Page 108 of Menace in Vegas

“That’s not an excuse!”

She stops at a red light, pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head. Her eyes lock with mine.

“Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t love Connor. I’ll turn this car around. I’ll use Ford’s name to get every lawyer in Vegas on the phone to break that contract.”

I stare at her.

Open my mouth.

Close it.

I can’t do it.

She smirks. “That’s what I thought.”

I growl, and she laughs.

“I saw it the moment you met. Sparks. Real ones. It’s been building ever since. And the road trip? That probably powered the entire Vegas strip.”

I stay silent.

“When you’re with him, you forget everything—Mark, your dad, the pain. All you see is him.”

“That’s not true?—”

“Then why didn’t you answer my texts?” Her voice is quiet. “I’ve known you since college. You’veneverghosted me.”

I open my mouth again.

Close it.

She’s right.

I have no defense.

Connor wormed his way into every corner of my life—because Ilethim.

“Ford and Connor are built differently,” she says, softer now. “They dig beneath your skin. And the next thing you know? You can’t imagine a world without them.”

God, she’s right.

“Are you going to marry him today?” she asks.

The car goes silent.

I should be panicking. Throwing myself out the door.

But I’m not.

Because I don’t want to run.

I wanthim.

Memories rush in—the storms, the snacks, the coffee, the way he always sees me.

And the truth slams into me like a punch to the chest. I love him. I’m hopelessly in love with Connor menace-to-my-existence Byrns.

I turn to her, my heart racing.

---