The Gambler (27 page)

“Hey!” one of the men in the back shouted. “It pooped on me!”

The birds swooped around the room a few times before finally landing on the top of Tito’s harp, the rings dangling from their feet with strings.

“Come get your rings,” Tito said, nodding toward the doves as he continued playing the instrument.

“Is now a bad time to mention I hate birds?” Noah grumbled, inching his way forward.

“I’ll do it,” Libby said as she stepped around him, slowly reaching for the string on the first dove. She handed Noah the ring—hers—then untied the other ring and moved back in front of him.

The back doors burst open, spilling light into the darkened chapel, and Noah wondered what Tito and Angelica could possibly have planned next. Startled, the birds went crazy, flapping their wings and taking off into flight, swooping over their heads.

Noah put a protective arm around Libby and pulled her to his chest, but then he realized the two older women standing in the doorway had nothing to do with the Little Heaven Wedding Chapel deluxe package.

“Sweet baby Jesus!” Gram shouted.

“No,” Nana Ruby said in disgust. “That’s not Jesus. It’s just a hairy man in a diaper.”

Tito stopped strumming and shot them a glare. “I’m sorry, but we’re in the middle of a service. Feel free to sit and watch or wait in the lobby, and we can marry you next.”

Ruby snorted. “He thinks we’re getting married.”

Gram chuckled. “You’ve got it wrong there, Mr. Diaper Man. She’s got herself a man who’s into BMI, and I’m on the prowl.” She paused and took in the mural on the ceiling. “Although I may have found him.” She turned back and appraised Tito with a gleam in her eye. “Is this one of those Costco things? I didn’t know you kids were into that.”

Noah burst into laughter. “I think you mean cosplay, Gram. And we’re not. This is everything that comes with the deluxe package.”

Gram nodded as though that explained everything.

Tito shuddered and looked down his nose at Noah, which was difficult since Tito was a good six inches shorter. “You know these women?”

“They’re our grandmothers,” Libby explained with a shrug. “Kind of.”

Tito waved them forward. “Then come in and sit down. We’re in the middle of their vows.”

“Wait!” Libby said, holding up her bouquet. “You’re not here to object to the wedding, are you?”

“Object?” Gram asked in disbelief. “Why would we object? I’ve been shipping you two since you first laid eyes on each other.”

“And I could see your connection at Blair’s wedding shower for my sorry excuse for a grandson, Neil,” Ruby added. “Let’s get this going.”

The two women sat down as Tito lifted his arms and stared up at the hole in the ceiling. “Let us resume.”

“What time is it?” Noah asked. 

Nana Ruby looked at her watch. “Eleven fifty-nine.”

Noah grabbed Libby’s hand and shoved the ring on her finger. “Lib, if you don’t like this, we can get you a new one.” Then he held his hand out to her and she slipped the other ring on his finger.

“It’s perfect.”

Noah turned to the shocked Tito. “Quick. Declare us man and wife.”

Tito looked dismayed. “But we have more service first. We haven’t gotten to the dancing angels yet.”

Libby’s mouth dropped open. “Dancing angels?”

“Maybe later!” Noah shouted. “Declare us man and wife!”

Tito shook his head. “Okay, I declare you man and wife, you may—”

Noah pulled Libby into his arms and placed a hard kiss on her mouth.

“—kiss your bride,” he finished in defeat. “You ruined the wedding.”

Libby pulled back and stared into Noah’s face. “No, it was the most perfect wedding ever.”

“We did it,” Noah said beaming. “Happy Birthday, Libby.”

She stared into the face of her husband.
Noah’s my husband.
“I can’t believe we did it.”

Worry wrinkled his forehead. “Are you sorry?”

Their decision had been impulsive. They’d made it while they were drunk. Noah hadn’t even said the words
I love you
, yet she knew he did, just as she knew they hadn’t made a mistake.

She shook her head. “No.”

“Say cheese!” Gram said, holding up her phone.

