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He felt Viv tense ever so slightly, and he gave her shoulder a reassuring rub with his thumb.
“How forgiving she is.” He leaned forward when she slowly turned to face him, laying it on thick. “I kind of made an ass of myself, and she was gracious enough to give me another chance.”
“And you, Viv?”
“How willing he was to admit he made a mistake.” The smile she sent him was almost smug, and he quirked a brow before she turned back to Diana. “It’s very refreshing when a man can admit he’s wrong, don’t you think?”
Diana laughed. “You might have yourself a unicorn there.”
“He’s certainly something,” Viv said, relaxing a bit more and giving his thigh a firm pat.
“Here’s the one thing readers always want to know. How did he propose? Was it romantic? Funny? Did it catch you by surprise?”
Viv tilted her head, and he knew she was considering how to weave this particular lie.
“It was definitely a surprise,” she began. “He knows I hate being the center of attention, so he came over and we made dinner together.” Her voice went dreamy, and he wondered if she was recounting her ideal proposal or just doing it for added effect. “I turned around from taking the chicken out of the oven, and he was on one knee right there in the middle of the floor. It was…very sweet. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect proposal.”
Diana jotted down some notes and smiled at Aidan. “Were you nervous?”
He chuckled. “Nervous is one word for it. I wasn’t sure if she’d say yes or if she’d like the ring I picked out. But I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t go for it.”
“Your family has a bit of a tradition of using family heirlooms to propose, if I recall.”
He reached for Viv’s hand with a nod, lacing their fingers together and staring down at the ring while the photographer snapped pictures of their joined hands.
“They’re usually pretty big and gaudy. You’ve seen Evie’s. That used to belong to my mother. This one seemed like it fit her. It has an…understated elegance.”
That, at least, wasn’t a lie. It did seem to suit her perfectly. When he looked up, Viv was staring at him, eyes soft and unreadable.
“That is just so precious. To know someone that well. But if I’m not mistaken, this is a pretty fast courtship, isn’t it? What’s the rush?”
“When you know, you know,” Aidan said, finally dragging his eyes away from Viv to smile at Diana while the photographer continued snapping away. “We didn’t want to wait, and our families were okay with a short engagement.”
“Viv, your family owns Romano’s Bakery, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The rest of the interview flew by in a parade of questions about their families, the ceremony, and the reception. The woman wanted to know every detail down to the number of guests, which, truthfully, neither of them could remember.
The whole thing was mind numbingly boring, and they both played their parts well. Viv looked every bit the excited bride and he the enraptured groom. Diana was practically eating out of the palms of their hands.
The photographer directed them through some posed shots for the lead photo of the article, and as they were packing up, Diana asked, “So what are your plans for the honeymoon?”
“Oh, well, we—”
“We decided to delay until the summer. When it's warmer,” Aidan interrupted.
“We did? I thought we agreed we weren’t going to take one?” Viv added in a rush. “You’re just so busy with work and everything…”
He made a show of running his hand down her back and hooking it around her waist, pulling her in closer and pressing a kiss to her temple. He smiled against her skin at the way she squirmed ever so slightly against his touch.
“Well, it was going to be a surprise, but…I thought you’d enjoy Rome more in June than November.”
“Rome?”
“Yeah.” He shifted his hold on her waist to turn her toward him. “Haven’t you always wanted to go there?”
“I have, but—”
