Page 102 of The Hero + Vegas = No Regrets

“Vancouver’s beautiful,” Worth says. “And spring is the perfect time to go. The hiking is incredible.”

Mom and Worth chat for a few minutes about Vancouver, which gives the three of us a moment to collect ourselves. Worth is more aware of his needs now, but that doesn’t stop him being acutely cognizant of other people’s. I’m not sure he’s ever been to Vancouver. I’ll have to ask him later.

“I think that’s great, Mom,” Noah says, his nodding having subsided a little.

“Yeah,” Oliver says. “Great.”

“Will we meet him anytime soon?” I ask.

“Sure,” she says. “He’s on standby to come to dinner tonight.” A smile curls around my mom’s lips.

I rest a hand on top of hers. “I can’t wait,” I say. “How did you two meet?”

“He’s a regular at the library.” She starts to laugh. “Turns out he’s never been the greatest reader, but came to return some books for his neighbor, who was sick. I checked them in for him. And he came back after that every week for fifteen years.”

“Oh, Mom,” I say. “That’s so romantic.”

“We used to chat about the books he took out and brought back. But he never asked me out until the day he saw me without a wedding ring.”

“And he’s not married?” Oliver asks.

“His wife passed away about seventeen years ago.”

“And he’s been in love with you for how many years?” I ask.

“We hardly knew each other,” she scoffs.

“I didn’t believe in love at first sight before I met your daughter,” Worth says. “But now I do. Sounds like Liam had the same kind of experience when he met you fifteen years ago.” Worth turns to me. “Thank god it didn’t take fifteen years for you to be mine. Although I would have waited twice as long.”

Mom deserves the kind of man who waits fifteen years for her. A man who fell in love with her the moment he saw her. The kind of man who went into the library every week, just to catch a glimpse of her or exchange a few words.

Liam sounds perfect. She deserves her happily ever after.

A MonthLater

Worth

Having lunch with my wife never gets old.

“You look beautiful,” I say as I take in Sophia. It’s not the first time I’ve told her today. And it won’t be the last. I can’t help myself. It’s the truth.

She smiles, and it warms me like palms raised up against an open fire. “It’s our last lunch for two days.”

I groan. I head to Colorado tomorrow, which means we’ll spend two nights away from each other. These will be the first nights we’ve spent apart since she came back to me on Christmas Eve. “I wish you could come with me.” I open the door to the car I have waiting for us. Lunch today isn’t about eating. I need to visit Hotel on Ninth Street and it’s the only time I have before heading off tomorrow.

“Next time,” she says. I slide in next to her and pull the door shut. It should only take us a few minutes to get across town to the hotel. But they’re precious minutes I get to speak to my wife.

“Will Avril be there?” Sophia asks.

“I doubt it. She’s juggling a lot at the moment. I didn’t tell her I was coming.”

“I can’t believe she’s trying to finish her degree and oversee the refurbishment at the same time.”

When Avril came to me and said that because the hotel refurbishment was going to take nearly eighteen months, she’d like to try to finish her degree, I thought she was kidding. It was all the proof I needed that I’d done something right as her brother—that she was taking responsibility for her own life and making the most out of the opportunities she’d been given. “We have a great project manager. She’s going to learn what it is to hustle, and this is her first lesson.”

“Oh, I think she had a pretty good teacher.” She squeezes my hand.

“Not many people would describe me as a hustler.” To most people, I’m the ultimate cool head—the planner and provider.

---