‘ You’ re right. Excuse my lack of manners,’ he said curtly. ‘ Congratulations.’
‘ Thank you,’ I spat.
What was his deal? My head started to whirl from disappointment. Not to mention the cheap wine.
For a moment, we pretended to be engrossed in Wayne Newton, who was now coming out into the audience as he sang. Apparently, the divider that we sat next to was a ramp. Wayne walked along it, leaning down to shake hands with people as he sang. Tiny lights led his way to us.
‘ Oh, June!’ Kitty cried. ‘ He’ s coming this way. Let’ s try to shake his hand!’
Glad for the distraction, I gave Kitty a thumbs-up. I narrowed my eyes at Troy. Amazing how easily infatuation can turn to annoyance.
No matter, because the one, the only, the incomparable Wayne Newton himself stood in front of our table. In front of me.
What the hell-might as well make something of the evening. I thrust my hand toward him.
He didn’ t take it. Instead he shook his head no, only to pause and give the crowd an ‘ I can’ t help myself’ shrug. The next thing I knew, he gestured for me to stand. When I did, he planted a wet, sweaty kiss on my lips. It felt as if he were one of those snakes whose jaw can open really wide, pulling me in deeper and deeper. For a moment, I feared being swallowed whole headfirst into his gullet, until at last he released me.
The crowd cheered, and Wayne said, ‘ Thank you, beautiful lady.’
He picked up the next line of the song and moved on. I used a napkin to dry my face and wipe away the stage makeup that had rubbed off on me. It would take a shower and a few weeks to get rid of the aftershave that lingered.
‘ You’ re so lucky!’ Gran exclaimed.
I might have felt special, except that he went on to kiss pretty much every woman in the place-even climbing off the ramp to plant one on an old gal in her wheelchair.
‘ It’ s the Walk of a Hundred Kisses. He’ s famous for it,’ Kitty said. ‘ But you were first!’
‘ Good thing, too,’ Gran said. ‘ I don’ t know if I’ d want that mouth on me after seeing where it’ d been.’
Judging by Troy’ s stony expression, I was certain that was the only kiss I was going to score for the night.
Having finished my glasses of wine, I mooched the second daiquiri, which Gran hadn’ t wanted. When the show finally ended and we stood to go, the room tipped around me. I stumbled. Troy caught me, but then he couldn’ t let go of me fast enough.
Kitty and Gran chattered as we walked out. The ride home on the motorcycle sure wasn’ t going to be the snuggle-fest it was on the way here. I started to wonder if Troy was so appalled by my status as mom-to-be that he was going to tow me behind his motorcycle rather than share the seat with me.
He had other plans. Leaning close, he said, ‘ You should take the cab back with my mom and Gran. You’ re not in any shape to ride.’
‘ Fine. I didn’ t mean to disgust you with my drunkenness.’
‘ I don’ t want you to get hurt.’
Too late for that. It was clear: Once I brought up a baby, he didn’ t want anything to do with me.
I remembered back to the game of ‘ what if’ I’ d recently played with my mom, and my heart sank.
It wasn’ t fair. Troy had seemed so perfect. So maybe I hadn’ t brought up the adoption until now. He sure wasn’ t up front about being a baby hater, either. It seemed the sort of thing he might have mentioned. Hi, do you come here often? And by the way, I hate babies.
I turned on him, suddenly furious. ‘ What do you have against babies, anyway?’
‘ Come on, be fair. You have to admit this is out of left field.’
‘ Actually, it’ s not that strange. People adopt all the time.’
He paused, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. Collecting himself. Then, ignoring me, he walked over to Kitty and Gran to tell them he’ d meet up with us back at the hotel. He said it’ d be best if I rode along with them.
Before I followed the ladies out to get in line for a cab, I felt compelled to say to Troy, ‘ It’ s not as if I were asking you to be the father.’
‘ It’ s nothing against you. A baby isn’ t anything I’ m ready for right now. I mean, I’ ve been through a lot lately. Besides, you and I haven’ t even-’ And he stopped.
There was no need to finish. Kissed? Dated? Screwed? It didn’ t matter because the result was the same.
At last, I slid into acceptance. This was going to be my life from now on, I realized. I’ d better get used to it.
I WOKE TO THE SOUND of the shower running. And& ugh. My head felt stuffed with fuzz and my mouth with dust. I had to lie there for a few minutes before I could even piece together that I was in my hotel room in Las Vegas and it was morning.
How I got here, I had no idea.
Water. I needed water. Hell, I’ d even take three-dollar water. I swung my legs over the side of the bed. My stomach lurched.
Bad idea.
Maybe I didn’ t need water quite so quickly.
That was when I noticed the slacks on the floor and the man’ s shirt& and were those boxers?
Frantically, I tried to piece together how I got upstairs and-I glanced downward-dressed in a T-shirt. No bra or underwear.
The shower stopped, and I heard male humming.
