“Of course not.” Whatever their feelings for each other, this situation was very personal for him.
He nodded like that had settled everything still left unsaid between them. She wasn’t so sure she agreed, but she didn’t hesitate to get out of the car with him.
They took the path to the overlook, Maddie grateful she’d worn the sensible pumps and that the ground was dry. Neither of them spoke while they walked, but he kept his hand on the small of her back, moving it to her elbow in the uneven patches of terrain.
When they stopped, they were at one of the favorite overlooks that gave a view of both the famous bridge and the San Francisco skyline. A few tourists dotted the area, but none near enough to hear any discussion she and Vik might have.
Vik maneuvered them so he stood only a few inches from her, his body acting as a barrier against the incessant winds off the harbor. The close and clearly protective positioning felt significant.
“My grandfather gave my grandmother her first view of San Francisco in this very spot,” Vik said after a moment of silent contemplation of the vista before them. “He promised her a future with food to put on the table for their family. A future without oppression for their Orthodox beliefs.”
“He kept his promise.”
“Yes.” Vik went silent for several seconds of contemplation. “Grandfather brought my dad up here as a child. Misha told Frank he could be anything he wanted to, a true American with no accent, his name just like all the other boys’.”
“Your grandfather gave your father the freedom to be anything he wanted to.”
“Even a failure.”
She couldn’t argue that assessment, not when she knew Frank Beck had spent his adulthood running from responsibility. Unless something had changed in the last six years, Frank only contacted Vik when he wanted something. Usually money.
Placing her hand on his forearm, Maddie said, “He didn’t fail when he fathered you.”
“Misha and Ana raised me to be who I am.”
“An undisputable success.”
Vik turned to face her. “You believe that?”
“I do.”
“That is good.”
She smiled, not sure why she felt the need to reassure Viktor Beck, but determined to do it anyway.
“Deda brought me up here, too, when I was boy. Frank could not be bothered, but I made promises to myself, commitments to the children I would one day father. Promises I will keep.”
“I have no doubt.”
Vik’s gaze warmed, his expression filled with unmistakable determination. “My grandparents were not in love when they married, but theirs is one of the strongest marriages I have ever witnessed.”
“They are devoted to each other.”
“And to their family, even my dad.”
“I believe it.”
Vik nodded, his dark eyes reflecting approval of her words. “That kind of dedication runs in my veins right along with the ruthlessness.”
“I know.”
Vik laid his big hands on her shoulders, creating a private world of two for them. “I believe our children will share those traits.”
“No doubt.” There was nothing she could do about how breathless her voice had become.
He was touching her, and even through the fabric of her Valentino suit jacket and the shell she wore under it, she felt the connection intimately.
“Considering it will come from both their mother and their father, our children have little hope otherwise.”
“I’m not ruthless,” she said, shocked by the accusation.
“The paperwork you signed today would say otherwise.”
“You know that isn’t the way I usually do things.” It just had been...necessary.
“Ruthlessness does not have to be the dominant trait in your nature for you to have it.”
“And it doesn’t bother you?”
“That you’ll fight for those who deserve your loyalty, even those who do not? No.”
“You expect to deserve my loyalty.”
“Yes.”
“And will I get yours?”
His expression said her question surprised him. “Do you doubt it?”
“Six years ago...”
“You kissed me and I pushed you away.”
“That’s a simplified way of looking at it and not entirely accurate.”
“No?”
“No. I told you I loved you. You told me I was too young and you didn’t just push me away, you pushed me out of your life completely. Our friendship ended with one kiss.”
“It was necessary.”
“We could have stayed friends.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“You were an eighteen-year-old, barely a woman.”
“But I was a woman.”
“I know.” There was a message in his voice she couldn’t decipher.
“You were also the daughter of a man I admired and who trusted me with you.”
“Not to mention he was your boss,” she reminded him a little snidely.
“Yes, my boss. The president and owner of a company I intended to run one day.”
“A relationship with me would hardly have gotten in the way of that goal.”
“It would have. Six years ago.”
“But not now.” No, now it was the opposite.
Marriage to her would give Vik exactly what he wanted.
“No, not now.”
“I loved you.” She wouldn’t call it a crush; it hadn’t been by then. She’d gotten over it, but at one time she had loved him. “Your rejection hurt me.”
“I am sorry.”
But he wouldn’t change his past actions, even if he could. She knew him.
