile as I note how Joanie seems to enjoy watching him squirm. “Joanie and I have been together a long time now,” he begins, and she leans into his side a little, which seems to settle him.

It’s in that moment I know these two are going to make it the long haul. It’s hard to look objectively at a relationship one of your parents has, but in this case, I can see the love between them. I don’t know what their dynamic is like as a couple, but she seems to be exactly what he needs.

And it’s as I study her with him that I realize she might be an entire decade younger than he is. I don’t know her exact age, but I’d put her in her early to mid-thirties.

He’s forty-one.

Why would it be okay forhimto date someone younger than him, but not okay for Cooper?

“I’ve been wanting to have this dinner for months, but you know how it goes,” he continues. “At first, I thought we were justplaying around. Then as things started turning more serious, I wasn’t sure how to introduce her into what still feels very much like a new equation between the two of us.” He nods toward me. “But then you got the internship, and when I see you two working together, I just know the dynamic is going to work.”

He pauses as if he’s waiting for one of us to fill the gap, so I speak up despite the wholeplaying aroundcomment that is a clear reminder this man owns some sort of sex club. I shake off the thought.

“Itwillwork, Dad. I’m so happy you’ve found someone that makes you happy. That’s all anyone deserves.”

He presses his lips together and nods. “It is. And someday when you’re a little older, you’ll find the right man, too.” He shakes his head a little wryly. “As long as it’s not a baseball player.” He holds his hands up in silent prayer, and I think he expects to hear my laugh along with Joanie’s, but instead my heart sinks.

Too late, I realize my expression might give away my thoughts. And it’s too late because I suspect Joanie caught it by the way she narrows her eyes at me.

A server comes by to take our order, causing a shift in subject after he leaves.

“How was Chicago?” Joanie asks.

I clear my throat. “It was fine. Cooper’s brother is doing much better, and his family was lovely and so welcoming.”

The way she eyes me tells me she definitely has her suspicions, but if she does, she doesn’t say anything.

“And Coop?” my dad asks.

---