Her Sexy Vegas Cowboy(30)

He stood. “I need to talk to Jessica. I have to see if I can fix this.”

Jeremiah asked, “How is talking to Jessica going to fix it?”

Jeremiah still seemed perplexed, so Aaron, almost gibbering as his mind rushed through the possible scenarios now that he’d made his decision, added, “Cody was right. I’m in love with her.”

His heart felt lighter now that he’d admitted it aloud. Even if his quest was doomed to fail, he could at least tell her the truth.

Jeremiah’s eyebrows disappeared into the hair falling over his forehead. “Seriously? Of all the things you could’ve said, that was not what I was expecting. And who the hell is Cody?”

Aaron shrugged. “A blackjack dealer. It doesn’t matter. The point is, I need your help. Text that girl and get her to tell you where Jessica lives. I’ve got to talk to her, and I should do it in person.”

He noticed that Jeremiah looked a little sheepish as he hauled himself off the ground. “So, the day after you left Vegas, before I got on my flight, I got a message from Marilyn. She said that Jessica was trying to find you and wanted your phone number. I told her no.”

Aaron had to stop himself from strangling his best friend. Instead he pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I thought she was going crazy stalker on you, and that’s why you bolted! You didn’t exactly explain the situation. Hell, I still don’t know what happened. That’s why I’ve been sitting in mud for the past few minutes trying to get you to talk to me, dammit,” he said, wiping at the butt of his jeans.

Aaron looked at his friend, really seeing him for the first time in days. The person who had been there for him practically his whole life, whom he’d ditched in Vegas without even explaining, was pissed. But he was still there, and he’d only been trying to help.

Aaron knew he’d been a terrible friend. “Look, Jeremiah, I’m sorry. I was falling for her and then she walked out on me. I tried to get her back, but she’d taken the next flight out of Vegas to get away from me. I was so frustrated I had to leave. I thought I could try to forget about her, but these past few days have been miserable. I need to see her again.”

“Even though she left Vegas early just so she wouldn’t have to see you again?”

“I need to explain some things. I have to at least try, right?”

Jeremiah looked at him for a second, then pulled out his phone. “Okay, grand gesture time. I get it. You really must be in love with her to do something this stupid. Do you want to go grab a bag together and I’ll take you to the airport?”

Aaron slapped his friend on the back as Jeremiah tapped out a quick message and put the phone back in his pocket. They started walking toward Aaron’s home.

Aaron wanted to run the moment he saw the large yellow house, no more than a quarter mile away, looming against the backdrop of the mountains, but this was no time to ditch his friend yet again. Jeremiah still seemed annoyed. Aaron said, “Thanks, Jeremiah. You’re a good friend.”

Jeremiah gave him a sidelong glance. “Way better than you’ve been.”

Jeremiah’s words were harsh, but he didn’t sound too angry. It wouldn’t take much to get him to come around. Aaron nodded. “Way better. I owe you so much beer.”

That made Jeremiah smile, and Aaron felt better than he had in days. As they reached the house, Jeremiah tilted his head toward his truck. “Grab some stuff. I’ll pull up to the front.”

With that, Aaron took off, through the back door, up the stairs. He knew it was stupid, that this stuff only worked in the movies, and he was more likely than not going to be back in this quiet house, alone, within a few days. Still, he’d never felt more alive. He was rushing off to tell a woman he loved her, something he would have laughed at a couple of weeks ago.

He grabbed together a quick bag and the heaviest coat he owned. By the time he got back outside and locked the door, Jeremiah’s truck was next to the porch, waiting for him. Aaron jumped into the cab and Jeremiah pulled away from the house, shaking his head, but grinning as he did so. He said, “Okay, I got an address. Apparently Marilyn doesn’t know Jessica that well, but Jessica is roommates with Cindy, the bachelorette.”

Aaron barely heard anything after the first sentence. He had her address. This was actually happening. He sat back in the seat, finally able to relax now that they were on their way, that he had a plan, as ridiculous as the plan was.

