He gave a short nod. “Things are going well. I’m seeing someone.”
Her brows lifted. “River?”
There wasn’t any spite in the question. Just curiosity.
“Yes.” A real smile tugged at his mouth before he could stop it. “We’re working through some things, but… yeah. It’s good.”
Something softened in her expression. “I’m glad.”
He nodded once. “Thanks.”
Victoria glanced down at her cup, tapping one fingernail against the lid. “Actually… it’s good I ran into you. My flight leaves in a few hours. I was going to email you, but it’s probably better I tell you in person.”
Mathew waited, suddenly cautious.
“I wanted to apologize,” she said. “For showing up the way I did. For pushing when you’d made it obvious you didn’t want that from me.” She winced. “And for what it did to things with River.”
He said nothing.
Victoria drew in a breath. “I was in a bad place. And I think I romanticized what we used to have because it felt easier than facing what was really wrong in my life.” A tear slid down her cheek, and she wiped it away quickly. “That’s not your fault. It wasn’t fair to you.”
For a moment, Mathew could only stare at her.
When it became clear she was waiting for a response, he cleared his throat. “I appreciate you saying that.”
It wasn’t much, but it was all he could offer without opening a door he had no intention of stepping through.
Victoria searched his face a second longer, then gave a small nod. “I should probably go.”
He nodded too.
She turned and took a few steps, then stopped and looked back at him.
“You know,” she said, “I used to hate that your mother never offered me her wedding ring.”
Mathew stilled.
A flush crept up Victoria’s neck as she looked away. “I always told myself she didn’t like me. That she thought I wasn’t good enough for you.” Her laugh came out strained. “Maybe part of me spent too much time trying to prove I was.”
For the second time in only a few minutes, Mathew found himself without words.
He’d known Victoria never felt comfortable with his family. He’d assumed it was because she thought they were beneath her world.
Now he wasn’t so sure.
Victoria gave him a sad little smile. “I think I get it now.”
“Get what?” he asked.
Her eyes held his for a moment. There was sadness there, yes—but also something like acceptance.
“She makes you happy,” Victoria said. “In a way I don’t think I ever did. You’re different when you talk about her. Lighter.”
Warmth spread through him before he could guard against it.
She was right.
River had brought color back into places in him he hadn’t realized had gone dull.
