“Still makes me sad. I love my daughter so much. I can’t imagine.”
“I don’t have any kids of my own, but I would never in a million years do that. Easton is such a joy and I see how much you love her.”
Her smile warmed me and so did her next words.
“I see how you are with Easton. You’re great with kids and will make a great dad someday.”
Then she frowned, which sent ants crawling in my gut. “What’s wrong?”
“Are you prepared to take on the responsibility of becoming an insta-dad?”
The ants vanished. “Oh, that. She’s amazing, and yes. We already have a bond. I’m looking forward to it. I might spoil her though.”
“I’ve noticed. One thing I ask is that you never undermine my authority and that we discuss things with each other before approving them.”
“Agreed.”
“One other thing. That little girl is smart and can be manipulative, like she is with that dog. Don’t let her be. She’ll have you agreeing to things you’d never thought you’d do.”
“I can see that. She’s very hard to resist. With that missing tooth, all she has to do is ask and she’ll receive.”
“See? She knows it too. Other than that, I’m sure we can work through everything.”
“One question. What about a wedding?” Women usually wanted one, but I didn’t care either way. I would love to see the look on my mother’s face if we got married in Vegas and came home and told her.
“Why that grin?”
A hearty chuckle rose out of me as I explained.
“I’m all for that. We can always have a renewal of our vows later.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“No, it’s what my parents did. Then they had another wedding and honeymoon later.”
We began planning that night. The following Monday, we met with my attorney so the contract could be drawn up. It was relatively straightforward. English wasn’t asking for anything except Easton’s college tuition. My attorney suggested something like a prenup. English would walk away with a substantial amount, but couldn’t access any of the family’s assets. We also arranged for adoption proceedings for Easton to begin. We decided not to tell her until everything was final.
Then we planned our trip to Vegas. That evening, we broke the news to Beck and Sheridan.
“Uh, haven’t you forgotten something?” Beck asked.
“What’s that?”
“Our trip to Vietnam. We’re scheduled to leave in three days.”
Chapter Thirty-One
English
My heart crashed to my stomach. “Vietnam? When did you decide this? I thought you canceled?”
“We didn’t cancel, munch. We postponed. With Stuart in jail, I figured it was okay for us to go.”
“Fine,” I answered tightly.
Dad put his hands on my shoulders, but I brushed them aside. “Obviously it’s not,” he said.
“You didn’t even consult me, or Tristian for that matter.”
“You’re right. I didn’t and I apologize. I meant to tell you and it slipped my mind.”
“Slipped your mind. So now what? Our adoption proceedings have begun and we have to be married by then.” I rubbed my temples.
Rather than answering, Dad opened his phone and scrolled through only God knew what. I looked toward the ceiling and blew out a long, noisy breath.
“Give me a sec, English, I’m checking to see if I can rearrange something.”
My toe-tapping was annoying even me, so I stopped. Tristian rubbed my back but I shrugged his hand off. The only thing that would help now was Dad saying he’d push the trip back.
“I’ve got it. You two go to Vegas. I’ll fly to Vietnam as scheduled. Tristian, you’ll meet me there, but will fly from Vegas instead of here. It will make the trip slightly shorter for you. Will that work?”
“I guess.”
My non-exuberant response had Tristian replying, “Come on, English. It’s a perfect solution for everyone.”
My mind said, Traitor, but that was childish. “You’re right. Thanks, Dad.”
“Then I guess congratulations are in order,” Mom said.
I finally grinned. “Thanks.”
“How about a toast?” Dad asked. He disappeared and returned with a bottle of champagne. They always had everything on hand. He poured four glasses of the bubbly and we toasted.
Tristian’s smoldering gaze had my knees weakening. We all clinked glasses, but his eyes never left mine.
“What are your plans so far?” Mom asked.
“Um, I don’t know.”
Tristian took my hand and said, “I thought we’d stay at one of the fancy hotels and then get married at one of those cheesy chapels, if that’s okay with you.” He directed his statement toward me.
Mom chuckled as she glanced at Dad. “That sounds familiar. I highly recommend the Bellagio. Beck, do you still have any contacts there?”
“Not any more.”
“It’s fine. I’ll make the reservation tonight.” Tristian’s eyes were still on me. He should stop as my body was already tingling in places it shouldn’t.
“Why don’t you two leave as soon as you can?” Mom asked.
“We can try. What about Easton?” I looked at my parents.
Dad answered. “You don’t even have to ask. She always has a place here.” Mom and Dad were awesome. They had a bedroom designated for her.
We left a little while later and went home to make our reservations. Our trip would begin the day after tomorrow, with an early flight out in the morning. We would stay for five days and return home. Or at least I would and Tristian would fly on to Vietnam. I hated the thought of him going without me, but I couldn’t leave Easton for that long.
It was a rainy morning when we boarded our flight. Easton kissed me goodbye and told her soon-to-be daddy the same. She clapped her hands when Tristian wheeled my bag out to the car, which I would drive home from the airport. “Will you bring me back a sprise?”
“Only if you promise to be good for Mimi and Boppy.” Mom was there to take her back to their place.
“I promise.”
I hugged and kissed my sweet daughter and then she reached for Tristian. She patted his cheeks and told him to buy me a tiara.
We drove to the airport with excitement growing in my belly. I was eager to see Vegas. I’d been when I was a teenager, so it had been a while. Tristian had made reservations for a couple of shows as well, which I was excited for.
The flight went well, we landed, and a car waited for us to drive us to the hotel. I loved this place and all the fountains out front. “Easton would love this. Can you imagine trying to keep her out of them?”
Tristian laughed. “We’d be banned from coming back.”
An image of Easton bossing the staff around came to mind. “I don’t know. Miss Bossy Pants would probably fire them all.”
Our room was amazing. It was a suite with everything one desired. A living area overlooked Vegas with large glass windows. That room led to a large bedroom with the most inviting bed I’d ever seen. All I wanted to do was throw myself on it… until I saw the spa-like bathroom. “Whoa. Check this out.”