Now it was time to get serious about the gala. Several Stanford alumni would be there, from his frat house and her sorority alike. It was his big chance to make up for the dance he should have taken her to a long time ago.
She hadn’t seemed too interested in the gala when he mentioned it just now, but that shouldn’t surprise him. Viv wasn’t the type to be wooed by extravagant events with big money, Hollywood names, and flashing bulbs from the paparazzi.
He thought back on Grandma Lo’s text. The one she’d sent while he waited in the greenroom atSlipper Magazine.She’d wanted him to take Sylvia Sampson to the gala.
What were the odds that the same two women would sweep into his life at the exact time ten years later? He thought back on another text he’d received just last night. The one from Sylvia herself:Hey, stranger, it’s Sylvia. I’m back in town and I’d love to catch up. You free?
It went to show that what Grandma suggested was spot on. Sylvia expected an invitation this time around too. One she wasn’t going to get.
He sucked in another breath, a boost of confidence taking root in his chest. This time he’d play it right. Vivi wouldn’t need to know it was between her and this woman from the past. In truth, there wasn’t a contest at all. When it came down to a woman like Sylvia—or any woman at all, he mused—Duke would pick Viv every time.
Chapter 17
Duke glided his fingers along Viv’s silky wrist, observing the slender slope of her arm. “You’re so…delicate,” he said under his breath.
Vivi gave him a playful nudge. “No, I’m not. I’m tough stuff.” She bent her arm and flexed, making the long muscle along her bicep bulge.
Duke traced over the muscle as well. Strong, yes, but also soft, silky, fragrant, and warm. Just a few words that described her.
“Youaretough,” he admitted. “You can be both at the same time, you know?” He moved in, pressed a longing kiss to her inner arm, and sighed. “When do I get to meet the twins?” he asked, rolling onto his back.
Thick green leaves in twisty branches allowed spots of the blue, sunlit sky to shine through overhead. It had become a routine over the last couple of weeks. He’d take a three-hour lunch break each day, head over to Viv’s while the kids were in school, and lounge on a blanket beneath the big oak in her backyard.
The daytime dates at her place worked out for a few reasons: first, they planned to keep their relationship private until the article was released. Second, the boys weren’t home and, to Duke’s growing frustration, Viv wasn’t ready to tell them about him yet.
“I was thinking we could try a picnic this Saturday,” she said.
Duke propped himself on an elbow to look at her. “Really?”
Viv kept her eyes closed, soaking up a spot of sun where she lay. “Yeah. I’ll make some sandwiches. You can meet us there. It’s a school playground, actually. The one down the street. It doesn’t see a lot of traffic, so I think it’ll be perfect.”
Sparks of childlike excitement flickered through him. Thoughts of meeting them often triggered that same reaction. Like spending time with the twins would be a chance to have parts of his childhood back for a time.
“Think I should bring some baseballs and bats? I can get mitts their size. Are they both right-handed?”
Viv pried open her eyes. “No,” she said. “Dante’s a lefty. How’d you think to ask that?”
He shrugged. “It’s baseball. The mitt has to go on the correct hand. You said they’re on the rec team this summer, right? Do they already have their own gear? Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to have two mitts…”
More excitement stirred at the idea of playing ball with the boys. Of teaching them some of his hard-earned tricks. “You’ll play too, won’t you?”
“Sure, just watch out. I’m a lousy pitch. On another note,” she said, propping herself onto her elbows as well, “The article is coming along very nicely.”
He lifted a brow. “It is?”
Viv gave him a silent nod.
“I’m kind of nervous just thinking about it,” he admitted.
That earned him a grin. “You shouldn’t be,cuore mio, my heart.”
Heat roared low in his belly. Duke loved when she called him that. He ran his gaze over her as she looked at him, a sassy gleam in her gorgeous brown eyes. So intelligent, so confident, so beautiful. He shrugged onto his shoulder to place a kiss to her lips. And then another one.
“I’m…” His pulse shot into the next gear as he considered what he wanted to say. Something he’d thought about saying to her dozens of times before. His throat tightened as if it might close up around the words if he didn’t hurry and say them.
“I’m falling in love with you, Vivia Tripoli.” Duke’s heart raced impossibly faster now. Hotter too as Viv pulled back slightly to look at him.
Vivi’s eyes went wide, her brows lifted, and her lips quirked up on one side. Her face softened then as she toyed with the hairs at the nape of his neck. “I’m falling in love with you too,cuore mio, my heart.”
