A genuine smile broke across his face. “Yeah,” he admitted. “She does.”
Victoria’s own smile softened into something less forced. “Then I really do wish you well, Mathew.”
She turned toward the door.
“Victoria.”
She looked back, curious. “Yeah?”
There was one thing that had been nagging at him ever since that strange conversation with Aiden.
“Aiden,” he said. “Does that name mean anything to you?”
She frowned. “Aiden?” Then she shook her head. “No. Should it?”
His confusion deepened. “You never met anyone by that name while you were here?”
“No.” She grimaced faintly. “Honestly, I spent most of my time at the hotel or trying to catch up with you.” Color rose in her face again. “Not my proudest season.”
Mathew let out a thoughtful hum. “Huh.”
Victoria tilted her head. “Was I supposed to know him?”
He shook his head. “No. Never mind.”
Her smile returned, smaller this time but more real. “Goodbye, Mathew.”
“Goodbye, Victoria.”
He pulled out his phone, halfway tempted to call Aiden and demand an explanation for that bizarre conversation.
“Order for Mathew!” the barista called again, sounding much less patient this time.
Mathew jolted and stepped forward for the drinks, realizing they’d probably called his name more than once while he’d been standing there talking.
As he headed for the door, another thought rose up and lodged itself firmly in his chest.
His mother’s ring.
The one she’d always said would go to the woman he was meant to spend his life with.
She hadn’t offered it when he married Victoria.
And for the first time, Mathew found himself wondering whether that promise still stood. And… whether or not his mother would approve of River.
Mathew rolledthe ring between his finger and thumb as he waited on the stairs leading to River’s apartment.
Four months ago, he’d sat down with his mother and finally told her everything.
Until then, she’d only known he was struggling and that a woman was involved. She hadn’t realized how serious things had been with River before River pulled away.
That day, he’d told her the truth.
He’d met the woman he wanted to spend his life with.
Not five minutes into the conversation, his mother pushed to her feet and left the room. For one awful second, Mathew had thought she’d forgotten where she was again—or what they were talking about. Those moments came more often now. She sometimes forgot his father was gone. Forgot Jason was engaged. Forgot Mathew had been married and divorced.
Jason had postponed the wedding while they got her settled into memory care. Mathew knew better than most how quickly things could shift once dementia took hold.
