The Gambler (34 page)

Megan.

Figuring she might as well get this over with, she answered before it went to voice mail. “Hello, Megan.”

“Don’t hang up on me. I’m not going to give you a hard time.”

Libby didn’t quite believe that, but she decided to hear her out. “Okay.”

“First, I want you to know that I
do
believe you and Noah love each other. Blair has a hard time seeing it, but it’s been clear as day to Josh and me.”

“So why do I hear a but in there?”

Megan paused. “I just wish you two had slowed down a bit and talked things through more. But that’s not who you two are. You’re impulsive.”

“That didn’t come through as a compliment, so I’m presuming that’s your but.”

“Libs, you know I love you and I want you to be happy, but there are things you need to think about with a marriage. Logistics.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Where are you going to live?”

“I’m moving to Seattle.”

“Even though Noah quit his job?”

She blinked, sure she’d heard Megan wrong. “What are you talking about?”

“Libby, Noah quit his job on Friday.” She hesitated. “I take it he hasn’t told you.”

She didn’t respond. Her silence was answer enough.

“Don’t you think that’s something a husband should tell his wife? Especially before they get married?”

“That doesn’t make any sense, Megan.” She knew she sounded short, but panic was bubbling in her gut. “He’s in the middle of a business meeting right now.”

“In
Vegas?
His offices are in Kansas City and Seattle. Why would he have a meeting in Las Vegas?”

Oh, God. Please don’t let this be happening.
She wasn’t sure she could handle his betrayal. What was he up to? “I have to go.”

“Libs, I’m sorry. I thought you should know.”

“No.” Libby started hurrying toward the hotel. “You wanted to gloat.”

“Libby! How can you say that? We love you!”

“You may love me, but you’ve never tried to understand me.” Not like Noah had. No one had tried half as much as Noah had. “I have to go.” She hung up on Megan’s protests and turned her phone off so she couldn’t be reached.

Noah had to have an explanation. She just needed to let him tell her what was going on.

But what if he lied? He hadn’t said a thing about quitting. How could she trust him?

She was close to hysteria when she got back to the hotel room, equally relieved and upset that he hadn’t gotten back yet. She packed up the few things she had removed from her suitcase, then began to pace the room, waiting for him to come back.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a light blinking on and off on the room phone. She ignored the message, worried Megan or Blair had found out which room they were in, but what if it was Noah? He didn’t know her phone was working, and besides, she had just turned it off.

With shaking fingers, she typed in the code to hear the message, sucking in a breath when she heard a woman’s voice. “Noah, sorry to call you on this phone since I know you’re trying to keep this from your
wife,
” Libby heard a hint of jealousy in the word, “but just in case you didn’t get my message, come to room 1470.”

No. God, no.

She held the phone in her hand for several seconds, shell-shocked. What was she going to do?

She found herself in the elevator before she realized what she was doing.

Think this through, Libby,
she told herself as she pressed the button for fourteen on the number bank.
Once you do this, it can’t be undone.

But what couldn’t be undone? Her finding out he was in a business deal for a business he wasn’t part of? Or finding him fucking another woman in a hotel room while on his honeymoon with her?

The elevator stopped on the fourteenth floor and she headed down the hall, her heart pounding in her chest. The reasonable, sane part of her told her this was a mistake. Noah loved her. He wouldn’t betray her, but Blair’s voice played in her head on repeat:
Noah is a user. He’ll take what he wants and move on. If he doesn’t cheat on you first.

Her father’s voice joined the party next:
No man will ever really love you. They’ll want your body and your looks and they’ll lie through their teeth to get you. But when they’ve used you up, they’ll move on.

Not Noah. Please, God, not Noah too. Anyone but Noah.

Then knock on the door and find out.

Her body had been on autopilot while her mind was busy taunting her and she found herself in front of the door to room 1470, her hand suspended to knock. What if he wasn’t in there? What if he was? What would she do?

She’d put it together as it played out.

She rapped on the door and took a step back, preparing herself for what was on the other side.

A perky brunette opened the door. She was dressed in a pencil skirt and blouse unbuttoned enough to show her cleavage, and she held a champagne flute in her hand. “Can I help you?”

Suddenly, Libby felt like a fool. “I’m sorry. I think I have the wrong room.”

“That’s okay, I thought you were room service,” the woman said, then looked over her shoulder. “Noah, it’s okay. The food’s not here yet.”

Noah.

White spots danced in front of Libby’s eyes. She shoved the woman aside and marched past her.

Noah sat on the made bed, a champagne flute in his hand. His face paled the moment he saw her and he jumped to his feet.

A thousand and one possible reactions filtered through her head—screaming, crying, throwing things, pitching a royal fit—but all she could manage was to turn around and walk out of the room.

“Libby!”

She ran down the hall and pounded on the up button.

“Libby! Let me explain!”

As soon as the doors opened, she ran inside and pushed the button for their floor.

Noah was running after her, panic on his face.
“Libby!”

She ignored the pleading in his voice as the doors shut on his face.

She couldn’t think, couldn’t react. She could only run. When she opened the door to her room, it occurred to her that she had to figure out what to do next. What was she going to do?

Home. She needed to go home.

When Noah burst into the room, she was already dragging her suitcase toward the door.

“Libby. You have to let me explain.”

She tried to get around him, but he grabbed her shoulders and held her in place.

“Libby! Talk to me!”

She shook her head, trying to string the words together to form a sentence. “What do you want me to say?” she finally spat out.

“Don’t you want to know why I was there?”

