Rachel Bailey - What Happens In Vegas

His words should’ve been reassuring, and yet she felt a cold chill run through her as the concept started to sink in. He wasn’t resigned to his obligation or even optimistic about their future together. He was treating this like a challenge to be overcome.

Until that moment, she hadn’t fully realized that she’d waved red in front of a bull. Laying down a thirty-day challenge to Mr. Overachiever wasn’t very smart if she didn’t want to be with him in the end. Whether or not his heart was in this, he would likely get his way, be it with the house, their child or their relationship.

She felt a sudden pressure against her chest; the air clamped down in her lungs. Suddenly, a thirty-day trial period had just changed to the rest of their lives.

What had she really agreed to?

* * *

“I’m serious about us making this work, Ames. Our baby deserves it,” Tyler said. Before he could elaborate, he noticed a bit of the color draining from her face. She was fair complexioned, but she was approaching the shade of a sheet of paper. “Are you okay?”

She grimaced a little but didn’t answer, making him wonder if she was battling morning sickness again. “Are you going to be sick?”

“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “Suddenly, I’m just a little tired. I didn’t sleep well this weekend and it was a big wedding with three entrée choices. I think it’s just catching up with me.”

He had witnessed two of his older sisters’ pregnancies, and their biggest complaint was always exhaustion. It started earlier than you’d expect. Taking her elbow, he led her to a bench around the corner.

Tyler sat her down on the wooden seat and crouched at her knee. He looked up at her, realizing for a moment that he was in the same position he’d been in when he’d proposed to her on a sidewalk along the Las Vegas Strip. The memory made him smile despite his concerns for her. He wasn’t sure what had made him remember their teenage pact that night, but it had seemed like the perfect remedy for her frown. In that moment, he would’ve done anything to cheer her up. He’d never dreamed that their adventure would ever go this far. He’d never even expected them to consummate the marriage, much less have a baby together. Would he have gone through with it if he’d known? That was a question with an irrelevant answer, unless someone had invented a time machine he didn’t know about. He returned his focus to her.

“Can I get you anything? A bottle of water? Or do you need something to eat? There’s a convenience store across the street. I can bring you anything you want.”

“Stop fussing,” Amelia said, although her eyes were pinched tightly shut as she spoke. “I’m fine. I just need a minute.”

“Are you sure I—”

“I’m pregnant, not helpless, Tyler. I just needed a little break from walking around.”

Tyler ignored her, jogging across the street to the store and returning with an ice-cold bottle of water. He pressed it into her hand.

Amelia sighed but twisted off the cap to take a sip anyway. “Are you going to be like this for the next eight months? ’Cause I don’t think I can take you hovering over me all the time. It reminds me too much of my dad.”

“Hey, now,” Tyler argued in an offended tone. “There’s a big difference between trying to take care of you because I want to and doing it because I think you’re incapable of taking care of yourself. I’m not your father. And you’re not your mother.”

Visiting Amelia’s home when they were kids had been an eye-opening experience. In Tyler’s home, everyone pitched in. Both his parents worked. The older kids helped take care of the younger ones. The boys and the girls all did their share, equally. That was the only way they could get by, day to day.

Then he went to Amelia’s house and watched with surprise the way Principal Kennedy fawned over and protectively guarded his wife and daughters. He treated them as though they were delicate and helpless, a perception Amelia’s mother worked hard to create. She was fragile and often ill with headaches or other ailments, although Amelia insisted there was nothing actually wrong with her. It didn’t matter. Amelia’s father took care of everything. He made all the decisions, earned all the money. He hired a cleaning woman to come a few days a week and relieve her mother of that burden. The two Kennedy girls were expected to do nothing but be pretty and shop, just like their mother.

It had made Amelia crazy growing up. She was far from helpless and fragile—she had a spine of steel. She was smart and independent, but her father never gave her enough credit for anything she did. He expected her to marry well and carry on the way her mother had.

And he supposed she had done that, even if she hadn’t meant to. Tyler was successful. His business in gemstones and antiquities was amazingly lucrative. The markup on diamonds was insane. A quick trip to his suppliers in India or Belgium would set him up easily with a stash of high-quality stones at an amazing price. On any given day, he could have a quarter of a million dollars in precious gems tucked into his lapel pocket. If Amelia wanted to quit her job, he could take care of her and their child for the rest of their lives.

But he knew she would never allow that. He wouldn’t even suggest such a thing for fear of bodily harm. She wasn’t her mother. Not even close. “You might not like it,” he continued, “but I’ve got a vested interest in your welfare. For one thing, I haven’t had a chance to get a life-insurance policy on my wife yet.” He grinned wide and was pleased to see her reluctantly smile and roll her eyes at his joke.

“And for another,” he said, getting to his feet and sitting beside her on the bench, “that’s our kid you’re hauling around in there. It’s my job to make sure both of you have everything you need to stay happy, healthy and safe. You can complain all you want and it won’t make any difference.”

Amelia searched his face for a moment, looking for something he didn’t understand. Then she nodded and placed her hand over his, squeezing gently. “Thank you for that. I’m sorry for being difficult today. I feel as though my whole life has been hijacked and shifted off course. I’ve gotten used to being on my own and taking care of myself. It may take a while for me to adjust to anything else. But I do appreciate it. You. No matter what happens between us, I know you’ll be a good father.”

Tyler watched a bright red lock of hair slip from its clip and curl around the curve of her heart-shaped face. The peachy tones of her skin had returned, beckoning him to reach out and caress her velvet-soft cheek, pushing the hair behind her ear. Today, he would do it because he could.

He reached out to her, letting his knuckles softly graze across her cheekbone as they swept the errant curl away from her face. The pale peach of her skin was replaced with a rosy pink as her cheeks flushed. Her dark eyes watched him, but she didn’t pull away from his touch.

“I’ve always wanted to do that,” he said.

“Really?” she said, her voice betraying the disbelief that reflected in her eyes.

“Absolutely. You’ve got the most beautiful hair I’ve ever seen. It’s like liquid fire.”

“Tyler,” she began, hesitating, “I know I can be difficult in a relationship, and you know that better than anyone. Part of me has begun to wonder if I’ll ever...” Her gaze dropped into her lap. “Do you really think you can fall in love with me in thirty days?”

Tyler didn’t want to lie to Amelia, but he knew he had to. If he told her that he had no intention of ever falling in love with her—or anyone, for that matter—it would all be over. If he wanted to succeed for their child’s sake, he had to play along and keep those dark secrets inside. He couldn’t let his own doubts spill over and taint Amelia with his negativity.