Jeremiah grew serious as they went through the gate that indicated the end of Aaron’s driveway. “I don’t want to rain on your parade or anything, but just don’t get your expectations too high, okay? Remember when we read Romeo and Juliet in high school, and we talked about how idiotic it was that they’d known each other for three days? That’s kind of you right now. I’m not saying it won’t work out, I’m just saying—”

Aaron shrugged. He was very aware of how stupid he was being. “I know. I see why this is completely ludicrous. But I’ve been lying to myself, thinking I was happy, for long enough. Now that I’ve found what makes me actually happy, I have to go after it. And that’s what I’m doing, even if it’s a long shot.”

His friend nodded. “Okay. Let’s just stop by my place and I’ll grab a couple of things and change into different pants. Shouldn’t take two minutes.”

Aaron looked at Jeremiah, who nodded decisively. “You think I’m going to let you do something this dumb on your own? Plus, I want to know what happens, and if I just send you off, the likelihood that I’ll get even a text from you is slim to none. And I like New York. You’ll go confess your love to the woman of your dreams, and I’ll take a stroll around Central Park. Win-win.”

Aaron laughed. “Awesome. I’m going to look up flights. We might not be in any rush if the next plane to New York doesn’t leave for six hours or something.”

He used his phone to find a flight that would give them enough time to get to the airport and through security, and booked two seats. Jeremiah got back in with his small duffel and they were once again on their way.

By the time they parked and began heading through to their terminal, Aaron had searched out Jessica’s address location, booked two hotel rooms nearby, and ordered a car to pick them up at the airport. He’d even found a florist in case he wanted to get flowers, but he wasn’t sure if that was sweet or going too far. He felt a strong affection for his phone as he put it on airplane mode for the flight. It had done its job well.

Now that Aaron was on the plane, though, enthusiasm started to give way to anxiety. What if she turned him down? What if she said she loved him, too, threw herself into his arms and then a month later changed her mind?

He told himself that if that happened, he would just have to go on. He couldn’t let it stop him from trying.

Jeremiah was seated next to him, and was fidgeting as though he was nervous, which seemed strange. He wasn’t the one going to declare his love to a woman he’d known for less than a week. Finally, once they were in the air and Jeremiah hadn’t calmed down, Aaron turned to him. “Is everything okay? I thought you wanted to come with, but you’re—”

“I want to come,” Jeremiah cut in, “but I have something I need to say.”

Aaron waited, dreading whatever his friend was going to say. He didn’t want to hear about what a terrible idea this was; he already got that loud and clear.

After what felt like hours of awkward silence, Jeremiah started talking. “Look, in Vegas you were spending all your time with Jessica and I got annoyed. I told you I didn’t like the way you were acting. Now, though, I can see that you were acting like an idiot in love, and that’s kind of cool. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry.”

That was definitely not what Aaron had expected. He almost said something nice back about how great Jeremiah was being about this whole thing, but he didn’t have to. Jeremiah knew. Besides, it was becoming a bit too much of a bro-mance already.

He knocked his friend on the shoulder and leaned back in his seat.

At least he knew that if this thing went to pieces, Jeremiah would still be there to help him, just as he’d been when Aaron’s parents divorced, when his mother died and a hundred other times.

The flight was over far sooner than Aaron had expected, and he steeled himself to get his heart smashed. He hoped it wouldn’t happen, but he honestly wasn’t sure. Yeah, she’d asked for his phone number, but there were plenty of reasons she could want it that didn’t involve confessing undying love.

Jeremiah looked at him, raising one eyebrow. “You okay? Completely regretting this decision?”

“Nope to both. Let’s go.”

They found their way through the giant airport and to the waiting car. It was evening, but not too late. They drove straight over to her apartment, and the driver pulled up to the front door. “You still sure you want to do this?”

When Aaron nodded, he opened the door and stepped out, clearing the way. “Then go do it. I’ll wait down here for ten minutes, then go to the hotel if I haven’t heard from you. Good luck!”