Page 209 of Vegas Heat

“Whoa,” he grunts quietly. “You okay?”

“I’ve been trying to stay strong for Joanie,” I admit. “But the second she left the room and you were here, I knew you’d catch me.”

“I willalwayscatch you, my Sunshine,” he murmurs against my temple. He sweeps me up into his arms, and I start to cry. I’ve been brave all night for Joanie, but here in Cooper’s arms where it’s just the two of us feels like the comfort of home where I don’t have to put on a façade anymore.

It’s just one more sign pointing in the direction ofrightfor the two of us.

Everything about this feelsright.

The only thing that would make it feel wrong is if my dad were to catch us here.

He walks over to some chairs and sits down with me draped across his lap and clinging to his neck, and he quietly holds me as I let it all out.

Eventually the feeling of overwhelm starts to subside. “How’d the draft go?” I ask with a sniffle, and he reaches over to a box on the table beside us and grabs a tissue for me. I wipe my face and blow my nose.

“As expected,” he says, and his tone is clipped.

My brows dip. “Is that a good thing?”

He nods. “It went well. But Mike caught me texting you.”

I blow out a breath. “So now he knows too?”

“I have you in my phone asSunshinebut he thought I was texting Joanie. I either had to let him believe I was committing adultery with my best friend’s fiancée or fess up to the truth.”

“Quite the dilemma,” I say dryly.

“He was another vote in thedon’t tell himcolumn, just for the record. And after what the doctor said, I don’t think brunch tomorrow is a great idea.” He presses his lips to my cheek.

“More secrets. More lies. More people involved.”

He nods. “I’m so sorry. Believe me, Gabby, all I want to do is shout from the rooftops about the two of us.”

“I know. And someday, we will.”

We have to…because I don’t even want to consider what the alternative would be.

CHAPTER 3: GABBY

I went in to see him.

He was sleeping.

He looked weak in that hospital bed, but he still looked like my father.

When I first met him, I thought he was way too good looking to be my dad. He didn’t seem old enough to have an adult daughter, and furthermore he seemed way too sophisticated to have any relation to me.

But the more I studied him, the more I saw of myself in him. My green eyes and straight nose are all similar to his, while my jawline and cheekbones come from my mother. A true combination of both parents, though I feel like I tend to act more like my father than my mother when it comes to our personalities.

At least I hope that’s true.

He’s passionate and fiery when something is important to him, and he’s determined and will always take what he thinks is the right path. He’s Type A, a true perfectionist like me, and he’s worked incredibly hard to get where he is. He enjoys the finer things in life, and he loves with his whole heart and will protect those in his inner circle no matter the cost.

On the other hand, my mother will always put herself first. She believes she’s right no matter what, and she can often be too hardheaded to see past her own desires.

Determined and hardheaded are just synonyms for stubborn, but somehow my dad’s stubbornness comes off like a positive thing while my mother’s feels very negative.

Maybe I fall somewhere in the middle of those.

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