by Lauren Rowe
“It poured out of me from the depths of my soul.”
Violet’s eyes sparkle. “I could tell.”
Maddy looks from Violet to me for a beat, like she’s catching a whiff of the chemistry passing between us. “Everyone keeps talking about that new song you played last night,” Maddy says. “I’m bummed I missed it.”
I peel my eyes off Violet’s. “I’ll sing it for you whenever I’ve got my guitar. Now, sit down and tell me about Keane’s proposal. I saw the video, but tell me about it from your point of view.”
The three of us sit at the table, with Maddy in the middle, and Maddy launches into telling her story. But I can barely process a word she says. I’m just too overcome by Violet’s proximity to concentrate... by her lips as she licks them... and the fact that I can still taste Violet’s sweetness on my tongue. Plus, I’m pretty turned on to have Violet’s G-string burning like ultraviolet radiation in my pocket. In fact, as I sit here, my dick is tingling and my palms sweating.
Our conversation twists and turns from Maddy’s story, until, soon, Maddy gets Violet talking about the nonprofit she’s recently started in L.A.—The Superhero Project. At Maddy’s request, Violet pulls out her phone and shows us some photos of her efforts. As I peek over Maddy’s shoulder, Violet scrolls through images of kids, some of them dressed in full-blown superhero costumes worthy of a Marvel movie, others clad in simple hospital gowns. In each photo, the kid is beaming, despite their illness, their joy at their new superhero costume obvious.
Suddenly, the enormity of what Violet’s been doing all these years hits me. The kindness of it. The fact that she gives her heart and soul and time to kids she doesn’t even know—for no other reason than she wants to spread a little joy and hope and love to people in need.
Emotion rises inside me. Admiration, too. Before this moment, I knew Violet was a woman of substance, like my mom called her, beyond her obvious sex appeal. But, all of a sudden, I’m appreciating the goodness of Violet’s heart. There’s no doubt about it, she’s the kind of girl I’d take home to meet my family... which is a mighty good thing, seeing as how Violet’s going to meet all of them tonight, if she hasn’t already.
“And this is Ashley,” Violet says, her voice laced with particular affection. “Puppy Girl. I had to design a hospital gown for her because she was stuck in the hospital for months.”
“Puppy Girl?” Maddy asks.
“All Ashley wanted was to run and play with a new puppy.” She swipes to the next photo and a truly breathtaking smile spreads across Violet’s face. “Look what Ashley’s parents sent me, just last week. Puppy Girl got her wish!”
Maddy and I both gasp at the sight of Ashley, this time with short hair, instead of a knit cap. Her little body looks far more robust than in the prior photo. And she’s rolling around on green grass with a chocolate Labrador puppy.
“I cried when I got this photo,” Violet says.
“I’m crying about it, too,” Maddy says, wiping her eyes. “Do you keep in touch with all the kids you design costumes for?”
“No. Hardly ever. Ashley just touched me, extra deep. Whenever Ashley’s feeling up to it, Reed said he’d send her and her family to Disneyland, all expenses paid, as my birthday present.”
“As your birthday present?” Maddy says. She glances at me, and it’s plain to see she’s deeply impressed with Violet. And I must admit, so am I... in a whole new way.
“Reed is always really generous with me,” Violet says. She shoots me a pointed look that tells me she didn’t appreciate my earlier unkind words about her brother in the laundry room. She returns to Maddy. “I was just about to turn fifteen when I met Reed for the first time. He’d just turned twenty-five and had never had a sibling before. So, taking on a little sister was an adjustment for him. But he’s been a prince to me since day one.”
“You and Reed have the same father?”
Violet nods. “Our father passed away when Reed was nineteen and I was nine. Reed’s mother has a history of mental illness, and his childhood was chaotic and unstable. Frankly, it was horrible. So, I think, when we connected, Reed was as grateful to find someone to love unconditionally as I was.” Again, she looks at me in a way that tells me I’ve got Reed all wrong. “Reed didn’t have to be a big brother to me. He chose to do that. I know in other aspects of Reed’s life, in his romantic life, maybe, he has a hard time trusting or forging deep bonds. But with me, he’s always been true blue. He funded The Superhero Project. He paid for my schooling. And since I moved to L.A., he’s been letting me live rent-free in one of his best apartments with my best friend, while I try to get my so-called career off the ground. And he’s not just generous with me financially. He protects me and cares for me.” She shoots me yet another chastising glance, just in case I haven’t gotten the message yet.
