She had forgotten about that. “I’ll send a gift, I promise.”
“No, it’s not that. She’s been really looking forward to it, you know? And she’s had these mood swings, with the hormones and things.” He scratched the back of his head. “It would be really nice if you stopped by, even for a sec. For me, too,” he said sheepishly. “If you left without saying goodbye, she’ll be bawling and crying and probably blame me like she does with everything these days.”
She had heard pregnancy hormones made some women overly emotional. “Well, I suppose—”
“You’d be doing me a real big favor. I'll return it and make sure you get the bonus by Monday. Tuesday, tops.”
“All right then.” Penny and the other girls had been kind to her during the picnic. She at least owed them a farewell. “I’ll be there.”
Chapter Seventeen
It was easy enough to pack up her hotel room. Violet didn’t have a lot of clothes in the first place, and most of them were still in her suitcase. Had the picnic only been a week ago? It seemed hard to believe. Seven days ago she was at the lake laughing with Kate, Penny, and Sybil, enjoying the water and then Nathan …
An involuntary shiver rushed through her body, and she took the feelings and memories and locked them away again. She would not think of Nathan. Not now. Not ever.
She stood outside Rosie’s Bakery and Café, holding a brightly colored gift box in her hand. A feeling of dread washed over her, and she wasn’t sure why. This was a happy day, right? She would be off to London and then connect on to Eritana. By Tuesday morning, she’d be on her way up the mountains to see the girls.
Scrounging up every bit of courage she had, Violet pushed through doors and walked inside. The smell of delicious pastry and butter and sugar tickled her nose.
“Are you here for Penny’s baby shower?” An older lady wearing a ‘50s-style blue dress asked her. Her name tag read “Rosie.”
“Yes,” she said.
Rosie nodded to the corner booth where a group of nearly a dozen women were gathered. “Head over there, honey. Everyone’s here.”
“Thank you," she said and made her way to the women.
The shower had taken up three booths, and there was a table laden with gifts. Penny was seated in the middle booth, her face bright as she laughed at something Kate said.
“Vi! You made it!” Kate dashed to her side. She took the gift from her hands and placed it on the table.
“Thank you for inviting me,” she said with a tight smile. “I can’t stay very long.”
“Of course you can,” Kate insisted, tugging her along. “Everyone this is Violet Robichaux. Vi, you know Penny, Sybil, Christina, and Catherine.” She nodded to the pretty blonde woman next to Penny. “That’s Amelia, she’s Ben’s sister. That’s Dutchy; she’s fabulous.” The petite redhead next to Christina laughed. “Oh, and you know Georgina, right?”
Violet looked to the brunette sitting next to Catherine with the small boy in her lap. Georgina looked up at her warmly, then got to her feet, placing the boy at her hip.
“It’s you!” she said in an excited voice. “We haven’t met formally. I’m Georgina Mills, and this is my son, Grayson. Thank you for saving us.” Her voice choked up as she embraced Violet.
“Uh, you’re welcome.” She hugged the woman back, then pulled away. “I’m glad you and your son are safe. Will you be going home to your husband soon?” She smiled at the little boy who was the spitting image of his mother except for the reddish blond hair. “I’m sure Grayson is missing his dad.”
Before she could answer, Grayson said, “My daddy’s in heaven. He went there while I was in mommy’s tummy.”
Georgina’s lips thinned into a tight smile. “Grayson …”
“They’re staying with us for a while,” Catherine explained quickly. “You like living in the castle, don’t you Grayson?”
The little boy’s face lit up. “Oh boy, yeah! I’ve got toys and books and Ms. Meg makes the best chocolate chip cookies. And the castle is cool! Ms. Catherine said she’d come exploring with me some time, and Mr. Jason’s gonna give me a ride on his back.”
“That sounds lovely.” If there was one thing Violet didn’t regret about coming to Blackstone was that Georgina and Grayson were safe. The little boy seemed happy despite of what happened to him.
