by Addison Cole
She did? “Uh, no. Have a seat.”
“She said she needed us tonight,” Steph explained. “I thought maybe you were leaving town early and she was bummed, but she said you’re not leaving until next weekend.”
“Engagement announcement?” Dwayne asked, taking the seat beside Cory. “Because if it is, I want to know what drugs you gave that woman to get her to agree.”
Everyone except Andre laughed.
“No, definitely not that type of announcement. I have no idea why she asked you to come. She and her sister had a rough time yesterday, but I thought they made up today. They spent the day together. Maybe something went sour and she needs your support.” If that were true, it would sting like mad. Wasn’t supporting her his job?
Gabe brought his drink, and as she took orders from the others Andre watched the entrance, wishing Violet would show up. The sculpture she’d made sat on a table by the front door. Had she told Desiree about that particular part of her life, too?
Man, he hoped things hadn’t gone bad between them.
He and Violet would be fine in a long-distance relationship, even if every day apart seemed like a year. But not being with Violet while she worked through a hard time with Desiree? Knowing she might be heartbroken or scared? That would be torture.
The front door opened and he watched hopefully, but Justin walked in. Elliott pointed him in Andre’s direction. Rowan and Joni came in behind him. Uh oh. Something was definitely wrong.
“What’s up, dude?” Justin set a hand on Andre’s shoulder and nodded to the others.
“Did Vi text you?” Dwayne asked.
“Yeah. Why? Did she text y’all, too?”
There was a collective “Yeah” from the group as Joni ran over with a beaming smile and said, “Hi, jelly beans!”
Everyone greeted her with silly comments as Rowan scooped her up and sat down with her on his lap.
Justin pulled out a chair beside Dwayne and said, “So, what’s going on? Vi just said she needed me and to find Andre when I got here.”
Andre splayed his hands. “I have no idea. She texted me and said to meet her here at seven. I didn’t know she’d asked you guys to meet her, too.”
There was more commotion by the front door and they all looked over. Desiree and Rick walked in, followed by Drake, Serena, Dean, and Emery. Rick spoke to Elliott, who called Rod over and pointed to Andre and the others. As Rod headed for them, Mira walked in, cradling baby Holly, followed by Matt, holding Hagen’s hand. They all looked across the room toward Andre, who was completely baffled.
“Hey, can I get some help with this?” Rod said as he pushed another table toward theirs. “El said Vi wants you all together. Looks like we need to add a few more tables.”
The guys helped him push several tables together, and he heard Justin say, “Gavin, Chloe, and Daphne just got here. And, dude, Daphne has a baby.”
“Yeah, a little girl. Hadley.” Andre looked up as Violet’s other friends approached.
Desiree was smiling, but she was also nervously biting her lower lip, while tucked safely beneath Rick’s arm.
“Daddy! Who are all these people?” Joni asked loudly. Rowan whispered something to her and Joni said, “She has lots of friends!”
Andre stood to greet Desiree and said, “I thought you were with Vi?”
“We went our separate ways hours ago. She said she had stuff to do.” Desiree leaned closer and said, “This is the place she told me about? Are those her other friends? Are they nice?”
Andre nodded. “They’re great. But how are you and Vi? Are you okay? Do you know why she asked everyone to come?”
“We’re more than okay, and I have no idea,” Desiree said. “She texted us all separately.”
“Dude, move over,” Dwayne said to Justin. Then he waved to the open chairs between them and said, “Single women over here.”
“That’s us, Daph!” Chloe snagged the chair beside Justin.
Gavin pulled out a chair between Daphne and Steph and said, “How about single dudes? Does this work?”
“Heck yes.” Steph grabbed his shirt and tugged him down beside her. She leaned closer and said, “I’m Steph, and you smell amazing.”
Everyone began claiming seats and introducing themselves at once. Rod headed up to the stage and played his guitar. As the others settled in, Hagen entertained them with stories of his first few weeks of school. Gabe brought a high chair for Hadley, and then took everyone’s orders.
