All In: Calling His Bluff (Gambling With Love) (20 page)
Read All In: Calling His Bluff (Gambling With Love) Online
Authors: Lane Hart
One month later ...
Jules
I woke up on October thirteenth and didn't feel any older. At least I was officially out of the teens and in the twenties now.
The last few weeks I'd been gradually moving in with Dylan, and couldn't be happier. Hanging out with him also came with the added benefit of seeing my brother more too. Even if he did still bitch when we kissed or barely touched each other in front of him.
I'd enrolled in the online social worker degree program at State, and looked forward to classes starting in January. I'd even accepted Dylan's offer to help me with tuition. It was either the tuition, or he swore he'd start buying me all sorts of crazy shit like cars.
"Happy Birthday," Dylan said groggily underneath me, when he realized I was awake.
"Thanks. It's already turning out to be one of my best ones," I told him, snuggling even closer to his warm chest.
"But you haven't even seen your presents yet," he said, and I froze. Oh Jesus.
"Please tell me you were reasonable in your spending."
"I was reasonable in my spending," he repeated unconvincingly.
"Yeah, I'm not buying it. I hope wherever you shopped accepts returns."
"All sales are final. Come on," he said, pulling me out of bed then putting on sleep pants. It must be serious if he couldn’t give me my present in the nude. I was wearing one of my favorite purple and white Hello Kitty shirts he'd bought for me a weeks ago.
"It's so freaking early. Let's just stay in bed for a few more hours," I teased, not intending to sleep during those hours. Even that didn't sway him.
"Come on birthday girl," he said, and it was obvious he wasn't giving up. I reluctantly climbed out of bed and followed him down the hall. Instead of going to the living room, he took me to the guest bedroom. Was he kicking me out of his bed? The door was usually kept closed, and I never wandered in even after I'd moved into the apartment. But when he pushed it open there was no longer a bed. There was a big ass table with a miniature, but very detailed, version of what appeared to be almost a replica of the Hogwarts castle from
Harry Potter
.
"Oh wow, this is amazing."
"Now imagine it like … three times bigger!"
"What?" I asked, laughing at his ridiculous
Zoolander
reference.
"This," he said, gesturing to the model, "Is being built for life size people on the outskirts of the city."
"You're building all this?" I asked in disbelief. It was huge even in miniature form.
"Yeah. It's going to be a place for runaways called Safe Haven, unless you think of a better name. See here are the dorms, which of course are divided into the four choices of houses and separated by gender. There's going to be a big dining room, library, game room, movie theater, gymnasium, indoor pool, then there's a medical facility, classrooms, counselor offices. Oh and it’s going to have a huge store here that has nothing but new clothes and shoes in all sizes. It's laid out on about two hundred acres, and will be completely surrounded by a gated, guarded entrance."
"You're kidding," I asked in shock.
"Nope. Oh and there's a fifty million dollar budget for you to hire staff and do whatever else needs to be done."
"Me? Fifty … million?"
"Yeah. And you can hire people to run it and just hang out with the kids, or finish your degree and be a social worker. Hell, you can work in the library or the kitchen if you want. Totally up to you."
"Oh my God," I muttered. The man was building one of the largest, most awesome places I could imagine for children. Kids whose lives are falling apart, and offering them a place with everything they'd need or want to try and make it better. "This is incredible," I told him, unable to hold back the tears as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Hopefully it’ll help a lot of kids and make you happy too. But there's one more little present left," he said against my ear as he swayed us back and forth.
"Well of course, because you clearly haven't done enough already," I told him, swiping away the moisture from under my eyes.
Letting me go he reached and popped open the roof of the replica clock tower, and pulled out a small, black velvet box. Oh my God! That couldn't be what I thought it was. It was probably just a necklace or earrings, and I was overreacting. Then Dylan went down on one knee and smiled up at me.
"I know we haven't officially been together that long, but I'm never going to want anyone but you, Jules. So, I tried to figure out what I should say to you when I asked you to marry me, other than I love you more than anything, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. There was only one thing that came to mind that I thought would seal the deal to convince you - I'm going bankrupt. Now will you marry me?"
I laughed even as tears fell from my eyes. "You probably are after all this," I waved my hands around at the incredible model in front of me, unable to imagine how amazing the actual facility would be. "But my answer is still yes."
"Yes? Really?" he asked with a huge grin, making him even more adorable.
"Yes," I nodded with my own ridiculously happy smile. I sat down on his knee, wrapping my arms around his neck to kiss him.
"Thank God," he muttered. He opened up the box to show me the single solitary diamond ring with a silver band. "I know you don't wear jewelry, and wouldn't want a huge outrageous ring. Is this okay?"
"It's perfect, and I love it," I told him as he removed it from the velvet cushion and slid it on my finger. "Wow, it's so beautiful."
"You're going to actually keep it?" he asked, sounding surprised.
"Of course I'm going to keep it!"
"Good," he said with an exhale. "I thought you'd make me take it back and get a ring pop."
I laughed and kissed him again. "This isn't just a piece of jewelry. It's the ring you chose for me, and it represents our promise to each other. I'll wear it with a wedding band for the rest of my life."
