21. Jameson
jameson
. . .
Las Vegas is the last place I want to be tonight.
Nothing about the neon lights, the frantic and stable hum of energy in the air, or the arid heat is doing anything for me.
Six months ago, this would be exciting. The thrill of the race looming ahead of me and shaking hands with key players whose money I’d be taking was something I always thrived on as it brought me closer to my end goal.
Layering my pockets and padding my savings account for the future.
A future with two beautiful girls, one who is chasing her dreams and the other who calls me daddy and insisted on painting my toes last week after hers were done.
Of course, I let her try, and it was messy with more of the pink on my skin than the actual nail.
Having to drive away from them and get on a plane and travel thousands of miles away is eating me alive.
“How are you holding up, man?” Luca walks up next to me, both of us surveying the Vegas Strip as the sun sinks behind the desert mountains.
I shake my head, my hands clenching at my sides. “Hate this. I could care less about the race or anyone who wants to talk to me about it tonight.”
Luca nods silently. I can feel his eyes glancing at me in the glass. “This went just fine two months ago.”
“Two months ago is like eons ago in my relationship with Sam. We're good right now. Solid. Probably the best we’ve ever been and I had to leave her bed to come here,” I tell him, my back molars grinding at the injustice I feel.
“I can’t say I get it, because I don’t have a woman where I have something like that with.
” Luca sighs and crosses his arms over his chest. “But if I did, I would hope that one of you assholes would remind me of the big picture. The end game. This sucks right now, I hear you, but you need this race. You almost have things paid off, and Johnny owes a little more on the garage. Tomorrow’s race is the opportunity to walk away with large rubber bands and thick pockets.
” He looks around the suite casually, making sure no one is close to approaching us.
“You’re almost done. Then you can walk away. Quit if you want. Go legit if you want. Do not forget why you’re doing this.”
I turn my head, my eyes flashing. If he was anyone else but my longtime friend, I’d have buried him by now. “I will never forget. They are all that matter.”
Luca scoffs, but there's a hint of a smile on his mouth too. “How is our favorite firecracker?”
“Call her that again, I dare you.” I practically growl at him, and he pretends to hold his hands up in surrender.
“I yield. I yield. Jesus, Braysen said you were surly as ever when he saw you guys in person. I didn’t think you’d still be a caveman over her.”
“She’s my life, Luca. I may be doing this for Sam and for Dylan but the thought of not being home with them or never being with them is enough to take me to my knees. I hate that I lied to her.” My head falls forward, my chin to my chest, and I take a deep breath.
Luca exhales and claps my shoulder. “Technically, you didn’t lie. You are in Vegas and you are visiting me.”
His words are true, but in my heart, it feels like a lie.
Then again, I’m hiding even more things that Sam doesn’t know about yet.
My hand slides into my pocket and I pull out my phone, opening the app that's going to show me my world. Sam and Dylan fill the black screen instantly. Dylan is shoving her puff snacks in her mouth and pointing excitedly at the TV. Judging by the braids that Sam is putting in her hair, I’d guess that my little Pretty Girl is watching Frozen tonight.
She looks back at her mom all smiles and chatter while Sam just watches her as if she’s the little miracle she is.
God, I miss them. I want more than anything to be there, right next to Sam on the couch, hearing Dylan’s excitement over her favorite parts.
I want to carry her to bed and tuck her in with her favorite blanket.
I want to help Sam clean up the living room and then spend all night with her hot pussy wrapped around my cock while I put her to bed.
Despite my urge to be there instead of here, I can reluctantly admit that Luca is right.
I owe Johnny just a little more to help put Dad’s shop in the clear.
After this it will be completely paid off.
I have another year left that is owed on Sam’s tuition, not to mention her continued rent, if she doesn’t agree to move in with me when I bring it up once I’m back.
Then there’s also the three-carat emerald cut diamond that I’ve been eyeing up, that looks like it was made to be on my Pretty Girl’s finger.
“How’s the show tonight?” Luca grins, his perceptive gaze going from my phone to my face.
“Looks like another princess movie night.” I shrug, closing out of the app and tucking my phone back in my pocket.
Luca hums under his breath and rubs his chin with his hand. “She reached out to me.”
“I hope you weren’t a dick to her. I told her she should call you after everything I heard.