“So you don’t know why we’re here either?” Desiree asked, looking around the café. “This looks like someplace Violet would enjoy. She told me about it, and her friends here. I can’t believe she’s had this whole other life for so long. She took me to meet some of the kids she works with at the hospital, and to see Justin’s studio. I saw the beautiful sculpture you guys made for Erin’s parents.”
“I’m glad,” Andre said. “I’m sorry it was so hard for both of you at first. Violet loves you. She loves all of you very much.”
Desiree put her hand on his arm and said, “You don’t have to explain. She told me everything. I’m glad she had this place, and I’m glad she has you.”
“What else did you two do today?” And why haven’t I heard from her?
Desiree’s cheeks pinked up. She turned her back to the others at the table and pulled the neckline of her sweater to the side, exposing a heart tattoo that was half orange and half purple. “Violet has one over her heart, too. Orange is my favorite color, and well, the purple is for Vi, of course. I had the idea to get sister tattoos, but Violet suggested we get a tattoo that matched the one Lizza has.”
That surprised Andre, but then again, he hadn’t expected Violet to show Desiree the studio or take her to meet the children she worked with. As he looked around the table, he wondered what else she had up her sleeve.
Rick leaned back with pride in his eyes and said, “My wife’s a wild woman.”
“If you think about it,” Desiree said, “it makes sense that we should honor Lizza, too. She might have made our lives harder, but how can we really know what they would have been like if she hadn’t taken Vi away? Besides, Lizza is the reason we reconnected, and she brought Rick and me together. She closed the distance between you and Violet, too. She’ll always be our mother, and despite her crazy antics, we love her. We just don’t want to become her.”
Gabe brought everyone’s drinks and took their dinner orders. Andre wanted to ask Desiree if Violet had mentioned going away with him, but he had a feeling she would have already said something if she had.
After ordering, he asked Gabe if she’d heard from Violet. “I’m beginning to get a little worried that something might have happened to her.”
Gabe smiled and said, “This is Violet, remember? Nobody’s dumb enough to mess with her. She’ll show up when she’s good and ready.”
As she said the words, Rod stopped strumming his guitar, and Andre glanced up just in time to see Violet strutting down the hall from the kitchen wearing a bright red leather miniskirt with a zipper running down the center of it from the waist to the hem. A low-cut black shirt hung off one of her shoulders and had the words daughter, sister, friend, lover listed in white down the front, with a bright red slash through each one, and below them, written in red, was BADASS WITCH. Her leather biker boots announced each step with a thud, and her sexy green eyes were locked on Andre as she strode up to the mic.
“Oh my gosh. She’s wearing red!” Emery exclaimed. “Have you ever seen Violet wear red?”
As the others whispered about Violet’s clothes, Andre’s heart filled up anew. She had worn that same outfit early on in Ghana, and it had driven him out of his mind then, too. She put a hand on her jutted-out hip, with the defiance of a teenager, and the din of the others quieted.
“How’s it going?” Violet said with the confidence of a fearless woman.
Everyone answered at once, and she nodded, her eyes sweeping over her friends. Then those gorgeous eyes narrowed and she said, “
Thanks for coming.”
She glanced at Elliott, who gave her a thumbs-up, and her expression softened. Her hand fell from her hip, and when she looked out over the tables, her left toe turned in. Andre’s chest tightened. He wanted to go to her, to be her rock, her greatest supporter. But he knew that his strong, vulnerable, creative girl with the heart of gold needed the support of everyone sitting around that table, along with Gabe, Rod, and Elliott, just as much as she needed him. She might need them all in different ways, but they each owned a piece of her heart, and they’d helped her become the incredible woman she was. He’d never want to take that away from her.
Violet cleared her throat and said, “You know all that bull about love is patient, love is kind? Well, growing up with Lizza Vancroft taught me something a little different. I was taught that love is meant to be spread around because children should inherently know they’re loved. They shouldn’t need their parents to prove it to them. And kindness? Well, that’s not just for family members, is it? In fact, sometimes the people we love most are the ones we’re least kind to. Kindness is meant to be tossed around like confetti, and if you’re lucky, some of it might shower down around you. Those aren’t bad lessons, even if a little hard to take as a kid.”
