Nothing Stays In Vegas (15 page)

"You doubted me?" And with a monumental effort, I gave him a smile I hoped was flirtatious.

"Of course not. You're very reliable," he said without looking up from his Blackberry. When he finished typing he looked up and noticed the grin that was still pasted on my face. "Oh," he said. "Is that how it is?" His lips curled into a smile of his own and he leaned down to kiss me. 

His mouth was warm on mine and he tasted faintly of spearmint. I took my time kissing him and enjoyed the response I elicited in him. 

"Hmm," he said. "I think I'm going to like Vegas." 

I went with the moment. We needed to get the weekend off to a good start. "I think you are." I said between kisses. 

We didn't notice when the line moved ahead and it wasn't until the couple behind us cleared their throat loudly that we broke apart and shuffled forward. When I adjusted the shoulder strap of my purse I couldn't help but see the look Andrew was giving me. It had been a long time since he'd looked at me that way. 

Maybe it wasn't too late to fix this.

Chapter Thirteen

Encouraged by our kiss earlier, I hadn't bothered to pull my book out of my bag before checking it, thinking Andrew and I could spend the time talking and maybe flirting a little bit. But the moment passed before we even boarded and he spent the flight reading over client documents, with his iPod plugged into his ears. Before the drinks were served, I tried to distract him and slid my hand down his leg under the tray table.

"Lexi, I need to get this done," he said and took my hand off his leg and placed it back into my lap. "Wouldn't you rather I do it now?" 

"I thought you were all caught up on work," I said looking down. I wouldn't let him see that his rejection had hurt me. "Wasn't that the point of working so hard for the past few weeks?"

"I'm never caught up," he said and returned to his papers shutting me out. 

I tried to pass the time flipping through the in-flight magazine and surfing the complimentary channels on the seat back television. 

After we claimed our baggage, Andrew turned to me and said, "Okay I'm all yours." He smiled at me in a way that used to melt me. I felt myself relax a little bit, but the mood from earlier was gone. 

"Let's go check in," I said.

Andrew pulled me close and kissed my neck. "Absolutely," he said and I thought of the black negligee in my suitcase. 

I can make this work. 

"I can't wait," I said and together we started off in search of a cab to take us to the hotel. 

We'd only gone a few steps when a voice called from behind us. "Lexi. Andrew. Over here."

I turned and saw Ryan, waving his hands over his head. 

"I guess we have a welcoming committee," I said and crossed the busy terminal floor. 

"So much for the hotel," I heard Andrew mutter behind me.

Nicole and Ryan had arrived in Vegas two days ago to make the final arrangements and relax by the pool before the big day. We weren't supposed to meet up with them until tomorrow morning. 

"Hey, Ryan," I said as I approached. He took my bag and gave me a hug. 

"How was the flight?"

"Fine. Where's Nicole?" If Ryan was here, she should be here somewhere. I glanced around but couldn't spot her. 

"Hey, man," Andrew said coming to stand next to me. "What's with the welcome? I thought you were going to be busy with your bride-to-be."

"Well, that's the thing," Ryan said and ran his hand through his hair. It was then I could see how worried he looked. He did not look like a man on holiday about to get married. 

"What's going on?" I asked. "Is everything okay?" 

Ryan nodded and said, "Come on. Let's go. I'll tell you on the way."

We followed him outside where a limousine was waiting for us. "Nice," Andrew said as we slid inside.

I couldn't enjoy our plush transportation; worry grew for my friend. "Ryan," I said as soon as we were all inside. "What's going on?"

"Don't panic, everything's okay. Well, maybe not okay exactly." Ryan grabbed a beer from the cooler in the seat. "Want one?" he asked Andrew. "There's champagne too, but I'm more of a beer guy." 

Andrew accepted the beer; I declined the champagne and tried to be patient as Ryan sucked down half the bottle before continuing with his story.

