Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
So as both kids had tried to process the fact that their hero was leaving them behind, I'd floundered and fumbled as I’d tried to explain that we were going with Con. But I hadn't managed to do that well either. I'd been so nervous about trying to explain my relationship with Con that I’d gotten it all wrong again and the kids had ended up more confused than ever. When I’d finally looked to Con to rescue me, he’d done so with ease.
He'd simply said, “I love your Uncle Micah very much and I’m hoping someday very soon he'll agree to be my husband. Just like I'm hoping that you guys will let me be a part of your family. I love you both and I don't want to be apart from you or your uncle, so I want you all to come to Las Vegas with me.”
Rory's answer had been fast and clear. She’d shrieked in excitement then wrapped her arms around Con's neck while yelling, “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”
Christopher, not surprisingly, had been a bit more reserved, but my heart had pounded painfully in my chest as I’d watched my nephew smile softly before nodding his head. For any other kid, it would have been a muted response, but for Christopher it was nearly equivalent to Rory's response. My nephew hadn’t looked to me for reassurances before he’d answered Con. He’d made the decision for himself and that had meant the world to me.
It was only after the fact that I'd remembered what Con had said about wanting me to be his husband someday. Thankfully, by then, the kids and Con had gone outside to play in the castle, and I’d been able to escape to the bathroom so I could sit on the edge of the tub and just cry my eyes out.
They’d been tears of joy.
Absolute, undeniable joy.
So that had been the awkward part. The intimidating part had come the moment we’d landed at the airport outside the city. Admittedly, adjusting to the bright lights and chaos of Las Vegas was a little easier said than done. Not to mention the fact that Con wasn't an ordinary person, so it wasn't like we’d been able to just disappear into the throngs of crowds upon our arrival.
Much like Con’s apartment building in New York, we’d been able to access the Las Vegas apartment from the garage, but unlike New York, there had been a small crowd of reporters and fans waiting for us when we’d reached his building. The windows of the SUV Con had rented had been tinted so there’d been no chance of anyone seeing me, Rory, or Christopher, but it had still been a strange experience that had left the three of us a little bit unsettled.
Unsettled, but not regretful.
Also, unlike New York, Con’s apartment in Sin City was the epitome of luxury. It took up the top two floors of the twenty-plus-story building we were in and overlooked the strip. While Con normally employed several staff to take care of the apartment and his needs, in deference to me and the kids, he'd given the housekeeping staff time off.
While the kids had lapped up every little bit of luxury that was new to them and had always seemed so completely out of their reach, for me it was just another reminder of the different worlds Con and I lived in. But at night when he pulled me into his arms, he was the same Con that I’d fallen in love with in the old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere.
He was that guy during the day too, though I didn't get to see him as much as I wanted since he spent most of his time at a nearby gym that he'd rented for the two weeks before his fight. It was beyond strange to turn on the television and see the man I was still having a hard time referring to as my boyfriend on the screen talking to some reporter or another about his upcoming fight.
We'd agreed that until the custody situation had been finalized that the kids and I would stay in the apartment and keep a low profile. We did get a chance to meet both his manager, Marty, who spent the days at the gym with Con while he sparred with various partners, and Julia, his agent. He employed other staff like a stylist and publicist, but whatever work he did with them, he did outside of the apartment and from what he’d told me, they knew him only as Zeus. But since both Marty and Julia knew Con’s identity, he hadn't hesitated to tell them that he and I were in a relationship. Both had seemed like kind, genuine people.
Admittedly, I was relieved not to have to play the role of Con's boyfriend officially. Not yet, anyway. The culture shock was just too much. Seeing Con in the role of Zeus brought some unwanted feelings about Brady back to the surface but I’d been slowly working through them and fortunately, they hadn’t changed my relationship with Con. On top of that, I had the added stress of knowing that Con’s entire family was coming to town for his fight. I was beyond nervous to meet the men Con called brothers. I didn't know if he had told any or all of them about our history, but that wasn't even what really worried me. It was the knowledge that his brothers might see something that Con was blind to.