She shook her head, tears burning her eyes. “I already know.”

“No, you
don’t.
”

She jerked free from his hold and looked up into his pleading face. “Then let me tell you what I saw. You were in a hotel room drinking champagne with a woman—
in a hotel room!
”

“Yes! But it’s not how it looks. We were celebrating a business deal.”

“In a
hotel room?
”

“Yes!”

“For a job you quit last Friday.”

His face paled even more. “Yes, I was trying to get it back.”

She put her hand on her hip, some of her fire returning. “Why didn’t you tell me you quit? How could you keep that from me? I begged you to tell me the truth before you left.”

“I wanted to tell you—I was dying to tell you—but your problems seemed more important than mine. And then I figured if I could get the deal, it would be a moot point.”

“My
problems.
”

He ran his hand through his hair. “Libby, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant you were so upset over Mitch and the wedding, it just seemed like your issues took precedence over mine.”

She ran over the details of the last couple of days in her head, looking at everything in a new light. “That woman was Tiffany.”

He sucked in a breath. “Yes. How did—”

“You sent her a Facebook friend request.” How could she have been so stupid? “
She’s
the reason we came to Vegas.”

Fear filled his eyes. “Yes, but it’s only because her boss was coming too.”

“Her nonexistent boss.”

“Libby,
please.
You
have
to believe me. Nothing happened. I met with her boss and presented my proposal, then, thank God, he accepted.”

“In her room.”

He cringed. “Yes.
Their
room.”

He was unbelievable! Did he really think she was that gullible? “So where was her boss, Noah?”

“He was in the bathroom.”

She shook her head. She’d heard enough. “Whatever.” She tried to walk around him, but he blocked her path.

“How can you assume the worst of me after everything?” he demanded, sounding angry. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she shouted. “I caught you cheating and you’re accusing
me
of doing something wrong?”

“I wasn’t cheating on you!” He groaned in frustration, then paused. “How did you even know where I was?”

“Your girlfriend called and left a message with her room number.”

“She’s not my girlfriend!”
he shouted, pounding his fist into the wall.

“You’re telling me you weren’t screwing her?”

“No! If you would just listen to what I’m telling you, you’d know that!”

Suddenly she had a moment of doubt. What if her insecurities were causing her to overreact? God knew Megan and Blair had her worked up . . . not to mention the memories of her father. Noah and the woman had both been fully clothed. But this was clearly not the first time they’d met. The woman had accepted his friend request while they were on their trip. “You knew her already. Have you screwed her before?” He started to protest, but she pointed her finger in his face. “Think carefully about your answer.”

Fear washed over his face. “Libby.”

Oh, God.
“Answer the question, Noah.”

“Yes. But it was last January. There is nothing going on now.
I swear.
” 

“You swear.
You swear!
” Her voice broke and she shoved his chest, but he was so much larger he barely moved, which only pissed her off more. “You lied to me!”

“Only about my job, Libby, but I was trying to get it back.
For you.
So we could start our new lives together.”

“How can I believe you?”

“What reason have I given you to not trust me?” He grabbed his head with both hands. “Oh, my God, Libby! I love you! Can’t you see how much I love you? I would sooner die than cheat on you. You have to believe me!”

“Why do I have to believe you?” she demanded. “So I can look like even more of a fool?”

His eyes lit up like a struck match. “You’re just looking for a reason to break up with me.”

“
Excuse me?
Are you really trying to pin this on
me?
”

“I’ve never given you a reason to not trust me. Not one.”

“You lied to me about your job!”

“I didn’t lie, Libby! I just hadn’t told you because I was hoping to get it back. You kept telling me how proud you were of me and I knew I needed to get my job back to take care of you. I didn’t want you to look at me with the same look of disapproval I always see in Josh’s eyes. I was planning to give the stupid account to Josh as a peace offering.
For us.
”

She shook her head, more confused than ever.

“This is what you do,” he said, his voice tight with anger. “You sabotage your relationships so they’ll never work out. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.” 

“
Are you kidding me?
You think you have me all figured out, Mr. I-Sleep-With-Every-Woman-I-Can-So-I-Don’t-Have-To-Commit.”

“You’re wrong about one thing,” he said, quietly. “I made a commitment to you.”

“I wished you’d never committed to me at all.”

His mouth dropped open. “You don’t mean that.”

“You are incapable of making a commitment, Noah McMillan, and I refuse to stick around so you play me for even more of a fool.”

He couldn’t have looked more hurt if she’d pulled out a gun and shot him. “My father was right,” she said, her voice breaking. “No man will ever stay with me. They lie to get what they want, and once they get it, they’re gone. I’ll save you the trouble of slamming the door in my face.” She grabbed the handle of her suitcase again. “I’ll just leave first.”

She rolled her case into the hall, fully expecting him to follow her, but he didn’t. Disappointment sucked the air out of her chest, making her light headed. What was she so upset about? She wanted him to leave her alone, right?

She hit the button for the elevator, silently pleading with him to follow her, to fight for her. To convince her she was wrong.

Then she heard him call out to her. “I thought you said you hadn’t seen your father since you were a baby.”

She turned around to see him standing in the hall outside their room. “I guess that makes us both liars.”

The elevator doors opened and she walked inside with her suitcase. When she turned around, Noah stood in the hall about thirty feet away. “Don’t leave me, Libby. Please.”

“Wrong answer,” she whispered. But damned if she knew what the right one was.

Then the elevator doors closed, Noah’s pain-stricken face disappearing behind it, and she felt more alone than she ever had in her life.