"Nic is in our suite. Everything was fine until this morning. I  really don't know what happened. She woke up and totally freaked out. She's having second thoughts about everything. She won't listen to a thing I say and I'm a little worried." He polished off the beer. "Okay, I'm a lot worried." Ryan looked at me. "Lexi, you have to talk to her. You have to calm her down. I thought this is what she wanted, and now...well, I'm not so sure. She's been crying all day and is a total mess."

I grabbed Ryan's hand before he could reach for another beer, gave it a reassuring squeeze and said, "Don't worry. Things will be okay. Nicole's just got a case of cold feet. It's totally normal. It's my maid of honor duty. I'll go talk to her."

The trip from the airport to the strip didn't take long but the guys still managed to have a few beers each. The sun began to set and the city started to come to life outside our windows. Everything looked more or less the same as it had last time except for the huge new hotel complex, City Center, which had been under construction when I was here last. Now it occupied over a quarter mile of glass and steel sparkling along the strip. 

It was strange to think that despite the way my life had changed, this city, where it all started, didn't change. My stomach flipped when we passed Caesar's and the statue where Leo and I sat and people watched. 

Did he still live here? Was he married? Did he have a family?

"Unreal," Andrew said beside me. He stared out the window like a child, taking in everything. I forgot he hadn't been here before and a wave of guilt washed over me. It was my fault. I turned away from the window. I didn't need to see anymore. 

When we pulled up to the hotel and the limo door opened, I said a silent thank you to Nicole for booking her festivities anywhere but at the MGM. The Mirage was beautiful, with dozens of palm trees lining the drive, and of course a spectacular volcano sitting on the strip. Ryan had wanted to stay a The MGM Grand because they had excellent wedding packages, but Nicole worked her magic and negotiated a great deal at one of their sister hotels instead. I don't think I could handle relieving my entire Vegas experience. She knew that.

Still, I couldn't stop the feelings that rushed through me as I followed the guys through the grand foyer. It was stupid. That was six years ago. It was a completely different place, with different people. This time, I was with my husband. That one detail, made the entire trip different. 

Drastically different.

"So, is that okay with you, Lex," Ryan's voice snapped me out of my day dreams. 

"Sorry," I said. "I didn't hear you. Is what okay with me?"

"I'm going to check in," Andrew said, "and take our bags up to the room. You can just go straight up and talk to Nicole. We'll meet both of you down here for dinner in a bit."

"Assuming you can calm her down," Ryan added. "You can calm her down, right?" The hope is his expression would've made me laugh if he didn't look so worried.. 

"Of course," I nodded. "What's the room number?"

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief and pointed me in the right direction. I left the guys to take care of the details and I went in search of Nicole. At least taking care of her drama would keep my mind off of the past.

###

1150, 1152, 1154. Nicole's room was at the end of a long hall. Instead of knocking, there was a doorbell. So I rang it. I rang the doorbell. Must be nice to have a room big enough to require  a doorbell. But, she was the bride. She deserved it. 

Moments later, the door flew open and Nicole burst out into the hallway. "Oh, Lexi. Thank God you're here." She wrapped her arms around me and started bawling. 

I wiggled out of her grip enough to free my hands which I brought up to her shoulders and pushed her away just enough to look at her. Her pretty face was puffy and red from crying. Her hair was tied back in a pony tail. Strands that escaped the elastic were pasted to her face from the tears that soaked her skin. 

"Nic. What's going on?" 

"Everything is awful," she moaned. "I don't know what to do."

"What are you talking about? Calm down."

"Come in." She pulled me into the suite and closed the door behind us. "Where are the boys?" 

"Downstairs, we'll meet them in a bit. But first, tell me what's wrong."  

Nicole flopped onto a blue velour couch and started sobbing again in earnest. Clearly, this wasn't going to be easy. "Nicole," I prompted. 

"I've made a mistake," she said. "This is all wrong." She sat up and waved her hands encompassing the stunning suite. 

"No, this is beautiful," I said. 

"Well, yes. This is nice," she conceded. "But everything else is wrong. What was I thinking?" She buried her head into the plush sofa again. 

I pulled up a red leather ottoman and sat next to her. "In what way? Getting married?  Or getting married in Vegas? Because there's a world of difference. Are you having second thoughts about this Vegas thing?"

