Page 35 of Billionaire In Vegas

“Again, you’re my family now. And no family member of mine is going to have to rely on a taxi driver to get her to and from home. Now come with me and tell me which car you want.”

I followed him to the garage and realized that he had three different cars lined up. One was an SUV and two were classic European cars. I didn’t feel comfortable driving any of them down the street. They were too pretentious for my taste. I said this to Oliver who waved away my concerns.

“Take the SUV. You’ll fit right in. Americans love SUVs… such a weird fascination,” he said, almost to himself.

I figured it was better than the fancy European antiques so I grabbed the keys and jumped in. It was an Escalade and I giggled as I backed out.

“This car is really popular with rappers!” Oliver happily informed me.

I laughed and drove to Jude’s. He was leaning against his practical sedan waiting for me. When I pulled up he laughed.

“Dad gave you a car I see.”

“I didn’t ask him for it,” I said, feeling guilty.

“Whatever. I just feel bad that I didn’t think of it first.”

I climbed out of the SUV and into Jude’s car. Jude held the door open for me and I thought not for the first time how respectful he was. And considerate. It was hard to rationalize the man I knew now with the man I’d met what felt like ages ago.

“So what’s the surprise... where are we going?”

“You'll see.”

I sat back enjoying the ride. He surprised me by singing along to a few songs that I associated with teenage girls.

“Come on, sing along. You know you want to.”

I shook my head. “You’re doing great. I wouldn’t want to interrupt the master.”

He started singing falsetto and I giggled. His happiness was contagious and I found myself singing along despite my original protests. It reminded me of days long gone when I would sing with my aunt and cousin on our road trips to northern Florida to camp.

I was still singing loudly and off-key when I noticed that he was no longer singing. It was just me. We were sitting at a stoplight and he was staring at me.

“You’re pretty cute when you’re not uptight and cranky.”

“So you think I'm cute?”

“Maybe… just a little. You’re mostly just cranky.”

“Oh, Jude. You’re too kind.”

He reached out and surprised me by stroking the side of my face. “Thanks for doing this, Lacey. I know this hasn’t been easy—”

“Well you are going to pay me.”

“Even so, you’re sacrificing a lot to make this work and I just want you to know I appreciate it. I appreciate you. I don’t take what you’re doing for me for granted.”

I realized then that his hand was still on my face and I found myself leaning towards him. He leaned in towards me and a loud honk sounded from behind us.

“Green light,” I said softly, my lips almost touching his. He smiled regretfully and pulled off.

I stared out my window to avoid his eyes. We had one too many close calls for my comfort. Just the other night we’d fallen asleep on the couch together and I’d woken up cuddled in his arms. I’d forced myself to sneak away and go to my own room when instead I’d wanted to stay in his arms. I was concerned. This marriage was supposed to be a fake, yet it was the realest relationship I’d ever been in.

“You ready?”

I’d been so deep in thought that I hadn’t noticed we’d reached our destination. I looked around and frowned. We were in front of a dark gray building in a questionable part of town.

“Care to tell me where we are now?”