. The words were clawing their way up his throat in a kind of strangled sound. They were at his mouth, on the tip of his tongue. But looking at Vivianne with her heart-shaped face, her beautiful eyes so focused on her friend’s competition, Asher found his courage failing. He swallowed hard on the unspoken words and asked instead, “Who’s that talking to Audi?”
“Dane,” Vivianne said quietly.
“Oh, really?” Asher did a double take. Vivianne was right. “What’s Dane doing here? I thought they were through.”
Vivianne didn’t answer him. That was okay. Asher usually dreaded Vivianne’s silence, but right now he was grateful for it. He looked past the ring to the river behind it. He couldn’t believe it was only that morning that he’d been on the river, not a care on his mind, his whole being focused on feathering the oar in perfect unison with his crew. Following the rhythmic surge of the boat as he slowly glided forward in his seat, anticipating the coxswain’s call to “drive!” before he dropped the oar into the water and pushed hard against the footrest with all his might. But then he’d gotten off the water, to find Faith waiting for him. Elation quickly gave way to horror and he knew that given the scandal to come, he had to seize his chance to tell Vivianne the truth. He’d never cheated. They were on a break. Still, he knew the news would wound her deeply and he had to be the one to deliver it.
“I made a mistake,” Vivianne’s soft words ripped him away from his thoughts. She laid her hand against his knee and slid closer until her thigh was flush against his. “This break, this pause in our relationship—let’s erase it. Let’s go back to the way things were that first week when we were both so happy. I’ll even—.” Her hand slid up his thigh.
“What?” he breathed.
Her lips brushed against his ear. She whispered, “You heard me. I don’t want to wait anymore. I want—,” Her voice faltered. She pulled back slightly, staring down once more at Audriana and Dane. With a visible shiver, she turned back toward Asher. “I want you .”
Asher cringed. If she’d said those words two months ago, he wouldn’t have wasted any time. They would have been under the bleachers, in the snow, where he would have gladly given her everything she’d asked for and more. On second thought, Vivianne probably wouldn’t do anything under the bleachers—he would take her somewhere classy, like a hotel. But she hadn’t said the words, not when he had desperately needed to hear them. Instead, she’d broken things off. And he’d made a mistake. Only it hadn’t felt like a mistake—it had felt like the first time he’d been happy in his entire life. Lying in Faith’s arms.
He must have blurted something out because he was suddenly aware of Vivianne’s lips pursed into an ugly line. “ Pregnant?
Joyce Swann, Alexandra Swann