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The way the lights brightened as we drove closer intrigued me. I had never been to Las Vegas, and all I knew about this city was what I saw on television and in the movies. The growing glow in the distance captured all of my attention.
“You look like a kid who has just come down the stairs at Christmas,” Alex said, breaking the quiet between us.
I grinned and nodded. I have never been to Las Vegas.
“You’ve never been here before?”
No. I try to avoid deserts, remember? I signed.
“Well, then, we need to do this so you get the full effect of the strip,” he said and moved into the right travel lane just as we passed exit thirty-two. He took the next exit, turning right, and then almost immediately took a left onto South Las Vegas Boulevard.
As we passed a golf course, the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign stood out against the overload of neon in the distance.
The amount of people out made me both grin at the spectacle and grimace at the task of finding the bicorn in this activity. However, I was thankful this wasn’t New York City where crowds were still milling about long into the wee hours of the morning. By the time we passed the MGM Grand, I cursed silently at both the sensory overload of lights as well as the increase in the nighttime population. In this part of the strip, it was more like the Big Apple than I cared to see.
Alex shifted in the seat and glanced at the clock. “Did you eat anything earlier?”
I shook my head.
“I didn’t either.”
I raised my eyebrow.
“The paper didn’t count,” he muttered and sent a sideways glare. “Want to grab a bite after we check in?”
A smirk played on my lips.
“Food. A bite of food,” he said after a quick glance in my direction.
I’m here on a job, not a vacation, I signed.
“We have all day tomorrow to find your bicorn. I’d just like a relaxing meal before we get down to business. Besides, I’m fucking starving.”
We could do room service?
“I’d rather go out right now.”
I almost detected an eye roll in his tone, but he kept his gaze on the road. His rebuff of spending the night in the hotel with me hurt, and I touched his sleeve. Did you want me to get separate rooms?
His gaze lingered. “What do you think?”
A cold shiver found my spine, and I wasn’t sure whether he was being coy or an asshole. I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.
“No, Kylee, I don’t want separate rooms. I just need a good meal before we do anything else.”
I gave him a nod as he pulled into the Bellagio and parked in the arrival lane. We grabbed our bags from the trunk, and Alex handed the keys to a valet. He took the ticket the kid handed him and started towards the check-in counter. I grabbed his arm and pointed towards the Chairman’s Lounge.
The arch of his eyebrows made me smile.
Only the best.
“I guess so,” he said and held the door for me.
We stepped up to the counter, and I started signing. The desk attendant stared blankly at my hands before looking at Alex.
“Kylee Paradox. Penthouse Lakeview,” Alex translated.
I rummaged in my purse for my license and the credit card that I made the reservations under. I handed both my pieces of plastic to the concierge. He typed in the computer before glancing up and handing my cards back.
“Your room is all set, Miss Paradox. Will Mr....” The attendant looked at Alex.
“Mr. Cervas,” Alex said.
“Will Mr. Cervas be staying with you?”
I nodded and smiled. I signed three words, and Alex stared at my hands before his gaze rose to mine, registering surprise before he recovered.
“I’m her fiancé,” he said, and his voice cracked as the word rolled off his tongue. He coughed and cleared his throat. “Can you tell us where the nearest steak house that’s still open might be?”
The concierge glanced at the clock. “STK next door at the Cosmopolitan is still open and serving for another hour. Would you like me to reserve you a table?”
Alex blinked and glanced at me. I gave him a nod.
“That would be perfect.”
“I will have a car out front for you in...”
“Fifteen?” Alex said.
“In fifteen minutes.” The concierge handed me the room keys and showed us a map of the hotel and where the rooms were, as well as the hotel amenities and casinos. He snapped his fingers, and a bellhop appeared and took our bags.
Alex and I followed the bellhop up to the penthouse suite. Our bags were brought into the bedroom as we took in the strip from the living area. I handed the bellhop a twenty and signed, Thank you. He gave me a slight bow before he left us to our own devices.
The minute the door closed, Alex said, “Bathroom.”
I pointed towards the bedroom, following him, and veered into the bathroom marked HERS. Alex gave a laugh as he stepped into the HIS restroom and closed the door. I relieved myself and splashed water on my face before making my way back to the living room.
Alex stood in front of the window, his hands buried in his pockets. I knew a comment was due based on what I had him tell the desk attendant, but he just turned and gave me a nod.
“Ready?”
