Page 89 of Vegas Duology

"Leo?"

"Can I see him?"he asked."Do you have a picture?"

I pulled my hands back and twisted them in my lap."I do," I said cautiously."Why do you want to see a picture?"

"I want to see this little man who has captivated your heart to such an extent that you would sacrifice your own happiness," Leo said with a sad smile."He must be pretty special and...well, he's yours."

My heart hammered in my chest.I could feel the beads of sweat on my forehead and I dabbed at my face with the napkin.My hand was shaking and the napkin slipped from my grasp back to my lap.

"Lexi, are you okay?"

I reached for my glass of wine and took a long swallow.When I replaced it to the table, the glass bobbled and sloshed onto the white linen cloth.I watched the stain spread, bleeding into the fabric.

"I'm fine," I said after a moment.

I reached for my clutch that was sitting on the table and in slow motion, withdrew the photo of Ben from its sleeve in my wallet.It was a school picture taken in kindergarten a few months ago.He was smiling a wide, toothy smile.His dark eyes sparkled with mischief.

I slid the picture across the table where Leo picked it up and stared directly at his five-year-old self.

---