She nodded but didn't look up. 

"You're wishing you had your family? That you'd done it the old fashioned way?"

She nodded again.

"Well don't," I said. "It's normal to get scared and have cold feet, Nic. It's going to be great. The ceremony, the parties back home. Like you said, you get to wear your dress more than once and what could be better than having three parties in your honor? You're not a traditional kind of girl, I can't imagine you walking down the aisle, with the whole big white wedding thing. This is going to be so much more you. You and Ryan."

The sobbing stopped and she looked up. "You really think so?'

I didn't. I thought while good for some, getting married without her mother was not a good idea for Nicole. But it wasn't the time for honesty, it was the time for lying to my best friend. 

"But what about my mom? She should be here. I should have some family here. Did I make a big mistake?"

I grabbed her hands and held them tight. "You said yourself that your mom doesn't like to travel. She would've been miserable here. Besides, she knows you and what's best for you. She didn't try to stop you or convince you to do it differently, did she?"

"No." 

"That's because she knows you and Ryan need to do this your way. Besides," I squeezed her hands again and gave them a gentle shake. "I'm family. I wouldn't miss this for the world. And I'm here for you, for everything."

"You really think it will be okay?" She wiped her eyes and sniffed loudly.

"Of course I do. It's going to be amazing. And I'm here now so I can help you with any last minute details." 

I had been planning on spending the next day with Andrew walking along the strip and doing all of the touristy things Vegas had to offer, but he'd understand if I had to help Nicole. Besides, how many details could there be for such a small wedding?

"Oh, Lexi." She threw herself at me and I caught her in a hug. "What would I do without you?"  

"Nic, you'd be lost without me." I laughed. "Now come on. We have to get you cleaned up. It's our first night here and we better get down to the boys before they drink the bar dry." 

I waited while she had a quick shower and pulled her hair up in an elegant, funky twist. Nicole did her make up in record time, for her anyway, and it wasn't long before she came out of the room looking like she was ready for a night on the town. 

Turning away from the view of the strip I said, "I thought we were just going for dinner. Why so dressed up?"

"Seriously, Lex. It's Vegas. Everything is an occasion here. Didn't we have this conversation last time?"

"Whatever." I looked down at my jeans and t-shirt. I wasn't dressed like a slob exactly, but next to Nicole I looked more suited to gardening rather than a nice dinner. 

"You look...well, fine," she said. 

Laughing I said, "Fine? I look fine?" 

"Do you want to go to your room and change?"

I wasn't even sure where our room was and by the time I tracked down Andrew and went back up and changed, it would take forever. But, it would be nice to freshen up a little. The grumbling in my stomach made my decision for me. "No, I'll be fine like this. Besides, I think I'd be disappointed to see our room after this amazing suite. I'm sure ours doesn't even begin to compare."

"It is nice, isn't it?" Nicole glowed. "I just love it. I think it's nicer than our condo at home." She smacked her palm to her forehead. "Hey, I just thought of something. I bought the cutest wrap dress yesterday. It'll totally work on you."

"Don't worry about -"

"Don't be silly. Come on." Nicole grabbed my arm and hauled me into her bedroom.

###

She was right, the dress worked on me. Mainly because of the wrap style that I could tug tightly around my waist. I didn't fill out the chest area as well as Nicole's curves would have and due to our height difference it was much shorter than I thought decent, but I didn't really have a lot of options. My new black heels that I'd bought just for the trip worked too, although they did make my legs look indecently long. 

"That color makes your eyes look crazy blue," Nicole said when she saw me. "Here, use my lipstick and for goodness sake get rid of the pony tail."

After a few more minutes and final adjustments, we were in the elevator headed to the lobby. 

"This is how it should be, two sexy ladies out for a good time" Nicole said and admired herself in the full length mirror lining the inside of the elevator. "Just like old times."

Old times. 

I flashed back to six years earlier. It had been just like this the night of her birthday party. The night I got to know Leo. The night I- 

No, I wouldn't think of Leo.