Page 307 of Vegas Heat

My mom hugs me next, and she whispers into my ear, “I don’t know what you did, but it seems like it was the right thing.”

I squeeze her tightly. “I know it was.”

Once the excitement starts to quiet, my mom says, “So tell us everything.”

I toss my arm around Gabby’s shoulders. “I told Mike and Troy I was walking away. I said I was in love with Gabby, and I couldn’t play with my heart when she held it in her hands.”

“So you’re not playing?” Connor asks, his forehead wrinkling with concern.

“There’s more to the story, Bro. She overheard everything I said, about how I choose her over anything else and how I should have done that from the start, and I guess that was what she needed to see to take my dumb ass back.”

“Haha, Uncle Coop said ass,” Ethan says, causing Jacob to snicker.

Marissa’s lips tighten as she offers me a little glare, and she turns to her boy. “He’s an adult. You are not. Knock it off.”

“It was also what her father needed to understand that this is real,” I continue. “He saw me willing to give it all up for his daughter, and that’s all he wanted for her.”

Gabby looks over at me and leans into my side, and I tighten my grip around her shoulder as I look down at her. I give her a little nod.

“And we have some other news, too,” she says.

“We do?” my mother asks.

“I’m pregnant,” Gabby says.

Her announcement is followed by another beat of silence, and then just like before, the room breaks out into a frenzy of excitement all at once. My mother slaps a hand over her mouth as she squeals, and then she bursts into tears as she moves to hug Gabby first. Marissa hugs me, and then Connor’s next.

“Congratulations, Bruh,” he says to me.

I chuckle. “You know I’ll be coming to you for all the new dad advice.”

He slugs my shoulder a little. “I think you’re gonna be just fine, little bro.”

I have a feeling he’s right.

CHAPTER 24: GABBY

We bond over lemon chicken with cheesecake for dessert as my dad and Joanie get to know Cooper’s family. Connor especially seems to find an easy bond with my dad, and I sit back for a beat to take a look around this table.

There’s so much love here. So much joy. My dad has his arm around Joanie, and though they may have some things to work through, they’re going to be okay. They have a baby on the way…I’ll finally have a little brother or sister.

Cooper and I have some things to work through, too. It won’t always be sunshine and roses. We’ll bicker and argue, and we’ll miss each other when we’re apart, and we’ll have a baby to raise together that will lead to sleepless nights and busier days, but we’ll always end up right where we’re supposed to be—by each other’s side.

My dad and Joanie take off shortly after dinner, citing some business they have to attend to. I don’t want to even think about what that might mean, but Cooper and I have some business of our own to attend to.

“I’ll be back late morning for brunch,” he says to his mom.

“Brunch?” I ask.

He nods. “Opening day brunch. It’s a tradition.”

“I’ll take care of everything. You kids have a good time,” his mom says, and I’m sure my face is as red as a tomato given that shemustknow what he has planned for tonight.

Well, he knocked me up. I guess I have to get used to people knowing what we do in our private time together.

We hop into his truck, both of us armed with our overnight bags, and he takes off toward the highway. I have a feeling Iknow where we’re going, and my suspicions are right when we pull into the entry of Caesars Palace.

He glances over at me as he navigates toward the valet station. “We’ve spent so many important nights here, and I couldn’t think of a better place where we could share some private time before the season gets underway.”

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