by Addison Cole
And just like that Violet was back to her confident self. His girl was a survivor.
Rowan and Joni returned to the table, and Joni was full of energy, leading the conversation in ten different directions.
A little while later Violet pointed across the patio to Dwayne and Justin standing with five other tough-looking guys. They were eyeing a table full of women a few feet away. “Those are Justin’s three brothers to the right, and Dwayne’s are the two to the left. And see the jarheads over there?”
He followed her gaze to the edge of the patio, where a bunch of guys with military cuts, massive muscles, and serious faces were talking.
“Those are Dwayne’s military buddies. They come each year for the event, along with the Dark Knights, and as you can see, most of the community.”
“Why don’t your other friends come?” he asked. “I know they don’t hang out here, but we’ve been here a number of times, and I’ve never seen most of these other people either.”
“Because we’re in Harwich,” she said, as if that should answer his question. Then she added, “And they rarely go past the rotary in Orleans.”
“But they know Justin and his family. Wouldn’t they want to support them?”
“They do,” she said. “His family holds a smaller service in Wellfleet. This is a Dark Knights event. My friends up there aren’t really into this crowd.”
They were a much rougher-looking group than he’d seen around her friends in Wellfleet, but he had a feeling if she invited them, they’d come. If for no other reason than to support Violet.
“Peach!” Joni shook Violet’s arm. “Can you and Pepper dance with me?”
Violet smirked at Andre and said, “Geez, even the little ladies think you’re hot. Come on, Pepper. Let’s cut a rug with the munchkin.”
They danced with Joni, ate, visited the auction table, chatted with Gabe, Dwayne, and other friends, and then they danced some more. A couple hours later, Gabe announced the winners of the silent auction and the amount of money each item had sold for.
Andre watched Violet closely when they announced that her sculpture had gone for eight thousand dollars. Her beautiful lips curved up as everyone cheered, and when they announced that the winner had submitted the bid anonymously and was donating the sculpture to the coffeehouse, Violet turned her wise, knowing eyes to him.
He put his mouth beside her ear and said, “I’m proud of you, baby. You made that donation possible.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek, and she turned, meeting his lips in a sizzling kiss.
“Thank you,” she said for his ears only.
Dwayne’s father gave a speech, thanking everyone for coming out. He spoke about the daughter he’d lost and about spreading hope for a more peaceful future. Then they allowed friends and family to say a few words. Violet held Andre’s hand, squeezing it as each person spoke. Her eyes teared up, and he put his arm around her, holding her close. Justin got up to speak, drawing tears with a tale about his late cousin’s fifteenth birthday party. Rowan was the only one from their table who spoke before the group. Holding Joni, he talked about how hard it was to lose someone and how he and Joni are proud to be included in the suicide-awareness efforts. Dwayne and his brothers each spoke. The burly bikers broke down, and ended up with their arms around each other’s shoulders, letting their tears fall without shame. Stephanie walked right up to them, and Dwayne pulled her into the fold. The military guys spoke of brotherhood and solidarity, their thoughtful words aimed at their brother in arms.
The outpouring of emotion was as sad and touching as it was inspiring, the way people from all walks of life came together to try to make their community a better place. By the time everyone had said their piece, Violet was practically in Andre’s lap, safely nestled within his arms, her side to his chest, her tears landing on his arm.
He kissed her cheek and whispered, “I love you.”
She turned her face into the crook of his neck and said, “I didn’t know her, but I know how it feels to be an outsider, and I wish I had known her. I would have kicked anyone’s butt who made her feel bad.”
Before he could respond, the band started playing, and the entire crowd began singing Bruno Mars’s “Just the Way You Are.” All around them, people belted out the lyrics. Violet reached into Andre’s pocket as she sang and handed him the paper she’d given him earlier. He scanned the lyric sheet, but he didn’t need it.
He pulled her into his arms, singing every word with her. He might have started out singing for the young woman they were there to honor, but when the last words left his lips and his beautiful girl’s trusting green eyes gazed up at him, each and every word was meant for her.