“How did you and Reed finally connect?” Maddy asks.
“Reed reached out to me after the death of my little brother. He died of leukemia at age three.”
Maddy looks stricken. “Oh, Violet. I’m so sorry.”
Oh, the look of pain flashing across Violet’s face is cracking my heart.
Maddy says, “That’s why you created The Superhero Project?”
“Yes. In Jackson’s memory. It’s all for him.”
Maddy touches her heart. “What a lovely way to honor your brother.”
“And channel my grief,” Violet says softly. “Helping those kids is what keeps me going.”
Maddy hugs Violet and whispers condolences—and as I watch the exchange, I feel overwhelmed with respect and adoration for Violet. Violet already owns my dick. But in this moment, Violet just reached into my chest cavity, pulled my beating heart out, and stuffed it firmly into her pocket.
“Hey, hey!” Keane says, approaching, and the girls break apart from their embrace. Keane takes a seat next to me at the table and introduces himself to Violet. “Am I interrupting something?”
“Not at all,” Violet says. “I’m excited to meet you. Maddy was telling me earlier about your Ball Peen Hammer videos. I can’t wait to binge-watch all of them.”
“Get ready to roll your eyes at Keane a lot,” I say, laughing.
“But in the best possible way,” Maddy adds. She smiles at Keane, her beloved new fiancé. “Guess what, Honey Boo Boo? Violet’s coming wedding-dress shopping with me this week.”
“Awesome.”
“I’m actually obsessed with wedding dresses,” Violet says. “Not for myself to wear, just to be clear. I love designing them. I’m also excited to meet someone nice in L.A.—someone who could be my actual friend, as opposed to someone who’s secretly interested in getting access to Reed.”
“Oh, man, I imagine that happens to you a lot in this town,” Maddy says.
“It happens all the time,” Violet admits. “The only true blue friend I’ve got here in L.A. is my childhood friend, Miranda. We’re roommates, which is awesome, but she’s working full-time at River Records and traveling a bunch for her job, so she’s not around much.”
“I don’t have a whole lot of close girlfriends, either,” Maddy says. “Besides my sister, there’s only Aloha. But she’s super busy and always traveling. And even when she’s around, she can’t really do ‘normal girlfriend’ things, like shopping for a wedding dress, just because she attracts way too much attention.”
Violet’s eyes widen. “Your friend is Aloha... Carmichael?”
Maddy nods. “Keane’s best friend, Zander, is her bodyguard, so we connected that way. One thing led to another, Keane and I joined the tour for a few weeks in Australia, and now Aloha and I are soul sisters. Hey! I bet she’d love to hear about The Superhero Project. Aloha often visits children’s hospitals in cities on her tours. Why don’t I introduce the two of you?”
“Oh my gosh, Maddy. That’d be incredible! My ultimate goal is to raise awareness and money not just for the kids’ costumes, but for their families. You know, so parents don’t have to worry about their jobs or rent or
putting food on the table while their kid is going through treatments.”
“Oh, Violet, that’s amazing. Would it help you if Keane and I were to feature you on our web show?”
Violet expresses excitement and gratitude. Keane says it’s a great idea. And, once again, I’m drowning in not only white-hot sexual attraction, but also extreme adoration and respect.
“I’m texting Aloha now,” Maddy says, tapping on her phone. “No promises, of course. But I’m sure she’d love to meet you and hear about the amazing things you’re doing and how you want to expand your mission. If you’re lucky, maybe she’ll get on board somehow or, at least, tweet about it.”
“Oh, God. I’m freaking out. I’ve always idolized Aloha. I might fangirl pretty hard, so I apologize in advance if I do.”
