Vegas Revenge Wedding (Nevada Bad Boys 2)

“So, what did you do here?” I looked around the fairgrounds and saw a few workers checking equipment.

“I spoke with some local officials and convinced them—for a nice donation—that they should let me have the place to myself for the evening.” He released his grip around my waist and took my hands.

“Did you seriously do that for our date? I don’t mind going during business hours.” I tilted my head towards him.

“No, I have a bit of a confession and it’s a big one.” He let out a sigh. “I have a son.”

“A...” I stammered over my words. “A son?”

“His name is Benjamin and he’s five years old. I probably should have told you sooner, but I’m very protective of my family and my personal life.” He squeezed my hand as I tried to absorb the news.

“Okay...” I looked down as I let that roll around in my head.

“There’s more.” He sighed again.

“More kids?” I looked back up at him and opened my eyes wide in shock.

“No, just one child. Benjamin is autistic. He has a lot of trouble with crowds and he doesn’t always react very well to meeting new people. It’s why I’ve never invited you back to my place and it is why I don’t like to spend the night.” He put the edge of his finger under my chin. “I want that to change. I want you to start coming to my place, and I want you to stay the night.”

Holy shit. Two bombshells at once.

“I’d...” I stammered over my words again. “I think I’d like that, but what about your son? You said he doesn’t like meeting new people?”

“I sat him down earlier today and I told him there was someone very special to me that I wanted him to meet. He’s been so excited about coming to the Fair that I thought this would be the perfect time.” He turned and started walking towards the entrance with our hands still joined.

“So, you convinced them to give you your own private night at the Fair for your son...” It started to make sense.

“Yes, he’s been seeing the commercials on television and he didn’t understand why it would be so bad with hordes of people around. I didn’t want it to be a terrible experience for him, so I made it happen.” He squeezed my hand and pointed at a woman who was holding a little boy’s hand. “That’s him.”

“Who is with him? Are you about to tell me you’re married too?” I cut my eyes towards him.

“No.” He laughed and the older woman waved as well, talking to the boy. “That is his teacher slash nanny slash everything, Ms. Ruth.”

Benjamin was smiling ear to ear when we started walking towards him. He looked like the spitting image of his father and was so cute I wanted to just squeeze his cheeks. Everything started to fall into place in my mind. The existence of Benjamin answered questions I didn’t even know to ask and finally made me realize why Max was the way he was. He had talked about his ex-wife once and how terrible the marriage had been. It was hard to imagine it being that terrible when such a beautiful boy came out of their union. When I got close, Benjamin extended his hand.

“I’m Benjamin Martin. You must be Daddy’s special friend.” He was extremely well-spoken for a child his age. I reached down and took his hand.

“Hi, Benjamin. My name is Abby Grant. Your father is very special to me too.” I squatted down in front of him. “So, this is your first trip to the fair, right? What do you want to do first?”

“Funnel Cake!” His eyes lit up.

“Really?” Ms. Ruth grumbled. “Hi, my name is Ruth Ayers. They both just call me Ms. Ruth.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” I stood and shook her hand. “I have to agree with Benjamin though; I want Funnel Cake too.”

“Let’s go!” Benjamin pulled on Ms. Ruth’s hand and pointed at the Funnel Cake sign.

Benjamin was so excited. He reminded me of a simpler time when all I had to worry about was what was directly in front of me. I really couldn’t tell he was autistic based on our interaction. He seemed a little apprehensive when we approached the people at the stands or the ones operating the equipment, but his excitement definitely seemed to overwhelm whatever hesitations he had. By the time we had went on a few rides and eaten what felt like our weight in Fair food, Benjamin had let go of Ms. Ruth’s hand and taken mine. I looked at Max, who smiled and shrugged his shoulders. I let Benjamin lead me to each ride, explaining everything he knew about it before we climbed inside. There was no way we could do everything, but we kept going until Benjamin was exhausted and Max had to carry him.

“I’ll get a separate car tonight.” Ms. Ruth dug in her purse. “I’ll be by early tomorrow morning so you can get to work.”

“Thank you, Ms. Ruth.” Max leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

“Take care of them.” Ms. Ruth squeezed my hand. “They’re wonderful.”

“I know.” I smiled and watched her walk away.

“Ready to see where I live?” Max motioned for the driver.