I nodded and patted my stomach, which was already making itself known with a low grumbling growl. The minute we stepped outside, a chauffeur opened the town car door for us.
Thank you, I signed.
You are very welcome, Miss Paradox, the chauffeur signed back.
I grinned and glanced at Alex. His lips curved in that bemused smile I was used to as he slid into the seat next to me.
“We both appreciate that you are proficient in sign language, but Kylee isn’t deaf. Her hearing is as sharp as a bat’s.”
“Yes, sir.” The chauffeur gave a slight bow and closed the door. When he slid into the driver’s seat, he looked back at us. “I understand you are going to STK’s next door?”
“Yes, thank you,” Alex said.
The drive was no more than a blink, and we were under STK’s canopy. The chauffeur rushed to open our door for us. Alex slid out and both he and the driver extended hands to help me from of the car. A girl could get used to this kind of treatment.
I took Alex’s hand and gave the driver a conciliatory smile.
“Shall I pick you up in an hour?” he asked and closed the car door.
I think we can walk, but thank you, I signed.
At the same time, Alex said, “It’s a nice night. I think we’ll walk if you don’t mind.” He pulled his wallet out and handed the driver a ten dollar bill.
“Have a nice evening,” the chauffeur said.
We waved and headed inside.
Alex stepped up to the hostess box. “Hello, the concierge over at the Bellagio called in a reservation for us?”
She looked at the paper in front of her. “Miss Paradox and Mr. Cervas?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Alex said and leveled his winning grin at her.
The hostess grabbed two menus and led us into the heart of the restaurant. Considering it was after ten, the place was busier than I anticipated, but the hostess weaved through the tables until she sat us down at a table with a view of the Bellagio fountain. After the hostess poured water and left us alone, Alex glanced at me.
“Fiancé?”
I shrugged. I had initially booked the room on the premise of it being for a wedding night extravagance and that my husband-to-be was meeting me here sometime either tomorrow or the next day. I hadn’t expected Alex to be with me. Hell, when I booked, I didn’t even know if Alex would be back before I had to go.
It was either that or say you were my father. Which would have been a stretch, don’t you think?
He let out a laugh. “Well, I guess thank you for that. But I’m still confused.”
I looked at the recent news stories of missing persons here, and most of the recent ones were newlyweds, so that aligns with the list that... I paused because for some reason, I was hesitant to use the word Fate. The list you ate. So, when I made the reservations, I made them under the guise that I was getting married in Las Vegas this week.
Alex bit his lower lip and glanced out at the fountain before sliding his gaze back to me. “What if I hadn’t come? What would you have done?”
Nothing. I was planning on being done with this job long before the fictional wedding date and just bailing at that point.
Alex nodded and picked up the menu. “What do you want?”
I glanced through the offerings. Steak with lobster topping and béarnaise sauce sounded divine. I folded my menu and waited until Alex looked up.
“Let me guess. Some sort of steak and lobster combo?”
Six ounce with béarnaise and the hearts of romaine salad to start.
“Do you want any sides?”
I shook my head, and he folded his menu as well. As if that signaled our waitress, she stepped to the table.
“Hello and welcome to STK Las Vegas. My name is Pepper, and I’ll be your waitress tonight. Can I get you drinks to start?”
“Actually, we know what we’d like,” Alex said. “She will start with your hearts of romaine salad and then have the six ounce medallion steak, medium, topped with lobster and a side of béarnaise sauce. I will have the same, except make mine a ten ounce.” He handed Pepper the menus.
“Anything to drink?”
Alex raised an eyebrow in my direction, and I shrugged and waved for him to make the choice for me.
“A bottle of the house cabernet would be fantastic,” he said.
Pepper thanked us and stepped away.
No scotch?
“Cabernet goes better with steak.”
The sommelier approached the table with the bottle of wine and poured a splash in Alex’s glass. Alex swirled the wine before taking a sip. He closed his eyes, and when they opened, he gave a nod. The sommelier filled our glasses and set the bottle on the table before he took his leave.
Alex lifted his glass. “To us.”
I lifted mine and clinked it against his. We both took a sip and then the fountain show began, capturing our attention. The waitress delivered our salads as soon as the show finished.
“So what does tomorrow look like?” Alex asked as we dug in.
I took a few more bites before I put my fork down to answer his question. You tell me. You have the places on that paper up here. I tapped my temple and resumed finishing my salad.
