Free What Happens in Vegas... by Kimberly Lang Page A

was killing her. If the guilt of deception was this bad just with Nick’s friends, how on earth would she survive her family?
    Nick continued to hold her hand as they followed Kevin and Lottie out and into a waiting SUV. Kevin held the door open for her with a mock bow. “I’ll be your driver for the evening. Sit back and relax. First stop, marriage license bureau.”
    She’d been surprised to learn that any government agency in the world was open until midnight seven days a week, but as she filled out the paperwork for her marriage license along with several other couples, she understood the necessity of it in Las Vegas.
    Her license was still hot off the printer when Kevin herded them back into the car and screeched out of the parking lot. Just a few minutes later, she was entering a chapel, and Lottie was pushing a small bouquet of roses and daisies into her hands.
    Her chest constricted, and it became difficult to breathe. Back out. Run. Forget this whole plan. Then Nick tucked her arm under his. She jumped in surprise.
    He leaned close to her ear and whispered, “You’re not planning on ditching me at the altar, are you?”
    The humor in his voice banked the onset of her panic attack, and she looked up to see an amused glint in his eyes. “Actually, I am.”
    “Too late,” he countered, as a balding man waved them forward and Kevin and Lottie took their places on either side of them.
    She’d never realized how quick a wedding ceremony actually was, and the minister was looking to her for a response before she’d had a chance to catch her breath. Nick’s “I do” seemed to boom in her head, even though she knew he’d said it at normal volume.
    At least she wasn’t in a tacky chapel being married by an Elvis with fake sideburns. This chapel was actually rather nice: understated and charming, lit by soft candlelight and peaceful. While she’d been floundering in confusion and trying to find a decent dress to wear, Nick had been busy planning something nice for their wedding. Her stomach gave a funny flip at the idea.
    She panicked when the minister asked for the rings, but Lottie touched her arm gently and passed her a heavy gold band with a faint outline of Celtic knots across the surface. Evie fought back tears as Nick took her hand and slid a matching band over her knuckle. This wedding was perfect and beautiful and totally false. It was killing her.
    When she turned her head, she saw Nick’s strong profile as he listened to the minister pronounce them husband and wife. Nick turned to her and smiled wryly as he lowered his head to brush a gentle kiss across her lips. Time seemed to stop, and her heart beat faster as that kiss arced through her, stirring her blood with desire. But the gentleness of it caused her stomach to flip over again, making the moment feel poignant and important and one she wanted to remember for the rest of her life. She leaned in, pressing her mouth more fully against his, and she felt his lips soften as if he were going to deepen the kiss, make it…
    Then Kevin clapped and Lottie was snapping pictures and horrid reality crashed in. Rice landed on her shoulders and slid inside her dress, and they were back outside with a certificate proving they were married before she could wrap her head around it. Another couple was already taking their place at the chapel doors; a very young couple with ear-to-ear grins and an inability to keep their hands off each other. She was suddenly irrationally jealous.
    Needing a moment to regain her equilibrium, Evie pretended great interest in the envelope containing her marriagecertificate. The date and “Mr. and Mrs. Nicolas Rocco” were written in fancy script across the front.
    Mr. and Mrs. She was now Evie Rocco—a name she hadn’t known until a couple of hours ago. Or maybe she should do like Gwen and hyphenate: Evangeline Harrison-Rocco. No. Too many letters. She guessed it didn’t matter too much; she wasn’t going to be keeping the