By the time they got home, Andre was drunk on love. He knew the first thing Violet would do was go to the inn to get Cosmos and bring him to the cottage to sleep, so he let her guide him. They went in through the kitchen door, and Cosmos trotted out to greet them. When Violet crouched to pick him up, he darted down the hall.
“He’s a pest,” Violet said, following Cosmos.
He was a perfect little pest.
Violet peered into the dining room. “Cosmos?”
The pup yapped and she crossed the hall to the living room. She stood stock-still in the entryway, and Andre watched as she took in the mass of leafy plants surrounding the canvas tent, above which the guys had hung twinkling white lights crisscrossing the ceiling, just as he’d planned. The flaps of the tent were tied back, revealing colorful blankets and pillows, in the center of which Cosmos lay with his tongue out, panting happily. A small end table he’d found at a yard sale that looked a lot like the one that had been in his tent in Ghana was draped with one of Violet’s beautiful batiks. Candles sat ready to be lit beside a bottle of wine and two glasses.
Andre wrapped his arms around her from behind, pressed a kiss to her cheek, and said, “Surprise, sweetheart.”
She turned in his arms, happiness glimmering in her eyes. “How did you do all this?”
“With help from Dean and Drake. But we didn’t tell the gossip girls. I was afraid they’d spill the beans.” He pressed his lips to hers, and then he said, “It’s the closest I could come to being out in the wilderness. I wanted to set this up outside beneath the stars, but I was afraid you’d freeze.”
She wound her arms around his neck and said, “It wouldn’t matter if we were in the rainforest, the desert, at the beach, or in Antarctica, as long as we’re together it’s perfect. I love everything—the tent, the lights, the plants. But mostly I love you for loving us enough to take us back to the place where we began.”
Chapter Fifteen
VIOLET LAY SNUGGLED against Andre Friday morning, gazing up at the peak of the tent while trying desperately not to think about him leaving next weekend. They had eight more days together, and each one seemed like a step on a plank leading up to the hardest decision of her life. She wanted to take his hand and fly into their next adventure. Oh, how she missed it all—being in the field with Andre, traveling, waking to the noises of an unfamiliar village, helping people who didn’t have the advantages they had in the States, and becoming one with nature in a way she couldn’t in modern society.
But at the same time, she couldn’t imagine leaving Desiree.
Thoughts of her sister brought more anxiety. They had a lot to talk about, and serious talks were like rabid dogs—Violet avoided them at all costs. She knew Desiree would be on cloud nine from her honeymoon. How could Violet break her heart by telling her she was thinking about leaving?
Violet closed her eyes, bathing in memories of the last few weeks. She didn’t try to dodge the confusion, anger, or hurt of when she and Andre had first reconnected. That pain had helped them become stronger in the same way the missing years between her and Desiree had led them to their unexpected common ground.
Cosmos made a noise, and she glanced at him, sleeping soundly against the crook of Andre’s body. The pup who had once driven her batty had become a reminder of what unconditional lo
ve was all about.
The same way Andre has.
Memories of the amazing night they’d first made love came rushing back—she could still feel their bodies as one, still see the powerful look of true love in his eyes and hear the intensity of his emotions as he’d said, I can’t imagine a single day without you in it. Come back to Boston and marry me, Daisy. She’d been as elated as she’d been terrified. Oh, how she’d loved him. Never in her life had she dreamed of, much less experienced, a love so deep and real as the love they shared. But she’d tried to imagine what life with Andre would be like in Boston, and reality had hit like a freight train. No matter how in love they were, the idea of staying in one place, of being a proper doctor’s wife, was suffocating.
But now he’d changed his world because of the things they’d talked about and maybe even because of the love they’d shared. Was it so much to ask for her to do the same?
But he hadn’t asked her to come with him this time, and that brought another level of panic, despite her indecision.
I can’t imagine a life without you, either.