Kate introduced her to the rest of the women, who were mostly Penny’s human co-workers from The Den. “Have some pie. It’s amazing,” Kate said, pulling Violet down to sit next to her.
“I’m not hungry, thank you.”
Ignoring her, Kate put a plate in front of Violet. “Now, you missed the first game, but don’t worry. We have plenty more.”
Sybil snorted. “We are not doing the one where we sniff what’s in the diaper. Knowing you we’d find more than just melted candy bars.”
Kate waved at her. “Pshaw, it’ll be fun.” She frowned at Violet. “Why are you wearing black? I said wear pink or blue, right?”
Violet looked down at her blouse. It was the last clean shirt she had. “I didn’t have anything in either color. And I told you, I wasn’t planning on staying too long.”
“Ugh, that brother of mine sucks! He can’t keep you to himself all the time, you know!” She took her phone out of her pocket. “I’m going call him now and give him a piece of my—”
“NO!” Violet smacked Kate’s hand, sending her phone skidding across the bright red Formica table.
The room went silent and several pairs of eyes turned to her.
Damn.
Violet slung the strap of her purse over her shoulder, then began to slide out of the booth. “I should—”
But Sybil was too fast, and she sat in the empty space beside her, blocking her way. “What’s going on, Violet?”
“Nothing,” she bit out. She turned to Penny. “Congratulations. I wish you and your cub well. If you’ll excuse me, I don’t want to be late for my flight.”
“Flight?” Penny chewed on her lower lip. “You’re leaving Blackstone?”
“Why?” Kate asked. “What about Nathan?”
“What about him?”
“He’s your mate,” Sybil stated.
“What did he do?” Kate pushed her imaginary sleeves to her elbows. “I swear to God I’ll kick his ass!”
“Are you sure—”
“But why—”
“You guys need to—”
“You can’t leave, Violet—” Sybil said.
Violet slammed her hands on the table. “Stop! Please!” Her heart sank when she looked at their stunned faces. “I can’t … I have to leave. I can’t stay here.” She swallowed the tears burning in her throat.
“Why?” Christina asked.
“It’s a matter of life and death.” She took a deep breath and gave them a quick explanation of what happened in Eritana and what had transpired between her and Nathan.
“Nathan’s such an asshole,” Amelia said, rolling her eyes. “Men. They think they can control us. Ugh.”
“So wait,” Kate said. “My brother asked you to move in with him, found out you wanted to leave to build a freakin’ orphanage, then broke up with you? He’s going to be so dead!”
“Uh, not exactly,” Violet said. “I didn’t tell him I was going back to Eritana. I just said I was leaving.”
“Violet,” Catherine began. “That information seems kind of vital.”
Violet blinked. “Why? Does it matter? He knew from the beginning I was leaving.”
“Yes, but maybe this is all a misunderstanding,” Sybil said. “You need to talk to him.”
“He was the one who walked away from me,” she said, her voice raising. “We could have easily sat down and talked about it like adults, but his damn ego wouldn’t let him.” She stood up. “Did I want to live with him? Of course I did! But he didn’t have to bulldoze his way into it; he could have asked me! Besides, what were we going to do when I had to leave? I had no choice, but he did. Was he going to fly halfway ar
ound the world, leave his family and his job, to live in the middle of nowhere? I couldn’t take his whole life away from him! I love—” She stopped, her hand going to her mouth. “I have to go.”
Sybil seemed too stunned to stop her and didn’t protest when Violet pushed her out of the booth so she could leave. She thought she heard the other women calling her, but the roaring blood in her ears drowned out them and everything else around her.
She bolted toward her parked car, opened the door, and put the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life, but her hand froze on the gear shift.
What she almost said back there ... She was glad she stopped herself in time before she said it out loud. Because if she didn’t say it, it wasn’t true, right?
Placing the car in gear, she eased out of her spot. No, it was better this way. She had twenty-two girls counting on her, and she couldn’t let them down. In time, the stabbing pain in her gut and heart would go away. She’d put those feelings aside and bury them as deep as she could so she would never feel this way again.