Tito stood behind them, posing with his harp as Gram and Angelica snapped photos. 

“We need a picture with you and Nana Ruby,” Libby told them. “Angelica, can you take a photo of all us?”

“Photos are included in the deluxe package,” Noah said, when Angelica started to balk.

“Come on, Gram,” Noah said.

“I gotta send this tweet first.” She tapped on her phone and looked up at them with a grin. “Done.”

They spent the next five minutes taking photos. Libby insisted the paid wedding guests be in the photos and Noah found the two men who’d been kicked out, sitting on the floor of the front room, and invited them back in.

Tito took center stage for all the photos. One of the men kept grabbing at Tito’s loincloth and the pseudo angel kept smacking his hand away. Libby giggled through it all, wondering how everything could be so perfect.

Then just as Noah predicted, a bright light shone from the hole in the ceiling and Tito rose back up into the air, his wing catching on the edge of the hole.

“Angelica! Lower me back down!”

Angelica kept pushing a button on the wall by the stereo system. “It’s stuck.”

Noah ushered the three women toward the exit, snagging Libby’s hand in his as they moved. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Tito!” Angelica cried out, hurrying toward the platform. “I’ll get the ladder, baby.”

“How’d you two get here?” Libby asked the grandmothers after they’d made it into the lobby.

“We took a taxi,” Nana Ruby said, covering her mouth as she yawned. “It’s waiting for us outside, and I think I need to get back and go to bed. I haven’t been up this late since Nixon was in the White House.”

Gram curled her upper lip. “That’s a crock of bullshit and you know it. You were up late on that cruise you went on last summer. The one with the used tire salesmen convention.”

Nana threw up her hands in exasperation. “That was one night—
one night
—and I was drunk, besides.” She leaned closer to Gram. “And when I told you last week, you said you’d carry it to your grave.”

“I haven’t given up anything, you old fool. You’ve given yourself up.”

“Never mind.”
Nana released a huge groan. “Maude. It’s time for
both
of us to go back and go to bed.”

Gram didn’t look pleased. “I wanted to take Noah and Libby out for their wedding dinner. And wedding cake.”

“I suspect they have other things on their mind,” Nana said with a sly grin. “Especially after what Noah told us earlier.”

Libby swung her gaze up to her new husband. “What did you tell them?”

Noah gave the two women a small shove toward the front door. “Thanks for coming to the wedding and I’m sorry about the dinner reservation. Let’s try it again tomorrow night. Say around eight?”

They nodded as they hurried into their waiting taxi, Gram pausing to shout, “You kids have fun.”

Noah and Libby stood outside Little Heaven, still holding hands. She glanced up at him, surprised to see he was staring back at her with a look of amazement on his face.

“What?” she asked, feeling self-conscience.

He slowly pulled her into his arms. “I can’t believe you’re mine.”

A slow smile spread across her face as warmth filled her chest.

He kissed her, but this time it wasn’t full of fire and passion. It was soft and gentle, like a welcome home. Tears burned her eyes and she smiled up at him. “Let’s go back to the hotel, Noah.”

He nodded and was about to flag down a taxi when Paul, the cab driver who’d brought them there, pulled up to the curb.

He leaned across the front seat and looked up at them through the passenger window. “I figured you two would need a ride after you got hitched.”

“Thanks,” Noah said as he opened the back door for Libby. He gathered up her skirts and helped her into the car. Then he settled in beside her and took her hand.

“Where to?”

“Caesar’s Palace.”

“Sure thing.” Paul glanced at them in the rearview mirror as he started toward the hotel. “Did you get the big show?”

Noah laughed. “Yeah, I got the deluxe package.” He tilted his head with an amused gleam in his eyes. “You could have warned us.”

“And spoil the surprise? Nah . . . But I’m surprised Tito and Angelica didn’t see you off. Tito likes to walk couples to the curb, strumming his harp.”