She looked at Andre, and his stomach sank. She wasn’t leaving with him. He saw it in her apologetic gaze. He inhaled deeply, telling himself it was okay. There was nothing they couldn’t handle as long as he had her to come home to.
“But perhaps the biggest lesson I learned from my crazy mother,” Violet said, “is that sometimes those we love most get left behind.” She looked at Desiree, who was clinging to Rick’s hand. Violet touched the necklace hanging around her neck and smiled. Her beautiful eyes found Andre again, lingering only a second before they drifted over the others, and she said, “When I came here, I was broken, and I was brokenhearted. Other than Justin”—she smiled at him—“I’d never had a long-term friendship. Justin has always been there for me, giving me grief and straightening me out when I needed it.” She looked at Desiree again and said, “But then my sister showed me that I had a friend in her all along. I just didn’t know it. Des, you taught me what it meant to be loved unconditionally and, maybe more importantly, loved unconditionally by a family member.”
Desiree’s lower lip trembled, and tears slipped from her eyes.
Violet lifted her chin, visibly steeling herself against them. “I didn’t call you all here for a pity party. Each of you have taught me what friendship is really about. Steph, we’ve cried and laughed about our families.”
“She saw Violet cry?” Serena whispered.
“Shh.” Emery glared at her.
“Yes, I cry,” Violet said sarcastically. “I also work with kids and I sculpt, so yeah, there’s that.” Before the confused murmurs of her friends could take over, she said, “Rowan, you brought me into this amazing place, and Gabe, Rod, Elliott, and the rest of you welcomed my sorry self and all my attitude with open arms. We’ve had some great times, and I’ve always known that if I needed anything, you had my back.”
“Always, sugar,” Rowan called out.
“Mira, you are the voice of reason, and in watching you with your children, your brothers Dean and Rick, and the gossip girls, I’ve learned what being a mother, a sister, and a friend should look like.” Violet paused, swallowing hard. “Guys, you all know who you are.” She shrugged, and a small smile lifted her lips. “You’re the brothers I’ve never had. Em, Serena, Daphne, and Chloe, you drive me batty with your nosiness and your giggles, but I couldn’t have survived these last couple years without each of you giving me a reason to drag my butt to breakfast and give you grief.”
“And there she is,” Serena said.
“We love you, Vi!” Emery hollered.
Violet touched the microphone stand, as if she needed something to stabilize her, and said, “I hope that you all know how much I love you. I’m not good at that stuff, so I appreciate you forgiving my shortcomings. But I’m learning. Or trying to.”
Her emotional gaze returned to Andre, and he readied himself against what he knew was coming. He pressed his fingers into his thighs beneath the table, gritting his teeth, vowing not to make this any harder for Violet than it already was.
“Getting back to those lessons about love that our parents are supposed to teach us,” she said. “It wasn’t until I met a certain man overseas that I learned what loving and being loved really meant.” She looked down, nudging the floor with the toe of her boot during a long, silent pause. When she looked up again, her eyes met his with so much love, so much trust, he choked up. And then she said, “His love was so deep and true, it scared the eff out of me. Sorry, Joni.”
Joni giggled and said, “She always says that word,” earning a rumble of low chuckles.
Violet smiled. “I was scared about what might happen if I brought you all together. Andre gave me the insight and the strength that I needed to see clearly. I thought my worlds colliding would leave me feeling alone again, which is insane, because how could I ever feel alone when I have so many great friends? Gabe was kind enough to close the coffeehouse for my private spewing of emotions. Thank you for that and too many other things to count. I can’t think of a better place to do this.”
Violet strode across the floor with a riveting, emotional stare aimed at Andre. He rose as she came to his side and slipped his arm around her waist.
“You don’t have to say it, babe,” he said softly.