Chapter Eighteen
“Motherfucking shit asshole!” Nathan wiped the sweat from his brow and kicked the toolbox by his foot. With a deep sigh, he stepped back from the weight belt feeder and grabbed a dirty rag from the table, wiping the grease from his hands.
What a way to spend a Saturday morning. He was still in bed when he got the call from his overnight supervisor about the malfunction, and since there was no one else around, Nathan drew the short end of the stick and had to come in.
Not that he was busy. He didn’t want to be around anyone anyway. When he went to work yesterday, he barely spoke and didn’t even go into his office. He headed straight to the machine rooms to keep his hands and his wolf busy; otherwise he’d go mad. After he clocked out, he went deep into the woods to shift and let his wolf run free. If he didn’t, he’d surely do something stupid, like go the Blackstone Hotel and get on his knees to beg Violet to stay.
His inner wolf whimpered at the thought. No way, buddy. He wasn’t going to let her sink her claws into his heart just so she could tear it to pieces again. Nathan was ready to give her the world, and she tossed it aside like it was trash.
His phone began to vibrate in his pocket, and he threw the rag aside then answered it. “What do you want?”
His sister’s voice sounded annoyed through the receiver. “Where are you?”
“At work.”
“Seriously? Well, drop whatever it is you’re doing and come down to Rosie’s.”
“Rosie’s? Why the fuck should I go there?”
“Just come. It’s a matter of life and death.”
He grunted. “Why do I gotta be at some baby shower? I thought you said it was girls only.”
“Nathan Philip Caldwell.” Kate was doing her best impression of Ma. “You come down here now or I’ll tell everyone you wet the bed until you were thirteen!”
“I was twelve and it was one time,” he protested. “And you were the one who put my hand in the bowl of cold water.”
“Who gives a shit!” Kate exclaimed. “Just come down here now. Or else. I know your phone passcode and I can make your life miserable for all eternity.”
“How the hell—Kate? Fuck!” He wanted to toss the phone against the wall. He knew who would be at the baby shower. Goddamnit. His wolf was scratching at his insides, urging him to go.
“Fine. Fine!” He would go and find out what Kate wanted, but he would avoid Violet at all costs.
Nathan was ready to do battle when he arrived at Rosie’s, but he was clearly unprepared. Six very angry-looking women surrounded him as soon as he walked into the door.
“You’re such an asshole!” Kate shouted.
Penny’s face was red. “How could you—”
Catherine rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe—”
Christina put her hands on her hips. “You have to—”
Amelia pointed a finger at him. “Make it right and—”
Steam was coming out of Sybil’s nose. “You go and—”
The chaos of voices was too much, and he put his hand up. “Ladies, stop!” he shouted. “I’m not dumb, okay. I know who you’re talking about.”
“Did you really walk away from her?” Kate asked, poking her finger at his chest.
Is that what Violet told them? “Did she tell you she was the one leaving in the first place?” he shot back. “That I asked her to move in with me, and she tells me she hardly knows me after everything that happened?” He couldn’t mask the hurt in his voice and he didn’t care. They were only siding with Violet because she was a girl.
“First of all, you’re an idiot,” Kate said. “You didn’t ask her, did you? You told her she was moving in with you like she had no choice in the matter.”
“She’s my mate. Was my mate,” he corrected. “Her place is with me.”
“But you couldn’t ask her?” Sybil asked.
“I was making a grand gesture! I thought girls liked that shit.”
“But you should have asked her,” Penny said. “Gone to her properly and asked.”
Oh shit. He realized they were right. He had been so excited at the thought he and Violet would have a home together that he didn’t think she would even say no.
Kate glowered at him. “Second of all, do you know why she was leaving?”
He shrugged. “She was too good for Blackstone, I guess.”
“She wanted to go back to Eritana to save those girls,” Sybil said.
“She already saved them,” he pointed out.
Sybil’s eyes blazed. “Yes, but they’re still in danger.”
