“He’s been telling you to leave for weeks, Mags. And you’ve decided to listen to him now?”
“Well…” She waved her hands helplessly.
“You’re afraid he’s going to give you a hard time for breaking the engagement?”
“My son hates me, Allison. It’s time I faced that. Why keep butting my head against a wall, darling? It’s painful, and it dulls the senses.”
Allie took one of Mags’s hands in both of hers. “He doesn’t hate you. But if you keep abandoning him, he will. And yes, he’s going to give you hell, I mean, have you met Trevor?”
Sniffing, Mags gave a little laugh.
“He needs you in his life. He’s always needed you. Maybe this time, you can be there for him.”
“I don’t know.” Mags’s gaze drifted toward the door.
“Where’s Nigel?”
She glanced back at Allie. “He’s staying at the Bellagio.”
Allie left the room. She made her way out of the house and toward the garage, where Simmons polished the side mirror on the limo.
“Can I help you with something?” he asked.
“No, I’m good. Just going for a ride.”
Chapter 21
Trevor ran a hand over his face. Allie said she loved him. Poor girl didn’t understand that he never expected a happily ever after—for his parents or himself. Mags and Nigel were like two children playacting. As soon as things got boring, they moved on to other playmates.
He’d said some very hateful things to Allie, caused her pain again, and he hated that, hated seeing that wounded look in her eyes. But he stood by it all. Love was a fantasy, a dressed-up word for passion.
Maybe it was simply time to end it. He rejected the idea immediately. No, he wasn’t through with Allison Campbell. And as long as she understood that whatever they had was temporary, they would be fine.
Of course he was fond of her. And yes, he loved being inside her, tasting her, touching her. Her response to him was like a drug, left him craving more. He liked the way she bit her lip to study the chessboard while she contemplated her next move. The way she smelled and the way she laughed and the way she cared about her family. But that wasn’t love. Far from it. That was appreciation for another person. To muck it up with talk of love was beyond ridiculous. And she needed to understand that.
He stood from behind the desk and stretched his arms over his head. He needed more coffee. Actually, he needed a swim. It would clear his head and maybe he could think of a way to clear the sadness from Allie’s eyes.
He checked his computer one last time and made his way up the stairs. Once he hit the landing, Mags walked toward him. “I thought you’d left with the other one.” He brushed by her and walked in the opposite direction toward his room.
Mags trotted along behind him. “I want to talk to you.”
“No time,” he said, looking back over his shoulder. “I’m busy today. If you need a ride to the airport, have Simmons take you.” Walking into his room, he shut the door in Mags’s face.
He shed his jacket, tie, and shirt, and had just started working the button on his trousers when the door opened and Mags strolled in. “Excuse me, Mother, I’m in the middle of something.”
She waved a hand in his direction. “Nothing I haven’t seen before, darling.” She walked to a chair next to the fireplace and sat, crossing one leg over the other.
With a sigh of resignation, Trevor rebuttoned his trousers and grabbed his shirt from the floor, slipping his arms into it. “What is it you want?”
“Shall we eat in the garden tonight?”
“I thought you were moving out?”
“No, dearest, I’ve decided to stay.”
Gritting his teeth, he clenched his fists. “For how long?”
“Well, that rather depends on you.” She rose from the chair and stepped toward him, patting his cheek. “Until you forgive me.”
His face became immobile. “No worries then. I forgave you years ago. Feel free to leave anytime.”
Mags smiled. “I’m not going anywhere, darling. You may as well get used to it.” She left the room in a cloud of sweet perfume. Goddamn Allison. This little ploy had do-gooder stamped all over it.
***
Allie knocked on the door of the suite. Nigel answered wearing a thick terry robe with the hotel initials embroidered on the chest. His eyes were bloodshot, and he hadn’t combed his wavy hair. “Allison, my dear, now is not a good time.”
She edged past him. “Yeah, yeah.” She glanced around the living room. “You don’t have a woman in here, do you?”
“Only you. Did Mags send you?” He waved her inside.
“Um, Nige, why don’t you get dressed?”
He looked down at his bathrobe and grinned. “Don’t want a repeat performance, eh?”
No, she really didn’t. One glance at little Nigel and she was still scarred. “Go pants up.”
With a sigh, he stepped around a large entertainment unit that stood in the center of the room. He came back a moment later in old jeans and a golf shirt. “So, if Mags didn’t send you…”
“I want to talk about Trevor.”
“Ah. We should head down to one of the restaurants. I need a drink for this discussion.” He snagged his room card off the side table, slipped it in his pocket, and opened the door. “After you, love.”
They rode the elevator to the seafood restaurant, and because it was early, they were quickly shown to a table. Nigel held out her chair and made sure she was comfortable before they ordered.
When his martini arrived, he nodded. “All right, love, what’s this about Trevor?”
Allie plunged once again into waters that were none of her business. “I think you should stay in Vegas.”
“What makes you think I was leaving?” Nigel stirred his drink with two speared olives.
“You mean you’re going to stick around? But Mags was headed back to England.”
“Was?” His eyes sharpened. “Have her plans changed then?”
“I don’t know, but I told her she should stay too. For Trevor’s sake.”
“Oh.” His gaze shifted to the table and he took a sip from his glass. “I thought she meant to stay for me. That she’d had a change of heart.”
“Look, Nigel, I shouldn’t butt in—”
“No, it’s all right, Allison.” He sighed deeply. “I talked to Rebecca a few weeks ago—she was wife number two—anyway, we’ve remained friendly all these years. I married her on the rebound from Mags, and it was a terrible mistake. Didn’t last more than a year, but I think Mags and I might have worked things out if I hadn’t jumped into it with Rebecca. In retaliation, Mags married her number two, that damn Spaniard.”
“So, why did you invite Rebecca to the wedding, knowing how Mags felt?”
“Rebecca’s married to an old chum of mine. Went to school with Clifford. Damn fine shot on the golf course. He once shot a birdie—”
“Nige, back to the guest list.”
“Oh, quite. Well, I thought we could put the past behind us, and once they were here, Clifford and I could play a few rounds. But you saw how Mags went barmy.”
“So, why not just uninvite them?”
He looked a little sheepish. “Don’t like to back down. It’s my wedding too, you know.”
Allie closed her eyes for a second. “Trevor nailed it, the two of you are morons.”
“I say, Allison.”
“No, I mean it. You and Mags have found each other again, after all this time. You say you love each other, you want to make amends with Trevor, but the minute you don’t get your own way, you cut and run. What is that about?”
Suddenly, Nigel sat up straight in his chair and became very starchy. “Not that it’s any of your concern—”
“I know it’s not. But sometimes you have to make compromises to be happy. And if Mags doesn’t want your ex-wife at her wedding, I think that’s a pretty reasonable request. Now, what about Trevor?”