“I can’t believe we’re actually going to see them in person,” I gushed as we waited in line to take our seats for the circus. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“It’s going to be great fun, I promise,” Holden assured me, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close. He had been like this all day, really touchy-feely like he literally couldn’t bear to keep his hands off me. I liked it. I nuzzled into him, smiling, glad he was here with me after all. And Zoe was off with her new man having a great time. She likely wasn’t even thinking about me right then, and I could fill her in on the whole situation with Holden at some point when she was back. For now, I wanted it to be just the two of us, stealing away in the city together, our little secret.

“Oh, we’re moving.” Holden pointed forward, and the crowd was finally pouring through the gates and into their seats. I hurried forward to take mine, inhaling the scent of popcorn and sawdust that filled the place. I felt like a kid again, giddy with excitement at what we were about to do.

The day itself had been perfect enough so far as it was. He had taken me to a bar where we’d spent the afternoon getting tipsy and playing games and blowing off some steam. I was still worried about what he’d told me regarding his ex and her appearance back in his life, but that felt so far away from us right now that it was hard to get too upset about it.

He led me to my seat, and I looked out over the space in front of us. The place was packed, and the room was rich with anticipation. I didn’t even want to think how much it must have cost to get us in here on such short notice, but then money had never been a problem for Holden. He had flown all the way to Vegas with no notice, for goodness’ sake, it was obvious that he didn’t care much about spending cash if it meant we could be together. Which made me so happy—not that he treated me to so much but that nothing got in the way of the two of us being together.

The lights dimmed, and I took Holden’s hand as the show started, and soon, I was caught up in the incredible act taking place before our eyes. I had watched some of this stuff online, idly checking ticket prices and assuming I would never get to see it in person, but it was stunning the way they moved, the artful control they displayed over every part of their bodies. I wished I could have that kind of grace, but if I had so much as thought about doing something like that, I would have tripped over my own feet before I got my hands on the trapeze.

“Oh my God!” I gasped as one of them flew through the air, letting go of their platform to catch the hands of someone else dangling from their trapeze. I turned to Holden, eyes wide, and found that he was already looking at me. In fact, I had a feeling he hadn’t taken his eyes off me since the show had started. My heart warmed, and I almost said it then, almost told him I loved him. But the music swelled and drew my attention back to the stage, and I promised myself I wouldn’t wait much longer before I came out and told him the truth.

We took in the rest of the show together, and I got completely caught up in the performance. The entire crowd was equally caught up, and it was awesome to be surrounded by people who were so engaged with something as whimsical as this. I couldn’t remember the last time I had allowed myself to get lost in something so utterly beautiful, and it felt good to let go of all those stressors I’d been carrying around the last few weeks and fill my brain with something incredible instead.

“That was amazing,” I said with a sigh as soon as we were outside, surrounded by the excited chatter of the crowd who had watched the show.

“It really was,” Holden agreed. “I didn’t think it would be that cool, but they were so talented.”

“I would love to be able to do stuff like that.” I kicked one leg up in the air in a mimic of one of the moves they’d made on stage. Me being me, I instantly lost my balance, and Holden had to grab me to keep me upright.

“Hey, whoa, there.” He laughed. “Maybe hold off on the acrobatic career for a little while longer.”

“You can’t keep me from my passions,” I declared dramatically, but I stopped dancing in the street and let my feet hit the sidewalk below us once more. “What do you want to do now?”

“Shall we just take a walk?” he suggested. “I think I need some fresh air.”

“I’m not sure any of the air in this city could be described as fresh, but I’ll see what I can do.” I smiled, and the two of us turned to make our way back to the hotel. It was quite a way across town, but I was fine with that. I would have been happy to talk to him all night if possible. I couldn’t get enough of him and of what it felt like to be a real couple.

I took his arm as we walked, and I noticed a few people glancing in our direction as we made our way down the street. I couldn’t help smiling. They thought we were nothing more than a normal couple in love enjoying an evening out in Vegas, which is what we were, and it was what I needed right now. The feel of his body next to mine was intoxicatingly good, the way his pace fell in time with my own reminding me he was paying attention to every little detail. I could have walked all night with him by my side.

