He was too good to be true. He was a man every woman wanted. Kind, honest, rugged, and a pure gentleman. He’d aged like a fine wine, and I’d never seen a man more handsome than the one who barely touched me.
But I knew Vincent Hunt was complicated for a reason.
A widower of more than a decade, he still carried a vigil for his wife in his heart. She was a ghost every new woman would have to compete with, and of course, she would always win.
His love for his wife never bothered me. I respected it, understood it.
But I wondered if he had room for one more person, even if it was just a small amount of space in his heart.
I’m beginning to see that Vincent Hunt prefers physical relationships because they don’t make him feel anything. There’s no reason to feel guilty when there’s nothing to feel guilty about.
But that’s not what I want.
I want those conversations, those walks through the museum. I want to know the man underneath the suit, to have more than just a relationship—but a friendship. No man in my entire life has made my heart beat so fast, has made me feel like I’m not too old to fall in love.
So I’m going to tell him how I feel and hope for the best.
I’m not asking for forever.
All I’m asking is for a chance.
Because Vincent Hunt is a man I’m willing to be patient with. And he’s the only man I’m willing to share with another woman. He’s worth the risk, worth this confession.
He’s worth it all.
I finished the last page and set it on my desk. The black letters contrasted against the cream paper and stood out to me in bold. I wanted to read it again, but I knew it would say the same thing.
Scarlet understood me better than I realized.
Perhaps I wasn’t as clever as I thought.
My hands came together in my lap, and my fingers touched. I considered the article again, going through the different points she made. It was unbelievably flattering and so honest that my respect for her continued to grow.
I blew her off on her doorstep, but she still made another move.
And it was a good move.
The idea of calling her was tempting. I wanted to invite her to my place for an intimate dinner. I wanted to learn more about her daughter, about the things in life that made her happy. I also wanted those quiet moments when we didn’t say anything at all. That peaceful silence was what I valued most in a relationship. I wasn’t a strong conversationalist. All I could do was be direct about what I wanted. But talking for pleasure…wasn’t my strength.
And I wanted to do other things with her.
I wanted to make love to her.
The second I let the thought enter my mind, I felt the burn of betrayal. I felt unfaithful to Isabella. She was the only woman I’d ever made love to. Alessia, Meredith, and all the others were nothing but good fucks. The distinction was clear, and I never crossed it.
I’d waited long enough to move on, but now that the moment was there, I wasn’t sure if I could do it.
I couldn’t.
It would be cheap to do this over the phone, so I waited outside her office building until she left work.
She stepped out in the same outfit she’d been wearing when she stopped by my office.
I emerged from the side of the building and walked up to her. She didn’t realize I was there, so I said her name. “Scarlet.”
She stopped at the sound of my voice and turned to me, her eyes unable to hide their surprise. She didn’t have any warning, so she needed a few seconds to compose herself. “Hello, Vincent. I didn’t see you there…”
“It’s alright.” We stood away from the pedestrians on the sidewalk. The foot traffic became more saturated as everyone else got off work and headed to the gym or home. Now that I was face-to-face with her, this suddenly became much harder. “I liked the article.”
She held her purse over her shoulder, the unease obvious in her gaze. “I’m glad…”
“You should publish it.”
“Great.” She cleared her throat. “And the other article…?” It was the first time she looked away, glancing at the ground so she could have a break from my intense stare, the one she liked so much.
I didn’t want to hurt this woman, not when I’d become so fond of her. But I didn’t want to drag her on and hope for more. It was my fault for leading her on in the first place. I shouldn’t have asked her to breakfast and dinner so many times. I shouldn’t have put her in this position in the first place. “Everything you said about me is true. You know me better than I realized.”
She gave a slight nod.
“I like you, Scarlet. We both know that. But…I don’t think I can do this.”
She closed her eyes briefly, swallowing the painful answer she didn’t want to hear.
“Alessia and Meredith…they’re just companions. They don’t mean anything to me. But you do mean something to me…and that’s why it feels wrong. I thought I could move on, but I don’t think I can. My wife…she’ll always be there.”
“I understand, Vincent,” she whispered. “But keep in mind I’ve never asked you to forget about her.”
“I know…but I feel like I’m betraying her.”
She was quiet, her hands moving into the pockets of her jacket. She glanced at the people on the sidewalk then turned back to me. “I accept your decision, Vincent. And I appreciate your coming down to tell me in person. But as a friend, I feel like I should say this to you.”
“I’m