She thought she had eight days to figure things out, but what if he didn’t want her to go with him, but wanted to try a long-distance relationship? Could she live with that? Could he? Maybe it was time to face all her fears.
She looked at his peaceful face, silently hoping she wouldn’t mess things up. She mustered all her courage and kissed Andre’s lips.
“Mm.” His arm slid down her back, holding her tighter. “How’s my girl?”
“Well satisfied and…” She cringed at how harsh that sounded, which was weird in a frighteningly good way. His eyes opened and she said, “Well loved and stressing out.”
He lifted his other arm slowly, trying not to wake Cosmos, and threaded his fingers into the hair just above her ear, cradling her cheek. His warm brown eyes drifted over her face, and his lips curved up in a reassuring smile. “There’s not much I love more than waking up to your sweet face. We’re in our magical tent, babe. No stress allowed.”
“It would be easy to let reality fall away, but I know the next week will fly by, and then we’ll be standing on the edge of that awful plank with the world spread out before us.” Words tumbled from her mouth faster than she could think. “And I can’t stop imagining all that’ll be left on solid ground. Desiree and the life we’ve built here. The family we’ve created. That stupid dog. And you haven’t even asked me to go with you, so for all I know…” Tears filled her eyes. She couldn’t even say that he didn’t want her to go, because she knew that wasn’t true. She lowered her face to his chest and held on tight, as if her words alone might catapult her into darkness.
He kissed the top of her head, and she felt his heart beating faster against her cheek.
“I didn’t realize we were walking a plank.” He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead. “Are you ready to talk about the future? Every time I try to bring it up you avoid it like the plague.”
“I do not,” she snapped, but that wasn’t true. That was her stupid self-preservation kicking in. “I’m sorry. It’s true. But do you blame me?” She tilted her face up and said, “I screwed us up once, and I don’t want to do it again. I want to be with you, but I want to be here, too, and I know I can’t have it all. I’m not asking you to fix it or figure it out. I just wish I knew what to do. Desiree is coming back, and all I can think of is how far we’ve come—her and me and you and me. My heart is yours. I hope you know that, but she’s—”
“Shh, babe.” He gathered her in his arms and held her. “Nobody wants you to choose.”
“Oh, right,” she said sarcastically. “Maybe I can pack everyone’s things and drag them across the world, too.”
He gently rolled her onto her back and gazed down at her with a sexy smile.
“Sex isn’t going to solve this,” she said half-heartedly.
“I don’t want to have sex. I want you to close your eyes and just breathe. Come on. Do it with me, just like you taught me to do. Remember?”
“How could I ever forget? When you finally closed your eyes and relaxed, I wanted to crawl into your lap and disappear.”
“Even with my eyes closed I felt you watching me, and I knew then that if I were ever to get through all your beautiful layers, I’d never want to let you go.”
She closed her eyes and felt the sting of tears again. “Stop. No sappy stuff right now. It’s too hard.”
He kissed her and said, “I want you to be with me always, but figuring out how to make that work takes conversation.” He brushed his lips beside her ear and whispered, “It takes two, baby. This has never been a one-sided decision. I need to know what’s in your heart.”
“You,” she said quickly. “And Desiree. I committed to running the inn with her. I can’t just abandon her.” Pain washed over his face.
“You think following your heart means abandoning the people you love, but it doesn’t. You see gray areas of potential in everything around you, but you also have this belief that some parts of your life—the people you love, your relationships—can only exist as all or nothing. Maybe that comes from Lizza cutting ties with Ted and Desiree when you were young. Or maybe not. Why you believe it isn’t as important as realizing that there is a world of possibility between all and nothing.”
He was quiet for a long moment, his gaze drifting over her face again, as if the answers were written there. She hoped they were because the only thing going through her mind was, Which side are you on, or where do you fall in between? Wherever it is, I want to be there, too.
“What if you could have both?” he said softly. “What if we spent the time between clinic openings here with Desiree and your friends, and we worked our schedules to be here each summer to help with the inn?”