Her reasoning was shit and I’m still trying to wrap my head around her idea that she didn’t want me to be alone.
” Just remembering the words I heard months ago has me boring holes through the glass in front of me.
“Chill, Kane.” Luca grunts. “I was happy to hear from her finally and I told her as much. It was a bad decision she made, but it shows me how much she loved you.”
“By breaking up with me.” My brow rises.
“No, jackass. She thought she was trapping you and she wanted you to be able to still have a future, knowing she was changing hers. Too bad for her she didn’t realize the lengths you would go to in order to take care of her.
She didn’t want us to have to take sides.
I told her there wouldn’t have been any choice.
She is one hundred times better to look at than you. Easy decision.”
I crack a smile at that and he claps me on the back. “Come on. The faster we get this over with, the faster we can get back to my apartment and you can fall asleep watching your creepy surveillance video.”
“Someday you’ll understand, Luca. And when that day comes, I can’t wait to make you eat your words,” I tell him while following him back into the room.
For the next few hours, I shake hands with every man and woman, approved by Romeo, who will be at the race tomorrow and either betting on me or against me.
I’ve never liked this part of the gig, but Romeo assures me it's necessary. To some, I’m just a pretty face who likes adrenaline and they bet against me.
To others, they can see the darkness living underneath my skin.
They easily find that look in my dead expression that says I’m willing to do anything to win and bet on me.
The only highlight of the night was the unexpected arrival of one of the PWHL’s board of directors.
He and I had a great conversation, and if things go my way, I may be closer to helping Sam cross off another dream on her list. When it's finally three in the morning, Luca has had enough, and with more than one woman’s number shoved in his suit pants, he searches out Romeo, who gives me a chin lift with his approval that we can leave.
He’ll take it from here, ensuring that tomorrow, either way, we walk away as richer men.
My phone vibrates loudly on the night table where I laid it to charge once we got back to Luca’s. With my eyes still half-closed, I reach for it, then bolt upright in bed when I see Sam’s name on the screen.
“Sammy,” I answer, my voice sounds scratchy. “Are you okay?” Not that I’m not happy to hear from her, but one look at my alarm clock lets me know it's noon here, which means it's nine in the morning at home. Our calls usually don’t happen early in the morning.
“Were you sleeping?” she asks with a slight laugh. I can picture her smiling on the other end.
“Yeah, sorry. I just woke up,” I tell her, collapsing back onto the pillows and scrubbing a hand over my face.
“Don’t apologize, I’m sorry to wake you. I was just going to leave you a message,” Sam answers, and this time I can hear the slight hesitation in her voice.
“What’s wrong, Pretty Girl. I can hear your worry through the phone.”
She laughs, but it's followed by a deep sigh. “I don’t want to worry you. I was just calling to let you know that we aren’t going to my aunt’s.
Dylan was up in the middle of the night with a slight fever.
She still has it this morning, but it's manageable. She’s just tired and not very hungry, so we’re having a day vegging on the couch. ”
My heart squeezes painfully in my chest. For the millionth time I wish I was there with my girls and not out here.
“Jameson,” Sam calls my name lightly over the phone and the tone of her voice soothes me somewhat. “I promise she is fine. It’s probably a virus. Kids get them all the time.”
“I remember from last winter,” I say, my chest heaving. My poor little girl. I remember her big brown eyes looking at me all glassy and the fact that she wouldn’t let go of my hand. She was the worst patient and Sam and I had to creatively find ways to get her to take any medicine.
“Then you know it will be over in a day or two. And next year we’ll likely go through the same thing. She’s a kid. They get sick,” Sam assures me, trying her best to make me feel better that I’m not there. “I just wanted to let you know. And also because she wanted to talk to you.”
“Yeah, I want to talk to her,” I answer immediately. The phone rustles and then I hear Dylan’s little voice.
“Daddy!”
My eyes slam closed at her excitement to talk to me, but I can also hear the hoarseness in her voice. “Morning little Pretty Girl. Mommy said you aren’t feeling too good.”
“I hot. I doesn't feel good.”
I can picture her little face scrunching as she says it. I also hear Sam in the background asking Dylan what she did.
“Took medicine and Mommy let me watch Rapunzel.”