Page 23 of Gamble
“That would be the best kind of birthday present,” he said to the empty room. After all, it couldn’t hurt to throw his wish out into the universe. If only he had a few birthday candles he could blow out to make his wish come true.
CHAPTER NINE
REAGAN
Morning, baby. Just left the airport in an Uber. Will be there in a few minutes. I have a big surprise today!
Reagan reread the text from Tristan twice before she realized what was wrong with his message. Not once had he said he was sorry for arriving a full day late for what was supposed to be a romantic getaway. Not once had he even provided a sliver of a reason that made any sense for his delay.
It was going to take an awesome surprise to get him out of the doghouse with her this morning.
Despite the bed’s softness, her sleep wasn’t restful. She’d seen two, four and six o’clock on the bedside alarm clock as she’d tossed and turned, dozing in between worrying about how today was going to play out. This relationship was supposed to be the one that lasted, but today she knew it was on shaky ground.
Closing the room service menu, Reagan held off ordering breakfast. Maybe part of Tristan’s surprise was that he would whisk her away for one of the amazing brunch buffets available in Vegas?
Or maybe I don’t want to eat anything that will upset my stomach for when he dumps me?
Pushing to her feet, Reagan paced in front of the floor to ceiling window overlooking the famous Bellagio fountains. The sun was already bright, and it looked like a beautiful day to spend exploring the city’s varied attractions.
The knock on the door got her pulse dancing. She wished it were because she was excited to see her boyfriend after two weeks apart but knew she would be lying to herself if she let that stand. She was nervous… hoping she’d have the strength to stand up for herself as she made sure Tristan understood just how much he’d hurt her by delaying his arrival.
Her breath hitched at the sight of him. After all of their months together, how could she forget how gorgeous he was?
“I made it!” he said as he breezed into the room, dropping his carry-on bag to the floor and pulling her into a big hug.
It would be so easy to let his sunny smile and warm embrace smooth over her concerns, but it was too soon for that.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said, biting her tongue before adding how it would have been even better had he arrived the day before.
As they were pulling out of their embrace, she caught a tiny whiff. It was gone so fast, she hoped she’d imagined it.
“Did you order breakfast? I’m starving,” he asked.
So much for going out for a nice brunch.
“No. I was waiting to see what your big surprise was. The menu is there,” she said, pointing at the end of the bed. “We can place our order and then you can fill me in on everything you’ve been up to that kept you delayed while we wait for the delivery.”
Tristan crossed to the mini-fridge and pulled out a bottle of cold water that would most likely add five dollars to their bill. He guzzled half of the bottle before turning to answer her.
“We don’t have time for delivery. I need to jump in the shower and get dressed. If I hurry, we might have enough timefor us to grab a coffee and sandwich at the Starbucks in the lobby.”
There was so much wrong with what he’d just said, Reagan didn’t know where to start.
“Why would you need a shower? Didn’t you shower at your hotel this morning before you left for the airport?” When he didn’t answer her, she added, “And what’s the rush? Do you have tickets for an attraction or something we need to be at soon?”
She hoped he was about to say the surprise was he’d booked them a couples massage at the spa.
“You won’t believe it.” His face lit up, and she could tell he was excited about whatever the surprise was, which helped smooth her irritation. “We need to grab a cab and be over at Bally’s in an hour because… I got a seat in the World Series Poker Tournament that kicks off today. My friend Chris pulled some favors to get me a seat for only a $500 buy-in. I know I won’t be able to make it to the pro table, but isn’t this going to be awesome?”
Reagan’s heart stopped for a few long seconds. This was what had him looking like he was a kid on Christmas morning, and he’d just opened the brand-new bike that he’d always wanted?
He stood there beaming, oblivious to her true feelings about the day’s agenda.
Reagan cleared her throat, scrambling to find the right words. Catching another whiff of what she now recognized as a woman’s cologne wafting up from her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend gave her the courage she needed.
“Let me get this straight. You forced me to come to Vegas instead of Napa for what was supposed to be a romantic getaway. Then, you delay your arrival by an entire day only so you can show up here late smelling like a women’s cologne store.
“Then you tell me that your big surprise is that you want me to stand around watching you play cards from afar in a casinothat you know makes me sick from the thick smoke. And to top it off, the casino is in a different hotel, so I can’t even come and go from our room to take breaks from watching.”