As Sybil began to explain what had happened, Nathan felt that pit in his stomach grow until it was the size of the Grand Canyon. She was going back for the girls? They were going to lose their home? He remembered what she said, about them being her cubs. Of course she would go back to protect them. She never even met Joanne, and she risked her life to save her. Violet was the most unselfish person he’d ever met.
“I didn’t know,” he whispered, his throat suddenly feeling dry. A sense of dread began to grow in him.
“We know,” Kate said, placing a hand on his arm. “If it’s any consolation, we think she should have told you. Nathan, you act like an asshole most of the time, but I know you would do the right thing.”
“Then why bring me here for the sixth degree?” he asked.
“Because it was fun, duh!” Kate guffawed. “Now, are you going to go after your girl and tell her how you feel? ‘Cuz I’m one hundred and ten percent sure she feels the same way.”
“She does?” He wanted to believe Kate.
“There’s only one way to find out.”
“Shit!” He reached into his pocket for his keys. “Did she say what flight she was on? Which airport?”
Kate raised her phone. “Already sent it your cell.”
Nathan kissed his sister on the cheek. “You’re a gem! I gotta go.”
The girls all cheered and wished him well as he waved goodbye to them.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He had to catch her before she left. He wasn’t sure what she would do, but he had to at least tell her how he felt. He loved her with his entire being and would follow her to the ends of the earth if she wanted.
Nathan made a mad dash to his Mustang, not even bothering to open the door. He slid in through the open window. “Let’s go and get her.” The engine purred to life as he turned his key in the ignition.
It would be a long drive to the airport, even if he floored it. Reaching for the button on the radio, he flipped it on. At that moment a song came on, that old one about the guy walking five hundred miles to fall at someone’s door.
“Ugh.” He hated sentimental bullshit songs like this. But before he could change the station, the lyrics began to sink into his head. “Shit yeah!” He would walk five thousand—no, five million miles to be with her. He turned up the volume and stepped on the gas harder.
By the time he pulled into V
erona Mills Airport Boulevard, it was 4:30. She was probably at the gate. “Shit, shit!” He’d buy a ticket if he had to.
As traffic slowed down when he neared the airport, he slapped his hand on the wheel. “Motherfucker!” Two cars had a fender-bender right on the on-ramp.
His inner wolf roared in frustration. “Don’t worry. We’ll get to her, buddy.” He unclipped his seatbelt and opened the door, not caring if he left his car on the road.
Nathan ran the last three miles to the airport. It was 4:55 p.m. by the time he got to the ticket counter. “Give me any ticket you have, lady.”
The girl behind the counter looked stunned. “Sir, where do you want to go?”
He slapped his credit card down in front of her. “Anywhere.”
“Er, yes sir!” It took her another five minutes to look on her computer and print out a piece of paper. “Here’s your boarding pass. Enjoy your flight to Yemen!”
With a grateful nod, he grabbed the boarding pass and didn’t bother to wait for his card. He scrambled toward security, cursing at the long lines. 5:10.
As soon as he cleared security, he sprinted toward Gate 101 for the 5:30 flight to London. Almost there. He pushed his body much harder than he’d ever had in his life, evading obstacles and people along the way.
“Stop!” he shouted as the gate attendants were closing the door. His heart slammed into his ribcage. “Don’t close that gate!”
The two attendants turned their heads, their faces looking startled as Nathan skidded across the carpet and stopped inches from them.
The sound of the door closing echoed the doom he felt in his chest. “I need to get in there!”
“Sir, we’ve already closed the door.”
“But—”
“Sir, FAA regulations state that—”
“I don’t give a fuck about your regulations! I have to talk to her!”
“Sir, if you don’t calm down, we’re going to call security,” the attendants said in a firm voice.
Nathan stood there, his body starting to go numb as the watched the plane pull away from the gate. This was it. She was gone. He felt like his entire world was crashing around him. His wolf howled in distress. “Violet. I need to tell her …”
The Blackstone Wolf Page 14