prevented Roy from blowing town today."
Startled, Valerie shot her gaze toward Roy. He'd been about to leave town?
Roy threw a scowl at his friend before turning smoothly back to Valerie. "A whim. That's all. I was going to enter a poker tournament in Atlantic City, but it doesn't matter now."
"Ah, that's not how you put it to me last night," Kenny said. "It was going to be the first step in your training for the World Series of Poker."
"A whim," Roy repeated firmly. "Nothing to bother Valerie about."
"Mm hm." Kenny looked like he was holding back laughter with difficulty. "Does that mean you've given up on the World Series idea?"
Roy took a lofty tone. "Looks like I'll have other things on my mind for the next few months."
Kenny laughed, while Valerie felt herself pale.
"Oh no," she stammered. "I don't think — That is, you'll have time, all the time in the world." It was only after the baby was born he might be busy, should he still want to be involved. For the next eight months he'd be free as a breeze.
Roy gave her a narrow-eyed look, but whatever he might have said was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Ah." His expression eased back into a smile. "That'll be the minister."
Valerie felt her stomach somersault. Already?
At the door, Roy greeted a white-haired man in a navy blue suit. After shaking the man's hand, Roy turned back to meet Valerie's eyes with a wink.
A wink? How was she supposed to take a wink?
"Meet Mr. Burton," Roy told Valerie.
Mr. Burton immediately began to apologize. "I usually have time for at least a phone call to the bride and groom. So please tell me, any particular requests regarding the ceremony? I can do Traditional, Jewish, Catholic, or New Age." He gazed earnestly toward Valerie.
"Oh, um...simple," Valerie told him. "Please, just keep it simple."
But 'simple' hadn't been one of the choices. Mr. Burton threw Roy an anxious look.
"Traditional will be fine." Roy patted him on the shoulder, then looked straight at Valerie. He was nearly vibrating with eagerness. "Shall we get started?"
Valerie felt a pulse pound fast and hard in her forehead. The way Roy was looking at her, earnest and sincere, was unfortunately reminding her of the way he'd looked at her that night on the pool deck of the Paris Hotel — and that's how she'd gotten into this mess in the first place.
Add to that the big flower arrangements, the friends in suits, and the bucket she'd just noticed with a bottle that looked suspiciously like champagne sticking out of it. If she wasn't careful, she might read more into all this than there was. She might imagine Roy was acting...romantic, or something stupid like that.
"Um," Valerie said and couldn't prevent a step backward, away from that sincere, gray-eyed gaze of his. She was determined to stay grounded here. Roy did things with a definite flair, that was clear. And that was all . None of this meant he was excited about marrying her for her own sake. She wasn't going to make the same mistake with him that she'd made with Peter, and read anything significant into minor details. In fact —
"Wait a minute. Isn't there some paperwork we have to take care of first?" Her eyes widened. "Oh, God — we ought to have a prenup."
Roy went still. The whole room went quiet. But Valerie was applauding her own clear-headedness. Despite the show Roy was putting on here, she'd thought of a prenup. Good God, she was about to marry a gambler , a man whose income fluctuated from one night to the next. She had assets, a house. Oh, was she grounded or wasn't she?
Kenny was the first to speak again, animated. "She's absolutely right, Roy. I shoulda thought of that, myself. You need a prenuptial agreement."
"No." Roy made an impatient movement with one hand. "It'll only delay things."
"You need it," said Kenny, vehement.
"Yes, we do," said Valerie, just as vehement.
"Hey, it's Sunday, guys. I can't get a lawyer today." Roy looked toward Valerie. "And this has to happen
Startled, Valerie shot her gaze toward Roy. He'd been about to leave town?
Roy threw a scowl at his friend before turning smoothly back to Valerie. "A whim. That's all. I was going to enter a poker tournament in Atlantic City, but it doesn't matter now."
"Ah, that's not how you put it to me last night," Kenny said. "It was going to be the first step in your training for the World Series of Poker."
"A whim," Roy repeated firmly. "Nothing to bother Valerie about."
"Mm hm." Kenny looked like he was holding back laughter with difficulty. "Does that mean you've given up on the World Series idea?"
Roy took a lofty tone. "Looks like I'll have other things on my mind for the next few months."
Kenny laughed, while Valerie felt herself pale.
"Oh no," she stammered. "I don't think — That is, you'll have time, all the time in the world." It was only after the baby was born he might be busy, should he still want to be involved. For the next eight months he'd be free as a breeze.
Roy gave her a narrow-eyed look, but whatever he might have said was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Ah." His expression eased back into a smile. "That'll be the minister."
Valerie felt her stomach somersault. Already?
At the door, Roy greeted a white-haired man in a navy blue suit. After shaking the man's hand, Roy turned back to meet Valerie's eyes with a wink.
A wink? How was she supposed to take a wink?
"Meet Mr. Burton," Roy told Valerie.
Mr. Burton immediately began to apologize. "I usually have time for at least a phone call to the bride and groom. So please tell me, any particular requests regarding the ceremony? I can do Traditional, Jewish, Catholic, or New Age." He gazed earnestly toward Valerie.
"Oh, um...simple," Valerie told him. "Please, just keep it simple."
But 'simple' hadn't been one of the choices. Mr. Burton threw Roy an anxious look.
"Traditional will be fine." Roy patted him on the shoulder, then looked straight at Valerie. He was nearly vibrating with eagerness. "Shall we get started?"
Valerie felt a pulse pound fast and hard in her forehead. The way Roy was looking at her, earnest and sincere, was unfortunately reminding her of the way he'd looked at her that night on the pool deck of the Paris Hotel — and that's how she'd gotten into this mess in the first place.
Add to that the big flower arrangements, the friends in suits, and the bucket she'd just noticed with a bottle that looked suspiciously like champagne sticking out of it. If she wasn't careful, she might read more into all this than there was. She might imagine Roy was acting...romantic, or something stupid like that.
"Um," Valerie said and couldn't prevent a step backward, away from that sincere, gray-eyed gaze of his. She was determined to stay grounded here. Roy did things with a definite flair, that was clear. And that was all . None of this meant he was excited about marrying her for her own sake. She wasn't going to make the same mistake with him that she'd made with Peter, and read anything significant into minor details. In fact —
"Wait a minute. Isn't there some paperwork we have to take care of first?" Her eyes widened. "Oh, God — we ought to have a prenup."
Roy went still. The whole room went quiet. But Valerie was applauding her own clear-headedness. Despite the show Roy was putting on here, she'd thought of a prenup. Good God, she was about to marry a gambler , a man whose income fluctuated from one night to the next. She had assets, a house. Oh, was she grounded or wasn't she?
Kenny was the first to speak again, animated. "She's absolutely right, Roy. I shoulda thought of that, myself. You need a prenuptial agreement."
"No." Roy made an impatient movement with one hand. "It'll only delay things."
"You need it," said Kenny, vehement.
"Yes, we do," said Valerie, just as vehement.
"Hey, it's Sunday, guys. I can't get a lawyer today." Roy looked toward Valerie. "And this has to happen
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