He swallowed.
“Would you change anything about this woman?”
His brows knit together while he considered her question. “Her address?”
That earned him a laugh. And then the question he’d been dreading. “Do I know her?”
“You might …” He wandered back into his bedroom and sank into his desk chair. “How good are you at keeping secrets, Jen?”
The teasing was gone from her voice when she answered. “Your secrets have always been safe with me. I swear I won’t tell a soul until you do.”
Duncan scrubbed his hand over his face.
“Look, you don’t have to tell me. But promise me you’ll ask her out. This is a huge step in the healing process.”
“I’ve dated since Mariah; it’s just been a while.”
“This isn’t the same though, is it?”
“No. It’s not. Damn, Jen. If I could go back in time, I’d marry her instead of Mariah. But that would deprive her of a good husband and a daughter, and I can’t think like that –”
“Holy shit! Is it Aurora?”
Damn his rambling. “Yes.” He gulped.
Cue the screaming. He wasn’t sure if she was mad at him or just excited.
When Jen started into a rendition of Celine Dion’s “The Power of Love,” he decided she was not mad. The lyrics fit exactly how he was feeling too. Frightened, but ready.
There was no use denying it anymore. He wanted Aurora. In his arms, in his bed, in his world. She was bringing him back to life, and he didn’t want to give that up. Even if it were only for a little while, and even if she didn’t want him after everything he’d done.
No. He’d make it up to her. Now he was grown and knew how to treat her. He’d show her what he didn’t know about love when they were kids.
Jen wrapped up the final round of the chorus, and he imagined her bowing like she used to when they were all goofing off backstage. He tucked his phone under his chin so he could clap.
“Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all week.”
“I had almost forgotten I was on the phone with the biggest Celine Dion fan of all time.” He paused. “I take it you approve?”
“Damn right I do. But be good to her. I’ve known Katie for a couple years. She did a photography project on cancer patients, and it was eye-opening. And knowing Aurora had to stand by for all of that and couldn’t do anything about it …” She paused. “Katie’s told me before how helpless it makes you feel. I can’t imagine being the spouse in that situation.”
Duncan nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. “I’ll be careful.”
“If anyone we know deserves this, it’s you two.”
“Thanks, Jen, that means a lot. But I better let you go. Time difference and all that.”
They said their goodbye’s, Duncan promising again to be good to Roar, and hung up their phones. He raised his face to the window as the sun painted the sky in beautiful shades of red and orange. Love? Yes, that had to be this drunken, fiery feeling. Despite the late hour, the realization made him giddy. He’d never really fallen out of love with her. He hadn’t dated in high school because the one person he wanted he’d felt was out of reach.
What he’d had with Mariah was different. They’d loved the idea of each other. They’d wanted the other to be someone else. But he didn’t want Aurora to be anyone but her talented, kind, curvy self.
What was he going to do about it?
Luck Be A Lady
Duncan kept his eyes down as he entered homeroom, his steps slow and heavy. As he approached his assigned table, the person that spoke was the one he least expected to greet him.
“You look awful,” Aurora stated.