“I’m surprised Reed hasn’t already introduced you, if you’re a fan,” Keane says.
“Reed offered when I went to a party he threw for Aloha at his house last year. But she was partying with her friends, celebrating the kickoff of her tour, and I didn’t want to bother her. Also, confession? One of my dreams is to design a costume for Aloha one day—for a music video or something—and I didn’t want to meet Aloha through Reed and have her feel any obligation to take a look at my designs.”
Keane’s smiling like the cat who swallowed the canary. “I knew I recognized you from somewhere, but I couldn’t place you. Even when I heard my mother and Kat over there, talking about you and Dax, I still couldn’t figure it out. But just now, when you mentioned Reed’s party, it clicked. You’re the girl in the white pantsuit from Reed’s party—the one who was macking down on Daxy on the patio!”
Violet and I look at each other and blush.
Maddy furrows her brow. “But... Violet said you two met for the first time last night.”
Violet and I exchange a look that says, Busted. I address Maddy. “Violet and I met the night of Reed’s party. That new song everyone’s been talking about? I wrote it about Violet. When Violet said we met last night, she was just sticking to our agreed-upon script. I hadn’t had the chance to tell her my entire family was in the process of finding out about our secret across the room.” I explain to Violet how and why I told my mom and sister about us in the laundry room, and that, sorry, that most likely means my entire family knows about us by now.
“They do,” Keane confirms. “Everyone was talking about it over there. But don’t worry. We all understand it’s top-secret, classified intel.”
“But why is it top-secret?” Maddy says.
I explain The Caleb Situation to Maddy and she grimaces, the same way my mother did in the laundry room.
“Also, I’m not eager to tell my brother about us,” Violet says. She explains the gist to Keane and Maddy and adds, “When Caleb cheated on me during RCR’s first tour, Reed was ready to drop the band from his label if they didn’t drop Caleb as their drummer. Can you imagine?”
I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. “Reed wanted RCR to drop Caleb? But Caleb is the best drummer out there! And RCR was blowing up like crazy on that first tour.”
“Crazy, right?” Violet says. “Maybe it was all talk. Maybe Reed was just trying to demonstrate loyalty to me, his new sister. Who knows? All I know is Reed said it, and I believed he meant it, so I lied and told him the stories about Caleb cheating on me weren’t true. I swore up and down Caleb had broken my heart by seeming distant with me, but nothing else. I swore I’d broken up with Caleb first, and that he was simply trying to numb the pain with those groupies.” She rolls her eyes.
I can’t believe my ears. My breathing is shallow. “Lemme get this straight. C-Bomb cheated on you, and yet, you bent over backwards to protect him?”
Violet shrugs. “Dean didn’t cheat on me. And neither did Clay or Emmitt. I didn’t want those guys to suffer for something Caleb did. Those guys had worked their asses off to get where they were and I wasn’t going to let Reed or anyone take it away from them, especially not on account of me. Plus, even though Caleb had broken my heart, I still wanted his dreams to come true. His dreams were mine. I met Caleb when I was thirteen and he was sixteen, back when I was nothing to Caleb but his little sister’s dorky friend. After Reed came into my life, I pestered him relentlessly to catch an RCR show in San Diego. He finally did it just to shut me up, I think.” She laughs. “Reed signed RCR the very next day, and I felt like it was happening to me. Just because my romance with Caleb ended badly, I wasn’t about to let my personal heartbreak get in the way of watching those boys fulfill their dreams—their destiny.”
I feel like I’m physically staggering as I sit here. Violet is... amazing. Caleb literally owes everything to her. And yet, he betrayed her. And when he did, she put his dreams, and the dreams of his bandmates, above getting any kind of sweet revenge.
“So, that’s why I’ve got no desire to tell Reed about Dax and me,” Violet says. “If things aren’t destined to work out for us, I don’t want to feel stressed about Reed getting pissed at Dax for sins, real or imagined, and taking it out on Dax or 22 Goats.”
