Page 66 of Missing Pieces (Men of Manhattan 3)

I bit my lip. Or maybe my plan was working. Maybe he was reconsidering. I understood his concerns. Three years was a really long time. But I was pretty sure he'd get a few days away from the marines every now and then. It's not like I wouldn't see him for three years. Unless he got shipped off. I suddenly realized why he had said his greatest fear was death a few days ago. A chill ran down my spine.

But I didn't get a chance to ask him, because he interrupted my train of thought. "Geez, look," he said.

I turned my attention to the windshield. There were lights everywhere. We must have just turned onto the Las Vegas strip. The sun was setting, but instead of the buildings looking dull, they popped in a million different colors with lights blazing.

"It's...bright," I said.

Tyler laughed. "That's exactly how I was going to describe it."

We slowed down from the volume of traffic on the strip. My eyes stayed glued to the window. It was like we had just driven into a whole other world.

We suddenly stopped. I hadn't even realized that Tyler had pulled over.

He turned off the ignition. "Do you want to just walk around and explore?"

I smiled. "That sounds perfect." I stepped out of the car. There was an electricity in the air. "Is this how New York is?" I asked when he came to my side of the car.

"It's different. I don't really know how to explain it."

A group of women passed by us, laughing. One was wearing a sash that said "bride to be."

"Actually, I know what it is." Tyler slipped his hand around my waist. "The energy is different. People seem happy here."

"And they don't in New York?" I looked up at him. Maybe it was because he wasn't happy in New York. But he was happy here with me.

He smiled down at me. "No, everyone's always kind of in a rush and unfriendly in the city. I grew up in a pretty small town like you. I'm used to people being nice."

We started walking down the street.

"Do you prefer a small town? Would you want to end up in one whenever you settle down?"

"Yeah, I think that would be nice."

My heart seemed to warm. I'd wait for three years for him. Couldn't he see that? I'd wait my whole life for him. This feeling that I had right now didn't even compare to anything I had ever felt before. I couldn't even look around at Vegas because my eyes were glued to him.

"Do you want to check anything out? It would be pretty cool to see a casino."

I reluctantly peeled my eyes away from him and looked around. We were passing by an immense building. There was a huge pond and fountains in different colors out front. "Now that has to be the fanciest building I've ever seen," I said. "It looks like something out of a movie."

"That's because it's been in a lot of movies. It's the Bellagio."

"I've never heard of it."

"It was in Ocean's Eleven."

I shrugged.

Tyler laughed.

I leaned toward the sound. It didn't matter where we were as long as I was with him. But I could feel it in my bones. Tonight was going to be a night to remember. "Is it a casino?"

"I think it's a casino and hotel." He took a step back from me and held out his hand. "Shall we, m'lady?"

I laughed and grabbed his hand. "After you, kind sir."

He held my hand as we walked up to the front of the Bellagio. Valets were rushing around opening car doors. I took a second to turn in a circle, studying everything, taking it all in. For a moment, I felt like a movie star. I'd probably never be standing in front of a building like this again. This was the closet to royal treatment I'd ever get.

Tyler's hand slid around my waist and my eyes landed on his as he pulled me close. My eyes always gravitated back to him. He was all I really wanted to look at.

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