Libby broke into giggles. “Tito was a little stuck when we left.”

“Tried to go back up in the ceiling, huh?” He shook his head in sympathy. “He hasn’t got that one perfected yet.”

Paul pulled up in front of the lobby and the parking attendant, Ned, greeted them and opened their door. “Did you go to Little Heaven?”

“We sure did,” Noah said as he helped Libby out of the back.

“It was a wedding you’ll never forget, am I right?” he asked.

“Not even when we’re old and senile.” Noah grinned and leaned over to pay the cab driver.

“Good luck!” Paul said, sliding over in his seat and poking his head out the passenger window. “Getting hitched is the easy part, staying hitched takes work. But I’ve been married to my Annie for nearly forty years and I wouldn’t trade a single day for all the money in the world.”

“Thank you,” Libby said, giving him a small wave.

“What room are you kids in?” Ned asked as a group of three women climbed into Paul’s cab. “We’ll send up a little congratulatory gift.”

Noah took Libby’s hand as he gave him the number.

Ned winked and sent them off with more good wishes.

They didn’t say a word as they walked into the hotel lobby, although Libby’s dress drew quite a bit of attention. She realized she was still holding the bouquet, so she lifted it and motioned as if to throw it. A group of women saw her and started squealing with excitement as they formed a group. Laughing, Libby turned her back to them and threw the flowers over her shoulder. 

“I got it again!” Gram shouted. 

A collective groan echoed inside the marbled foyer.

Libby spun around to see the older woman lift the bouquet over her head like she was a champion boxer. “How . . . ?”

Noah laughed and shook his head in disbelief. “She and Nana Ruby walked in the door just as you threw it. I never would have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.” He called over to the two women. “Maybe you really
are
destined to get married in Vegas, Gram!”

Libby had to wonder if Noah might be right. “Congrats, Gram! I can’t wait to meet your groom.”

Nana Ruby scowled. “Don’t encourage her.”

The two grandmothers wandered off in the opposite direction, which was probably for the best considering several of the younger women in the crowd looked like they wanted to tackle Gram.

They walked to the elevator in silence—the only sounds around them were the voices of the people passing by and the swish of her skirt. A sudden sense of dread filled Libby as she thought about the taxi driver’s words. To her horror, she realized he was right. She’d spent so much time thinking about getting married, she hadn’t stopped to consider marriages could be ended. They might be married now, but he wasn’t permanently attached to her. He could walk away at any time.

Blair and Garrett’s profession was proof enough of that.

Noah’s hand squeezed hers. “Lib, you okay?”

The elevator door opened and she was surprised to find an empty car. They walked inside and she kept her gaze on the doors as they closed, her stomach tying into knots.

“Lib, talk to me.” The anxiety in his voice caught her by surprise.

What should she tell him? That she was still scared to lose him? Did she really want to sound so pathetic on their wedding night?

She put her hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes, searching for answers to the questions she was too scared to ask. She lifted up to kiss him and he covered her hand with his.

“Lib?” He was more insistent this time, and his face was pinched with worry.

“I just can’t believe you’re mine,” she repeated his words. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her so senseless that it took her several moments to realize the doors had opened and an older couple was waiting to get into the car.

“Sorry,” Libby said as Noah pulled her to the side.

He grinned down at her. “I’m not,” he whispered.

She smiled back. This was Noah. Her Noah. She knew they were perfect for each other—that she couldn’t find a man who would suit her better.

Even if her own palm told her differently.

Sometime between Megan and Blair’s weddings, she’d fallen in love with him. She’d been too foolish and scared to admit it to herself, but some part of her had known for a while.

Now that the curse
had
worked out after all, should she worry about the destiny on her palm? Was their marriage already destined to fail?

The elevator stopped at their floor and Noah tugged her off the car and toward their room.

She had a choice—she could let her worries consume her and ruin their night, or she could let it go and consummate her marriage to the man she’d never thought she could have.