Page 65 of Stick Work

“A New Year’s Eve wedding. How lovely,” she responds as she gives me a grin. “Love is always in the air in Vegas.”

The gentleman nudges his wife with a grin. “Rafe isn’t going to believe we ran into Elias Ariti.”

“How about we make a believer of him. You have your phone with you?”

The woman quickly unzips her purse and pulls it out. She hands it to me. “I’m not very good with pictures,” she admits.

“No worries, I got it,” I tell her, taking the phone from her.

Taylor steps back a bit, but I pull her right back into the shot, wrapping my arm around her shoulder as we flash the camera with a big grin. I snap a few more, and just as I hand the phone back, the elevator doors open.

“Thank you,” the man says, his voice full of excitement, like we made his night.

The woman places her hand on Taylor’s arm, a twinkle in her eyes. “You two are a beautiful couple.”

For a second, I think Taylor is going to protest, but instead she gives a big smile and says, “Thank you. I am a lucky girl.”

The man clears his throat. “I’d say Elias is the lucky one.”

“I was just saying the same thing earlier,” I agree.

The woman gives her husband a playful nudge. “Eyes in your head, Ralph.”

He laughs, the joyful sound filling the elevator, and I grin. I want a love like theirs. One that lasts the test of time.

“What?” he grins at his wife. “I can’t help it. She’s a beautiful woman.” His bushy brows knit together as he winks at me. “Lots of chapels around here, Elias.” With a mischievous smile, he adds, “What’s that Beyoncé line? ‘If you like it then you should’ve put a ring on it’.”

We all laugh and step off the elevator, and into the lively bustling lobby. People are coming and going to all kinds of events, but I can barely hear a thing. Not when the man’s words are echoing in my mind, loud and clear, hanging there like a dare I’d love to take.

19

Taylor

I love the warmth of Elias’s hand on my back as we weave our way through the throngs of people. There’s a buzz in the air, an excitement that coils through me and I glance up at Elias. His face is serious, like he has something on his mind. Either that or he’s trying not to bump into anyone as he keeps his head slightly inclined to keep a low profile. We have somewhere to be, and while he loves his fans, he doesn’t want to be late.

“Right over there,” he says, glancing at me and nodding his head. I follow his gaze to see a sign announcing the Hart dinner. We make a turn and when the crowd clears, I see his family chatting by the door. As we approach, Grandma turns, her eyes twinkling with mischief before she opens her arms wide.

“There you two are.” Her first hug is for me. My stomach tightens as her warmth wraps around me, partly because I miss my own family and partly because I’m falling for this family that I’m lying to. The last thing I want to do is hurt any of them. God, was this a colossal mistake?

“Hey, what am I? Chicken liver,” Elias grumbles.

“If you were, I would have hugged you first. You know I love chicken liver, Elias,” she says with a wink, before pulling back to get a good look at her grandson. She squints dramatically. “Did you get taller?”

We all laugh, and Elias rolls his eyes and hugs her. “I think you’re the one getting taller, Grandma.”

“What took you two so long, anyway?” She arches her brow like she knows full well what we’ve been up to. I swear she’s baiting me, and even though nothing happened, I still can’t help but blush.

“Grandma,” Elias warns in a soft, loving voice as he shakes his head.

She hugs her small purse, her sharp eyes examining us. “I was starting to think you’d run off to elope.”

I nearly choke on thin air while Elias lets out a long-suffering sigh.

“Grandma,” he warns again, his voice laced with amused exasperation.

“Fine.” She shrugs. “The night is still young. We can hit the strip later, and see what kind of trouble we can get into. I might be able to sneak you into an Elvis impersonator wedding. I know a guy who knows a guy.”

“That is not happening,” Elias tells her. “And how do you know a guy who knows a guy?”

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