“Yes, I do. You taught me that love is patient and love is kind. You loved me even after I left you behind. You aren’t threatened by my love of my friends, and you understand my need to keep the roots I’ve finally planted alive. Perhaps the most important lesson I’ve learned from you, and Desiree, and the rest of our friends, is that even if those you love most get left behind, it doesn’t mean they’re forgotten or unloved.” She smiled up at him with tears in her eyes and said, “That’s why I’ve decided to go with you next weekend and, if you’ll have me, on every future adventure. You are the only man I’ve ever loved and—”
“Thank goodness.” He hauled her against him, crushing his mouth to hers as cheers and applause rang out around them. “I love you, Daisy. I always have, and I always will.”
“Who the heck is Daisy?” Emery shouted. “Does he mean Vi? Oh my gosh! Daisy!” She burst into hysterics.
Violet tore her mouth away and glared at her. “Call me that and die.”
Everyone laughed, except Violet and Andre, who were too busy sealing their love, and their future, with kisses to care.
MUCH LATER, AFTER being called Daisy too many times to count, eating too much pizza, and finally breathing again, Violet sat beside Andre, watching her worlds blend together. Gavin, Daphne, Chloe, Justin, Dwayne, and Cory hadn’t stopped talking since dinner was served. Dean played Rod’s guitar while Steph and Emery sang. Desiree sat with Joni on her lap, chatting with Rod, Gabe, Matt, and Mira, who was nursing Holly. Beside them, Hagen, Drake, and Rick were trying to convince Rowan to come fishing with them. Hadley sat stoically on Rowan’s lap, pulling at his beard, but even he couldn’t charm a smile out of her. Elliott moved from group to group, getting to know everyone.
Andre pressed his lips beside her ear in a tender kiss and whispered, “I can’t believe you told everyone all your secrets.”
“I didn’t. I told them I sculpt, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell Des or anyone else about the torsos. That still feels too private.”
“Good,” he said, kissing her again.
She whispered, “I have another secret. I just might have a naughty-nurse costume waiting for us at home.”
“Damn, baby.” His gorgeous eyes darkened. “Now I’ll be aroused all night.”
He drew her face to his, taking her in a divinely delicious kiss.
“You know, babe, when Desiree said you’d gone off on your own several hours before they got here, I thought you had changed your mind about going away with me. I was sure you need
ed time alone to figure out how to tell me you were staying on the Cape.”
“Oh no! I almost forgot something.” She popped up to her feet, then leaned down and said, “They’re my friends, and they’re important. But you’re the love of my life, and I’ll never make the mistake of leaving you again.” She gave him a chaste kiss and said, “Be right back.”
She grabbed Elliott and they headed for the kitchen.
“I was waiting for you to give me the signal,” he said as they began placing blackberries on the five-layered heart-shaped puff pastries they’d spent the afternoon making. There was a layer of cream between each of the three layers of pastry, and they were topped with powdered sugar. They smelled heavenly.
“I’m sorry. I got so sidetracked I forgot. El, I can’t thank you enough for taking so much time to help me make these. I kind of suck at cooking.”
Elliott smiled and said, “I’m your friend. I’ll always make time for you.”
“Thank you. That means the world to me.”
They finished garnishing the pastries, and Violet realized she’d be leaving soon and wouldn’t see Elliott for a very long time. Like the rest of his family, he had a special way of seeing the best in people and, she liked to think, bringing that out in them, too. Suddenly overwhelmed with emotions, she said, “I think I need to hug you.”
Elliott’s eyes widened. “But you told me no hugs.”
“I know, but that was when we first met, and I’m going away for a few months. I think I’m ready now.” She opened her arms, and Elliott squeezed her so tight she choked out, “Okay, okay!”
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly, still holding her tight. “You’re moving away. I have to stock up.”
Gabe walked in as he was releasing her and said, “Whoa! Was that a hug? I want in on that action.” She pulled Violet into an embrace and said, “I’ll miss you. You really are part of our family.”
“I’ll miss you guys, too.” She choked up for the millionth time in the last month and cleared her throat to try to get a grip on her emotions. “All right, kiddo. Are you ready?”