"Goddamn right. And that's all you're going to be wearing for the next few days," he said, then carried me back to bed and proved he hadn’t been bluffing.
The End
Seven months later …
Will Reavis
I laid my head down on the mattress, right where just seconds ago the most gorgeous woman I'd ever met had been lying. Up until I’d opened my mouth and sent her running.
It wasn't like I had a choice. It was already ten o'clock, and Dylan and Jules' plane was due in around noon. Besides, I knew Lacy would never date someone like me, especially after she found out I'd lied to her. She could have any man she wanted, so why would she want more than a night with me to get over some other man who had broken her heart?
I wallowed in my own misery for a few more minutes before I got up, striped the sheets off the bed, and threw them in the wash. Jules would be pissed if she found out I fucked someone in their bed. I better throw in some extra chemicals in the hot tub to clean it from the sex, too. And I'd never be able to get in the elevator in this building without thinking about Lacy. Fuck, fuck,
fuck
.
I cleaned up the apartment and had finished putting the clean sheets on the bed, just before I heard the key in the lock.
"I'm still here," I warned them, when they came in kissing and all over each other. My sister was in Dylan's arms, since he was apparently carrying her over the threshold. And here I was interrupting their moment.
"Shit, Will!" Jules exclaimed. "You scared the piss out of me. Seriously. I'll be right back," she said, as she wiggled out of Dylan's hold then headed quickly down the hall.
I looked back at Dylan, who seemed tanner in his cargo shorts and tee, and like he hadn't stopped smiling in days.
“How was Hawaii?” I asked, then cringed, changing my mind. “Never mind, I don’t want to hear any details about your honeymoon.”
"How have things been going here?" Dylan laughed.
"Your life sucks," I told him.
"My
single
life sucked. My married life is fucking awesome! Did you see the woman I get to spend every day and night with forever?"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
"You're awfully grumpy. Does that mean you didn't get any ass with my Porsche? I thought it was a sure thing," he said, bringing their luggage inside and shutting the door.
"I got some alright. She was so out of my league it's not even funny. Then I fucked it up."
"Well, back to the real world after tomorrow. For all of us."
"You mean you're actually going to work for the first time in your sorry-ass life?" I joked.
"Yeah, I've got a wife to support now," he replied with a big grin.
"Right," I said, rolling my eyes. Dylan had never worked a day in his life. He'd just graduated from Madison, and next week he was going to work as the VP of his dad's company, Daughtry Brewing. But I was willing to bet that over the years his parents never let his trust fund dip below nine figures.
"Whew, I feel better," Jules said when she returned to the living room. Her hair, which was the same plain brown as mine, was braided in pigtails, her normally fair skin was tan, and her green eyes similar to mine sparkled. She looked happier than I'd ever seen her, and I was glad for her. For them. Hell, I wished I had what they had.
"So what've you been up to this week?" she asked.
"Oh you know, work, mostly. I went out to
Sin
with Joe last night," I laughed, remembering how I'd left him. "The man has it bad for the enemy."
"Enemy?" Jules asked in confusion.
"Prosecutor. Apparently one that loves making an ass of him."
"What about you? Did you pick up any gold diggers in his car?" she asked.
I didn't think Lacy had been a gold digger, but she wouldn't have wanted a nobody like me.
"Yeah."
"Then why do you look like someone just ran over your puppy?" she asked with a grin.
"It was just a one-night stand. I don't know her last name, and didn't get her phone number before she ran out of here this morning."
"You didn't fuck her in our bed did you?" Jules asked, having told me more than once I was only to sleep in the spare room.
Heat flooded my face before I could try to lie convincingly.
"You did! You asshole!" Jules exclaimed, jabbing my shoulder with her tiny fist.
"I washed the sheets. Oh, and I put extra chemicals in the hot tub."
"Ew," Jules said with a shiver. "That's the last time you're allowed to stay here while we're gone."
"Was she hot?" Dylan asked with a smile. Jules turned around and smacked him on his chest.
"Hell yes she was. A fucking knockout. Too hot for me."
"What? Why would you say that?" Jules asked.
"Look at me. Average size, average looking, not rich and never will be. Why would a woman who can have anyone want me?"
"Oh, stop putting yourself down. You're a good, sweet guy, and you'll find someone that’s a keeper soon."
"Right," I said, grabbing up my phone and keys. "Well, I'm heading back to my shitty life. You newlyweds have fun. Take care of my sister, jackass," I said, pointing a finger in warning at Dylan.
"Always,” Dylan assured me. “Thanks for not wrecking my Porsche. I've already inspected it."
"Sure. See ya’ sis," I told Jules, then let myself out.
After living Dylan’s filthy rich life for more than a week, walking into my normal size, average looking and lonely apartment, and climbing into bed alone made me feel even shittier.
Little did I know that in a few short weeks my bed would be getting crowded, my criminal record would be longer, and I’d be taking a paternity test, all because of the gorgeous woman I met at
Sin
. Crazier still, even if I could I wouldn’t want to change a single thing about the future, especially falling in love with Lacy.
