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“Are we really doing this?” she asked with a laugh, clasping her hands on her head. “You and me?”

“Forever and always,” I promised before going outside to break the news.

Now that I had her, I was never letting her go.

20

WINTER

Two Months Later

“Thank you all so much for coming along on this journey.” I lifted my champagne glass, looking out over the faces before me. “The past six months have been a whirlwind, and I’m happy to say the whirlwind is going to keep going now that we’ve been extended another six months at the Luxor.”

The cheering that rose around the room brought tears to my eyes, but then I was pretty emotional to begin with. While we had always been sure we’d stay since we were still selling tickets, and management seemed like they were in no hurry to stop making money, I wouldn’t let myself feel secure until we had confirmation. Now that we did, I could take a breath.

Across the room sat Mom with Liam in her lap, and even though he didn’t understand what was going on, he cheered just as loud as anyone else. “Yay, Mama,” he shouted, and soon everybody was laughing along with me.

“I just wanted to thank all of you,” I continued. “I wanted to imagine us being successful in our run, but I couldn’t have predicted how you would all blow me away, along with every audience member who has been lucky enough to see your work so far. You took what I created and turned it into something truly spectacular. I am so grateful to you.”

“When are you coming up with a new show?” Michael called out, sitting with Naomi in his lap.

I waggled a finger at him, only playing at being disapproving. “One thing at a time,” I replied with a scowl that made everyone laugh. “Let’s get through this run first, shall we?”

The truth was, there were only about a hundred pieces and snippets of ideas running through my head, all of which I would eventually turn into a new production. At the moment, though, this was the first time I had ever been able to enjoy the fruits of my labor. There was no need to keep hustling, which wasn’t exactly something I was used to.

“Congratulations, everyone, and keep in mind we have a matinee and an eight o’clock performance tomorrow,” I added with a wink before sipping from my flute.

Sebastian Kennedy waited for me to sit between Mom and Jackson before lifting a hand to signal his staff, who started bringing out platter after platter of what smelled amazing and looked even better.

“Isn’t this nice?” Mom asked, sitting Liam next to her and tucking a napkin into the collar of his shirt. “This time, you two will be able to enjoy the food instead of sneaking off.”

“Did you sneak off, Mama?” Liam asked while I scowled at Mom. She was only kidding, her eyes twinkling, but still.

“Grandma’s just being funny,” I replied while Jackson choked on his laughter. In the two months since I decided to stay in Las Vegas rather than go to New York, he and Liam had become practically inseparable. “And don’t worry. We don’t have any reason to sneak off tonight.”

She surprised me by frowning, looking past me to where Jackson sat. He cleared his throat but said nothing.

“What am I missing?” I asked, looking back and forth between them.

“Nothing. Except you’re going to miss out on this calamari if you don’t grab some right now.” Jackson helped himself to a few crispy rings before passing the platter down the table.

“Out with it,” I whispered in his ear while the sounds of laughter and teasing rang out around us. Corny, but true—we had become a family over the past six months, the cast and crew, and knowing we’d be together for at least another six months had everyone feeling joyful.

“Don’t worry about it,” he whispered back before popping a calamari ring into my mouth. “Just enjoy. You’re so suspicious.”

As it turned out, I had plenty of reason to be. As we were walking through the parking lot after dinner, Mom took Liam by the hand. “I can drive him home. Why don’t you two enjoy yourselves tonight?”

Another meaningful look from her to Jackson left me throwing my hands into the air. “What did you plan?”

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, nuzzling my neck while chuckling. “Okay, maybe I want you all to myself for a little while tonight. We have a lot to celebrate.”

“What did you have in mind?” I asked before he chuckled again with deeper meaning, and I got the picture. As busy as we always were and as devoted as he was to spending every free minute with Liam, there wasn’t a ton of time for us to spend together, one-on-one.

“I still have my suite,” he whispered in my ear, making me shiver. “And I would like to make use of it tonight.”

Since he put it that way…

“Only if you’re sure,” I told Mom, who only scoffed and waved a hand before Jackson lifted Liam into his car seat.