Page 37 of More With You

I nestle into him, liking the sound of that. I’ve never been someone’s something before, and no one has ever been mine. All, it appears, has been forgiven.

“My Ben,” I whisper, watching a huge grin spread across his face.

“That, I can agree with.”

BEN

Incredible. Amazing. Remarkable. Life-changing. I don’t have anything else to say. But I will say this—the most wonderful things happen when you least expect it. After tonight, I’m tempted to scrap the 360 series and start over, painting her in every angle instead, but it’d be a private collection. Just for us. I’d never be short of inspiration. I could paint her, sketch her, imagine her for the rest of my life, and I’d only cover the smallest percent of her beauty. I’m not a good enough artist to capture everything else about her. I don’t think a good enough artist exists.

“My Ben.” That’s what she said. I’m her Ben and she’s my Summer, and if I can find a way for her to love my Grace as much as I do, I think I might just be the luckiest bastard in the entire country.

After tonight, I know I can’t be without her, so I’m going to spend the next few hours with her in my arms, praying that my luck won’t run out.

14

SUMMER

Clive eyes me from across the green felt of the high-stakes table. “What’s different about you?”

“Huh?” I’m miles away, but my hands and voice are on expert autopilot, calling the numbers as I see them.

Clive smiles. “You’ve got a look about you. What gives? Am I not your favorite anymore?”

“I don’t have favorites.” I flash him a wink, realizing I’ve been neglecting him a little bit. If his head was filled with everything that my head was remembering, he’d be pretty distracted, too.

Clive tosses me a chip to keep, and I immediately do the casino waggle dance to let everyone know I’m not trying to rob anyone. “Come on, you can tell me. What’s new in Summerland? I’ve never seen you look so… happy before.” He hesitates on the “h” word, like it’s not quite the word he’s looking for. I should hope not, since I’ve put a lot of time and effort into being the perfect mimic of happiness in my time as a dealer.

“Hey, I’m always happy when you’re at my table. Didn’t you see my smile when you walked up? I thought it was going to crack my face in half, since I wasn’t expecting you back so soon. You made my night,” I reply playfully. As a high-stakes dealer, it’s my job to make every customer feel like the best thing since sliced bread, even when they’re losing. Especially when they’re losing, otherwise they’ll give up and go home.

He scratches his head. “Maybe happy isn’t the right word. You’re… just different. I can’t explain it.” He bats a hand at me. “It’s a guy, right? You finally find yourself a rich husband, so you can get out of this business before the long days give you a vitamin D deficiency?”

His words jar me for a moment. There’s always been banter between us about me picking up some super-wealthy dude with money to burn and being whisked away to a fantasy life of designer shopping sprees, sprawling mansions, and weekends in Dubai on a whim. But they were innocent jokes before, and now they’re kind of a sore point. Why couldn’t Ben have been some ordinary guy, with an English teacher for a mom and an accountant for a dad? This DuCate thing isn’t going to be an easy pill to swallow, but I knew that, and he’s worth forcing that pill down.

“No rich husband, just a day off and some sunshine with a good book,” I insist.

Clive narrows his eyes. “Are you sure?”

“You’ve got to stop trying to set me up with your extended family members, Clive,” I half-scold. “Just because I’m not married, that doesn’t mean I’m willing to go on one of those blind dates you keep threatening me with.”

Clive chuckles, apparently admitting defeat. “There aren’t many left, to be fair. My cousin Richard—the one with the yacht—just announced he’s getting hitched. Mind you, the family aren’t happy.”

“When you say that, it makes you sound like the mafia.” I chuckle, happy to let him take his time with the cards and placing his bets. I get off in five minutes, and there’s a night of Ben and jazz waiting for me. I’ve barely slept, and though I’ve done a full twelve-hour shift, I’m more awake than ever.

“Who says I’m not?” Clive wiggles his bushy eyebrows. With twelve on the cards, he hits. Even if he loses, I’ll still get a tip. That’s Clive. Always taking care of me and my financial struggles.

I draw another card. “Why isn’t the family happy?”

“No one knows her. He met her at a business conference in London, had a whirlwind romance, and put a ring on it. The family don’t like unknown variables, and she’s not from any well-known family, so they can’t Google her to within an inch of her life.” He shrugs. “I say, if he makes her happy, then what’s the problem? Then again, I married a “no one” so I’m already biased.”

“Gena?”

Clive chuckles. “You think I’ve got the energy for two wives? Of course, Gena.”

“Sorry. I just didn’t realize she wasn’t “one of you,” if you know what I mean.”

He sighs, and a familiar smile coaxes up the corners of his lips. “I got into so much trouble when I met her. I knew it was going to be trouble, but I was young, and I couldn’t help it. I was in love with her from the moment I saw her. We were at this beer festival, and she was dancing like a maniac at the front—beer in one hand, cigarette in the other, in a total world of her own. I knew I couldn’t leave without finding out who she was. We’ve been together ever since, though the family tried to get us to break it off, and about half of them refused to come to the wedding. Still, they like her now. Well, they tolerate her, but she doesn’t give a damn and neither do I.”

“I had no idea.” Hearing about their success story, I feel like Clive must’ve been heaven-sent to my table tonight. Sure, he’s not from a famous family like the DuCates, but his family are well known in their own circles, and they’ve popped up on the Forbes list a couple of times.

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