Page 14 of Knight Life In Vegas

I opened the envelope and found a printout for my favorite ’90s country pop star who had taken up residency in Vegas.My cheeks flushed. She sang the song I had danced to with Francisco.

“Do you like it?” Ava bounced in the place.

“Iloveit. Thank you so much.”

“It’s her first show in the city. I asked Sammy what music you play at home, and he didn’t know the names of the artists, but he did know enough words that between the whole pack we figured it out.”

“That’s so sweet you went to so much trouble. You could’ve just asked me.”

“But then it wouldn’t be asurprise.”

I read over the information on the printout. “This is for tonight?”

“Yep. Is that too short notice? We’re ready to host another sleepover so you can enjoy yourself.”

I chewed my lip. Two nights off in a week’s time seemed so indulgent.

“You deserve time for yourself,” Ava insisted. “I promise we don’t mind hanging out with the boys at all. I’m pretty sure the whole pack is hoping for a boy with the next baby so we can start having this energy around twenty-four seven.”

“You’re really, really sure you don’t mind? I don’t want to impose.”

“I wouldn’t have offered it if I minded,” Ava replied.

“All right. Well, thank you. I’d love to go to the concert.”

Ava squeaked excitedly. “Yay! I hope you have so much fun.”

I hoped so too.

We finished off our meal and I went home to pack up some overnight bags for the boys. They were already over at the pack house at Ava’s insistence, swimming their hearts out under the pack’s supervision. I really needed to find them another swimming option so we didn’t have to keep bothering Ava and her pack. Not that they saw it as a bother, as far as I was aware,but the boys would be over there for hours every single day if I let them.

I barely got them to swim to the edge of the pool to kiss their cheeks when I dropped off their things.

Once I was alone again, I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with myself. I’d grown so accustomed to devoting myself to my children, and before that, my ex, that having all this time to myself was an anomaly. I hadn’t been to a concert since before I became a mother. I knew that finding out who I was without the confines of my marriage would require extra time to myself, but the reality of it felt strange.

I’d been antsy since going to the club and meeting Francisco. My brain was happy to ignore the fact that he was a scent match, but my body was another story. His touch was branded there, and I felt it in my dreams, craved it while awake. Luckily, I had plenty to occupy myself with to ruthlessly ignore that craving. Maybe tonight I’d find someone new to further ignore what fate was pushing on me.

I didn’t have to be with Francisco just because fate made us scent matches. I’d refused to get more information from him for that reason alone. I needed to show the universe I was serious about not wanting anything permanent right now. I’d done permanent. It went poorly and I didn’t want to do it again anytime soon.

Nothing in my closet seemed appropriate for a ’90s era concert, but I had a little black slip dress with some sparkle to it and some tights I could pair with boots that should do the trick.

Apparently this was a week of reclaiming my lost youth. I was giddy as I got dressed up, knowing I had every lyric locked away in my head. Andrew had hated her music, so the only time I got to listen to her was when he was gone, or in my own car.

Parking at the venue promised to be a nightmare, so I booked a rideshare and soon I was amid the glowing glitz and glamor ofthe Vegas strip. I knew it was touristy and overpriced to hell and back, but it was so damn pretty. Tourist traps were popular for a reason and the Strip was no different.

Enormous lit-up billboards showed the aging starlet with her bouncy hair and big smile, neither of which had faded over the years. My parents had taken me to see her when I was about ten, a gift for my birthday that year, and one of the sweetest memories I possessed.

I couldn’t tell if the crowds inside the hotel were typical, or if a good portion of them were concertgoers. I clutched the ticket printout in one hand and opened up the electronic version on my phone, nervous that one or the other wouldn’t work. Going in early didn’t matter since the seats were all assigned, but I didn’t want to miss a second.

I perused the merch table, debating if I wanted to purchase a replica of her signature feathered cowboy hat. I’d had one when I was little and I’d worn it until it fell apart.

“I would definitely get one of those,” a voice behind me said, and I turned to see a man with shoulder-length blond waves and green eyes with a mile-wide smile. He plucked up another on the stack and popped it on his head. “Do you think it suits me?”

“Absolutely. The pink really sets off your eyes.”

He grinned and turned to the man next to him, their hair the same style, though his partner’s hair was nearly black and he had light brown eyes instead of green, and darker skin. “What do you think, Eddie? Should we get a pair?”

“Don’t start calling me that again just because there’s a pretty girl around. I know me having the far superior name makes you feel intimidated, but you don’t need to reduce me to anEddieto feel like you’ve got an edge.”

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