He huffed and shifted in his seat. “This might make tomorrow a little easier,” he said and placed a square velvet box on the table between us.
My fork stopped halfway to my mouth at the sight of the ring box. My gaze jumped to his. His hands folded on the table in front of his empty salad plate, and his eyes held a dare I didn’t want to entertain. I slowly resumed eating until the last of the greens were gone.
A busboy came by and cleared both plates.
Against my better judgment, I reached for the box. Alex’s hand landed on mine, stopping me.
“You have to say yes before you get to see what is inside.”
I pulled my hand away and leaned back in the chair.
“We are going to be visiting wedding chapels tomorrow. Wouldn’t it be more believable if you were wearing a ring?” Alex whispered. A smile appeared on his face and he leaned back, his gaze focused on something over my shoulder.
The waitress stepped into view with our plates. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked as her gaze bounced from Alex to me.
I shook my head, still staring at Alex.
“Thank you, this looks fantastic,” Alex said. As soon as the waitress was out of hearing range, his smile faded. “I’ve done the romantic proposals, the begging proposals, along with everything in between. This...” He waved at the box. “This is my ultimatum proposal. Marry me. Tomorrow.”
Or what?
“You already know the answer to that,” he said and dug into his meal.
I thought your heart wouldn’t let you?
He glanced at my hands and then met my gaze. “I love you, Kylee, and I’d gladly lay my life down for you. But I won’t wait by the sidelines anymore. I can’t. So if your choice is to say no, then all those fears you confessed on the beach will come true. You will lose me. But it will not be because of some angry god, or some misguided sense that the universe is out to get you. It will be because you chose that path.” He pointed his fork at me like a freaky exclamation point, and then went back to eating his dinner.
My heart clamored in my chest, and sweat broke out on my palms. It was my stomach growl that allowed me to focus on something other than the swirl of emotions accosting me. I allowed my hunger to take precedence and focused on the food in front of me. The box mocked me throughout the meal making it impossible to enjoy the fine cut of beef. Still, I cleaned the plate.
Alex stared out at the scenery, sipping his wine and waiting. Now that there was no more food on my plate to distract me, I had to face his ultimatum. I had to make a decision. What irked me was he was right. He had bent over backwards and asked me in every conceivable way to marry him. Some of which would have been deemed the perfect proposal in a majority of women’s minds, but I was too concerned with Fate striking him down to say yes.
With the change in guard, did I really have a valid fear anymore?
I reached for the box because life without him wasn’t a life at all.
Alex’s gaze snapped to mine. That distant, hard look he wore from the moment we left San Diego disappeared. His breathing picked up. His lids rapidly blinked as if he was trying to grasp the meaning of my actions. Tears filled his wide eyes but they didn’t spill over, giving them a bright sheen. Then every muscle in his face relaxed into a smile that could light up the night.
I stopped with the box in front of me, measuring what I wanted to say but before I could start signing, the waitress popped up at the table.
“Can I interest you in dessert or coffee?” Pepper asked.
“We are all set, thank you,” Alex said, but he never lost eye contact with me.
“I’ll take this whenever you are ready,” she said and put the leather bill holder on the corner of the table.
As soon as she stepped away, Alex whispered, “I thought...”
I love you enough. I signed in a flurry before I flipped the box open. My hand fluttered to my mouth, covering my dropped jaw. The box had not only a stunning engagement ring, but equally dazzling wedding bands.
It wasn’t my matching sapphire studded platinum rings that formed the lump in the back of my throat. It was his wedding band. His steel band had an ocean wave pattern that matched the sapphires in my ring. And the thing that tightened the muscles in my neck and pulled tears to my eyes was the beautifully etched tail coming out of one of the waves.
“I gather I did okay?”
If I had my voice, the laugh that would have escaped would have been high-pitched and nearly hysterical. Okay. He did more than okay, and when he reached over and plucked the engagement ring from the velvet, I dropped my hand from my mouth and offered the shaking appendage to him.
The ring fit perfectly. I stared at it and then down at the wedding bands. When?
He laughed softly. “The week we got back from Greece. And I just finished paying for them last month.”
He closed the box and slid it back in his pocket. Beams of happiness nearly shot out of every single cell. His smile captured his joy.
“Think we can pay for dinner now and get back to that penthouse?”
The light sparkling in his eyes set my insides on fire. Oh, hell yeah.