Page 44 of Vegas Duology

"Stop it," I said and threw a cushion at him.Uncle Ray seemed to think every woman wanted children, and if they didn't get to it by the time they were thirty-five, there was no hope.

"A month, huh?That doesn't give her much time to plan things.I don't know much about weddings but—"

"No, you really don't.Not having one of your own or anything."I grinned."Speaking of not getting any younger..."

"Who me?I'm an impressively young-looking sixty-four, thank you very much."

"You know what I meant," I said."What about Sara Beth?"

"Lexi, you should know it's not polite to ask about a woman's age.Besides, I don't think either of us want children."He grinned.

"You can be so aggravating."

"That's my job," he said."Now tell me about this wedding.How does she plan on getting it all planned in only a month?"

"She's got that part all figured out.The wedding's going to be in Las Vegas.They have people who do most of the work for you, so she won't really need to stress about too much."

"Seems like a good plan.So, they're eloping?"

"Sort of.Except she wants me there."

"Of course she does."Uncle Ray stood and held his back for a moment before stretching."You really need a new couch."

"The couch is fine," I said, "as long as you don't use it for a bed."

"I told you, I never sleep on the job."He smiled and I had the sudden urge to hug him."It sounds fun, a wedding in Vegas.It could be a little holiday for you guys."

I hadn't thought of it that way.I'd been so obsessed with memories of the past, I hadn't even thought about Andrew coming.Of course he'd have to come.

"It might be good for you," Uncle Ray was saying."Some time away to talk about things, figure things out."

"I suppose."

"Lexi, it's not my business and I'm certainly no expert on marriage.But if you want things to work between you two, you're going to have to spend some time fixing what's broken.Maybe a weekend away will be just what you need?"

"It's not a bad idea," I said.

"Of course it's not.I thought of it."He laughed and said, "You know I'll watch Ben for you.Maybe Sara Beth and I can take him to the movies or something.It'll be fun."

"Thank you."

He waved his hand, dismissing my thanks, and grabbed his coat."Okay, we'll talk about the details later.I'm off.Get some sleep."He stared at me for a moment and then said, "Are you okay?You look...well...off a little bit.Are you coming down with something?"

"I'm just tired," I said and opened the door.

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure.Goodnight, Uncle Ray," I said and gave him a gentle shove out the door.

It would be at least another hour until Andrew was home, so I clicked off the lights, making sure to leave the lamp in the foyer on for him.Making my way upstairs, I stopped to peek on Ben.He was asleep on his back, his arms crossed over his head as if he were lounging on a deck chair enjoying the afternoon sun.He'd slept like that since he was a baby.

I stood and watched as his mouth twitched with something in his dream, finally settling into a tiny smile.He didn't have a care in the world, my son.His biggest concern was what to build out of Lego, or which friend to play with at school.

And it was my job to keep it that way.He was too young to notice the cracks in our family.But for how long?

Exhaustion settled over me, so I left a kiss on Ben's forehead and backed out of the room.I'd tell Andrew about Vegas in the morning.