Losing It in Vegas
Page 4
He held his breath while she thought about it. Without more time to think about what to say, he knew he hadn’t expressed himself very well, but would she understand? Would she be too weirded out by the suddenness of the whole idea? Circumstances had forced his hand and he hadn’t been able to woo her the way he wanted to.
After an eternity, a smile spread across her face. “Okay.”
Epilogue
Two weeks later
Bringing Bruce home with her had caused an initial stir among her family and friends, though David’s death three days later doused their curiosity. Rowan had been to funerals before, but only for her grandparents, who had been old and already lived a full life. David’s funeral, while beautiful, had been the most heart-wrenching she’d ever attended. And Bruce had stayed by her side through everything, helping anyone who needed it during that awful time. By the time the funeral was over, nobody thought anything of the man Rowan had picked up in Las Vegas. He became part of the family.
Rowan had known Bruce’s vacation time was ending, and she dreaded it. The thought of saying good-bye to him in Vegas had been awful, but after spending ten days with him, she didn’t think she could do it.
The night before he was scheduled to leave, he surprised her. “Come to New York with me for the weekend. Let’s pick up where we left off in Vegas.”
“I don’t know. I really think I should be here.”
Though she and Bruce had spent every night together upon their arrival in New Haven, they had been at her parents’ house, and the sombre circumstances had left a shadow over them. Rowan wanted to jump at the chance to spend a few nights alone with him. But she had Carly to think about. Her best friend had lost the love of her life, and it felt callous to want to explore her own growing feelings for Bruce.
The next morning, she went to see Carly. “Bruce invited me to go to New York with him for the weekend.”
“Rowan, you have to go,” Carly said.
“It just feels wrong to leave you right now.”
“I’ll be okay. Besides, after everything that’s happened, I know how important it is to spend as much time as you can with the people you love. You never know when it will be taken away.”
They both burst into tears, and spent the next few minutes holding each other.
When the sadness eased, Rowan sat back. “But Bruce and I aren’t in love, we just—”
Carly laughed, the first real laughter Rowan had heard since before the accident. “Rowan, anyone with eyes can see that Bruce is hopelessly, head-over-heels in love with you. How often have I told you that you don’t pay attention?”
“But it’s only been—”
“Don’t say it’s only been a short time. Love can happen just like that.” She snapped her fingers. Her expression grew more serious and she took Rowan’s hands. “I just want to see you happy.”
Now, three days later, Rowan lay in bed with Bruce, her head resting against his chest. He tightened his arms around her and she sighed in contentment.
“I don’t want to leave tomorrow,” Rowan said.
Bruce didn’t say anything, tracing light circles on her back.
“You know, this really isn’t all that far from Connecticut. Maybe…” Rowan trailed off, not sure what else to say.
He rolled to his side so they were looking into each other’s eyes. “I love you.”
Rowan sucked in a breath, her heart fluttering. “What?”
“I know it sounds crazy, but I have to say it. I’ve never felt like this before, and I realized that it’s love.”
Eyes shining with tears, Rowan took his hands. “I love you, too.”
“I was thinking that the opportunities for an Art History major would be better in New York. You know, if you—if you wanted to—”
Rowan cut him off with a kiss. Heart pounding and fingers trembling, she whispered, “I do.”
The End
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