“I can’t ask you to change your schedule for me—”
He silenced her with a kiss and said, “You don’t have to.”
Cosmos raised his head and raced out of the living room, barking as the girls barreled into the kitchen in a cacophony of conversation. Violet groaned, and he kissed her again, smiling against her lips.
“Come on, babe. Those are the friends you don’t want to leave, remember?” He climbed off her, tossed her his T-shirt, and pulled on his jeans.
She put on his shirt and her leather pants from last night, and they headed to the kitchen. Serena had her nose in the fridge, Chloe’s hand was stuffed in a box of cereal, and Daphne had just bitten into an apple. Gavin and Emery were standing by the coffee machine.
“Where the heck did you two come from?” Emery asked.
“Living room,” Violet said, ignoring Gavin’s raised brow.
Drake and Dean ran through the door. “Sorry!” they both said in unison.
“We thought we’d beat them here,” Dean said.
“It’s okay,” Andre said.
“What’s going on?” Emery asked. “Why were you trying to beat us?”
“Something wrong with your place, Vi?” Serena asked. “Oh no, did you guys have a fight? Is that why there’s no breakfast?”
Andre chuckled.
Violet rolled her eyes. “We got you doughnuts last weekend. Maybe it’s time you made us breakfast.”
“You got doughnuts?” Emery handed Gavin and Dean cups of coffee. “Why didn’t we get any doughnuts?”
“Nice, Serena,” Gavin said as he sat at the table. “I’m your business partner, and I always make sure you have ample sugar in the office. Where’s the reciprocation?”
Serena pulled out a chair and sat down with a container of yogurt. “She means the smushed doughnuts that we had to scrape off the sides of the box to eat. I told you about them.” She tore off the top of the yogurt, eyeing Violet and Andre. “How did they get so mangled from a simple ferry ride, anyway?”
Chloe stuffed a handful of cereal into her mouth, looking at Violet and Andre expectantly.
Daphne sat at the table with her apple and said, “Maybe they didn’t go on the ferr
y after all.”
“Sex on the ferry is more like it,” Serena said.
“I need coffee.” Violet headed for the coffeemaker.
Drake sat beside Serena and said, “Stop picking on Vi, babe. We got more than our fair share of perpetual bliss that night, and from what I recall, you didn’t complain when I was licking that scraped chocolate off your—”
“Stop!” Daphne and Chloe yelled.
“Aw, I want to hear about their nasty little doughnut tryst,” Emery teased.
Serena pointed at Drake and said, “If you say one more word, you won’t be getting any bliss, perpetual or otherwise, for a very long time.”
Drake blinked innocently and said, “I was going to say off your fingers. Where was your mind going?”
“Is this where the party is?” Justin sauntered into the kitchen carrying a bag from Blue Willow Bakery. “I brought bagels and muffins.”
The girls rushed at him, all talking at once.
“Thank goodness! I’m starved!” Daphne said.
Emery squealed. “Yay!”
“This makes you even hotter.” Chloe snagged the bag from him.
Justin held his hands up, and Violet said, “Welcome to the madhouse.”
“Pass me a muffin!” Serena hollered.
“Don’t you feed these people?” Justin asked.
Dean grabbed Emery around the waist and said, “I fed my woman this morning.”
“That kind of food only makes me hungrier.” Emery gave him a bagel and a kiss.
Violet handed Justin a mug of coffee and said, “I was wondering when you were going to show up.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t usually spend my mornings solo,” he said with a cocky grin.
“Take a seat, Casanova,” Violet teased. “If you’re lucky they’ll leave you a few crumbs.”
Justin laughed and sat at the table. Violet got coffee for herself and Andre, then sat on Andre’s lap as the gossip girls and their men devoured the food.
“Thanks for bringing breakfast,” Chloe said, shoving the bag across the table to Andre and Violet. “We should have a system. You know how churches have prayer chains, where one person calls the next? We need breakfasts alerts. Like”—she lowered her voice—“SOS. Bad night at the inn. Bring bagels.”