“Where’s Hunter right now?” I asked. I hadn’t given Hunter a lot of thought today, but I didn’t know who he was with or if he understood that his dad had come to Vegas to see me.

“He’s with Raymond.” Holden shrugged. “Dropped him off there yesterday.”

“Does he know?” I asked nervously. I wasn’t sure what I wanted here, if I would have preferred him to hold back a little or push forward and make it real to everyone. The thought of being all trussed up in this safe little bubble in Vegas where nobody knew what we were doing was appealing, I had to admit that, but we couldn’t stay that way forever. At some point, I was going to have to concede that the world beyond this city existed and give in to the fact that we had to return there, no matter how fun hiding from it had been.

“About us? No, he doesn’t know.” Holden shook his head. “He’s been missing you like crazy, but I didn’t want to say anything about coming down here before I knew for sure what was happening one way or the other.”

“That makes sense,” I agreed. “I’m glad you didn’t come out swinging with everything. Things are still so fresh.”

“Yeah, I get that.” Holden nodded. “I didn’t know whether you were going to kick me to the curb as soon as you set eyes on me here.”

“After I texted you all that stuff?” I reminded him. “You really think I’m that heartless?”

“Sure,” he shot back playfully, and I slapped him gently on the arm.

“Oh, come on, a little credit here,” I protested. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

“Of course, you’re not,” he assured me, and I nestled against him.

“What are you going to do with Hunter the rest of spring break?” I asked him. “I guess you could go back whenever you want, what with the jet and all.”

“Sure can,” Holden agreed. “But I thought we could have another day here at least. Maybe head back on Tuesday?”

“You sure you want to leave him that long?” I furrowed my brow, and he smiled at me.

“Trust me. There’s nowhere in the world he would rather be than with Raymond and Olivia right now,” he assured me. “He loves it over there. I doubt he’ll even notice I’m away as long as he’s got them to distract him.”

I laughed. “Oh, come on. You really think he won’t want to do something for spring break?”

“I suggested a few things to him, but he didn’t seem that taken with any of them,” he replied, shaking his head. “I think he was pining after you. I know how that feels.”

“Well, maybe we could do something together when we get back,” I suggested as we turned the corner on to the street with the hotel on it. “I wouldn’t want him to miss out on a fun break just because you were all the way out here romancing me.”

“Don’t worry. When he finds out we’re back together, he’s going to be the happiest kid in the world,” Holden remarked.

“Oh, we’re back together now, are we?” I raised my eyebrows at him. “Little presumptive, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t mean to jump the gun,” he blurted out. “I just thought since we were—”

“Of course, we are,” I soothed him, giggling at his reaction. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“You need to stop playing me like that.” He grinned, a look of relief on his face, and I took his hand.

“Couldn’t resist,” I replied breezily. “God, I’m looking forward to seeing Hunter when we get back. Maybe we could go out together, do something with the three of us?”

Holden didn’t reply for a moment, and I turned to him to see him smiling at me.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Just…” He shook his head. “You always think about Hunter. It’s never just about you. That’s why I lo—”

He cut himself off and quickly picked up the pace, but that couldn’t scrub the reality of what he’d nearly said from my head. My eyes widened, and I silently implored him to pick up where he’d left off. But he didn’t.

“That’s why we love spending time with you,” he finished up carefully. “Hunter and I both. You’re so thoughtful of the both of us, and I know he appreciates it as much as I do.”

“Anytime,” I replied, and in my head, I pleaded with him to say the words I knew had been on the tip of his tongue. They had been so close, I could almost taste them, could almost feel them rolling out of his mouth and into my mind, the words I had longed to hear for so long. I love you. But I knew there was no point pressing the issue. He would come out with that when he was good and ready, and it was clear he wasn’t quite there yet, for whatever reason, which I had to respect. No matter how much I wanted to grab him and tell him I felt the same way.

“Come on. Let’s get back to our room.” He tugged on my hand and flashed me a smile. “The night’s not over yet.”

Returning his grin, I followed him back to our hotel room, knowing he was right. There was still a whole heap in this relationship that we had ahead of us, and I made a promise to myself right there and then that I was going to sit back, enjoy the ride, and not push for things to go any faster than they already were. We would get there in the end, and that was all that really mattered.