“Are you sure you want to document it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if losing you is my greatest regret, would you publish that fact?”
Heat pooled around her heart once more, stronger now. The truth was, Viv had known that she was Duke’s biggest regret a year after the breakup. He’d told her, and she’d believed it. At that point, she was dealing with a major regret of her own.
Still, she hadn’t guessed that ten years later his answer would be the same.
“Dinner is served,” Tiff said as she entered. “Italian combo on sourdough for you,” she said, sliding a platter toward Viv. “And your Diet Coke.”
Viv was first to break their gaze and glance down at the food.
“Your favorite, Duke,” Tiff added as she slid his plate before him. “With a spiked seltzer. And here’s your extra deli mustard,” she said to Viv with a wink. “I love this stuff too.” She took a step back from the table. “Is there anything else I can get you?”
Again, Viv was struck by the informal manner between Duke and Tiff. It was refreshing, to say the least.
“Not for me, thank you. Viv?” he asked. “You good?”
“Nothing more for me. This looks delicious. Thank you.”
“Of course.”
“Let’s um…go ahead and eat,” she suggested. "We can pick back up on these questions later.” She tapped the pause button on the recording.
“Vivi,” Duke said, voice low, even, and thick with unspoken words.
Viv lifted her gaze, reluctantly as it might be, to meet his. Her heart skittered out of beat as she recognized that repentant expression.
“Losing you…” He searched her face before fixing his blue eyes back on hers. “It is still my greatest regret.”
She wasn’t sure how many beats her heart skipped that time. Viv gulped, dropped her gaze, and tried to sift through the comment. Her initial reaction came from the needy girl within. The one that wanted to be wanted, especially by the man who’d hurt her so many years ago.
But that wasn’t the only voice. A different one spoke up too. One of frustration, irritation, anger. The same voice that reminded her of his comment about the single mom. He wouldn’t want who she was now. He wanted who she was then. And it was too late for that.
“Why?” Viv blurted.
Duke’s eyes widened. He tilted his head to one side. “Why what?”
Yep, it was anger all right. A lot of it. “What makes you regret it even to this day? It’s not like you know me anymore. You didn’t even know I was Veritå.” Her mind zeroed in on his wry comment. “You have no idea how I changed after seeing such an ugly side to your society,” she said pointedly.
“My society?”
Viv considered that. “Well, the other side of you.”
“That’s not fair, Viv.” He stopped there, seeming to cut his words short and turned his gaze out the window. The sight of blue sky and puffy clouds reminded Viv that they were, in fact, in an aircraft, not some posh country club in LA.
“Maybe it is fair,” he said under his breath.
Viv turned her gaze back on him, surprised.
Duke’s brow tensed up as he met her eye once more. “I won’t deny that I made a stupid choice. I did. But everything I told you about that decision was true. I was never ashamed to be seen with you. I was just…focused on proving myself and…”
He glanced down at the table where he rubbed a thumb along the edge. He shrugged. “If I’d have known that I was choosing that dumb award over you, I would never have done it.”
“You thought you could have both,” Viv said. “That I’d just see past it like it was no big deal?”
“Of course,” he admitted. “No one outside of my own family had stood up to me like that. I should have known you were different though.”
She couldn’t help but get stuck on the way Duke said he’d chosen the award—not Sylvia—over her. It gave her a great deal of satisfaction.
Duke picked up his glass, took a sip, then set it back down with his eyes locked on her. “I learned from that. I really did. And as much as I wish I could undo it, I’m better for it. I hope you’ll be able to see that for yourself.”
Sincerity. Viv had learned to spot it, and that’s just what she saw on Duke’s handsome face.
An inner voice pleaded with her to put him at ease. To give him just enough to smooth the crease from his brow. A nod. A half-smile.
Instead, she settled on the truth. “I’m a single mother, Duke. I have two boys.”
The shock on his face was as priceless as it was painful. Eyes wide, almost amused, Duke shook his head.
“You do?” A smile spread over his lips. “But you are single,” he said, leveling a serious look at her.
“Yes.” Somehow, despite the wild rush of adrenaline coursing through her limbs at the unplanned confession, Viv felt a grin sneaking onto her lips as well.
“Two?” He put emphasis on the word. “How old?”
“Eight. Both of them. Well,” she added with a shrug. “Almost nine.”
“Twins?” The way his face lit up reminded Viv of the old days. His genuine interest and delight at topics they’d discuss into the late night hours.
She nodded as the grin won out. “Identical.”
“Vivi, that’s amazing.” At once, he was on his feet and shuffling around the table to give her a hug.
She couldn’t deny him the embrace, but inwardly Viv was shocked by Duke’s reaction. Scents of his spicy cologne hit her just as his solid arms wrapped around her back. “I can’t believe you have twins,” he said under his breath.
Viv returned his warm embrace, tingles washing over her at his touch. “I know. It’s crazy.”
Duke pulled back and looked at her, seeming to assess her with new eyes. “I bet you’re a great mom.”
A second dose of heat rushed to her face. Viv managed a shrug. “I try. They’re really great kids.”
“Wow,” he said while making his way back to his seat. Viv sat in hers as well.
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to turn the tables on the interview here. I have a million questions for you.”
And just like that—the unbreakable layer of ice had been broken. It felt as if he was actually seeing her. The woman she was now. Or at least, a very revealing side—her role as a mother was more important to her than anything.
“How about we go tit for tat?” she suggested, forcing her mind on a question that had come up a moment ago. That’s right, Viv. Stop swooning and get back on track.
Sure, her body would cycle the residual thrill at their interaction for the next four hours, no doubt. Simultaneously, her mind would work to remind her that she and Duke had taken a very positive turn which would, in essence, keep sparking that thrill into action again.
But Viv had a job to do, and she planned to do it.
She hit record on her voice memo once more. “This is a million dollar jet,” she said, revealing that she’d done her research since boarding. “You’ve got a menu that offers the same selection we’d see in, say, a downtown deli. Is that the regular menu when you fly?”