All at once, everyone turns to look at me. And I suddenly realize a weird, guttural whimpering sound just came out of me. A kind of tortured groan, like my very soul is straining to fuse with Violet’s. But when I say nothing in response to the three pairs of eyes on me, Keane and Maddy resume the conversation.
“Did you know right away Red Card Riot was destined to blow up as big as they have?” Keane asks.
“Nobody could have predicted how big they’ve become,” Violet says. “But I knew they were destined for huge success. I became friends with Miranda in middle school, and whenever I’d go to her house, I’d see her big brother, Caleb. He was in high school and the drummer in a rock band, so I was in awe of him. Our age gap felt huge back then, though, so he paid no attention to me. I was just his kid sister’s dorky friend who was always hanging around, like a gnat, watching the guys rehearse.”
“Until...?” Maddy prompts.
“Until one day, a week after I’d turned sixteen, he finally noticed me.”
My stomach knots as my mind provides the obvious visual: Caleb kissing Violet—and Violet being thrilled about it.
Violet says, “We were in a relationship for a year, right up until RCR went off on their first tour. I spent about six months licking my wounds after we broke up, and then went off to college three thousand miles away and started a whole new life.”
My mind is suddenly teeming with thoughts. If I’d been nineteen during this tour, and I had my first love waiting for me back home, would I have stayed true to her? I like to think I would have, because I’m a Morgan and we don’t cheat. But having just been through the eye of the storm, I think there’s a chance I would have let myself—and my first love down—the way Caleb did. No wonder Violet said she was doing me a favor eight months ago when she sent me off, completely unattached. She knew what I was in for in the coming months on tour, better than anyone. She knew I was going to get sucked into a hurricane with no parallel in the real world. Something nearly impossible to weather in one piece. And she didn’t want to sit around, waiting by the phone, while I inevitably lost my way for a bit and fell apart... and left her in the dust.
The singer of the jazz trio in the corner says, “I’ve just been advised dinner is about to be served. Everyone, please find your assigned tables now. Thank you.”
“I’ll see you after dinner,” I say to Violet, as she rises from her chair, well aware she’s assigned to a table with Reed and the bride and groom, while I’m assigned to a table with my family.
“I’ll see you on the dance floor,” she replies. “I’m in the mood to shake my money-maker tonight, baby.”
“Oh, Dax doesn’t shake his money-maker,” Keane says. “Not unless he’s onstage with his guitar or blitzed out of his mind at a family wedding.” He gestures to the water bottle in my hand. “If you can get Daxy to dance tonight, sober as a judge, that’ll be a family first.”
Violet cocks
an eyebrow. “Challenge accepted.” With a cute little wink, she turns to walk away... and runs smack into Reed’s chest.
“Ho!” Reed says, laughing. He grabs Violet’s shoulders to steady her. “I was coming to escort my pretty plus-one to our table.”
“How chivalrous of you.” She shoots me yet another scathing look in defense of her brother, before addressing Reed again. “You were right about Maddy being my spirit animal. We’ve already made plans to go wedding-dress shopping this week.”
“I knew you two would hit it off,” Reed says. “Did you know you two are roommates in a parallel universe?” He addresses Maddy. “When you and Hannah moved out of your unit, I gave it to Violet and her best friend.”
“No way! Which bedroom is yours, Violet?”
“The one on the right.”
“That was mine, too!”
The ladies laugh.
“Hey, I’ve had sex in your bedroom, Violet,” Keane says. “If only those walls could talk, they’d scream ‘Yes, yes, yessss!’”
As everyone else laughs, Maddy whacks Keane on his shoulder.
“Who lives in the apartment across the hall nowadays?” I ask Violet. “Fish, Colin, and I lived there before the tour, while we were writing and recording our album.”
“I just installed a new band in there last week, actually,” Reed says. “They’re going to be writing and recording their debut for the next several months.”
“Whoa, it really is a parallel universe!” Maddy says, laughing. “Is the new band a trio?”
“They are. And the lead singer has long, blonde hair.”
“He does?” Maddy says, gasping.
“She does.” Reed chuckles and looks at me. “I heard you’re crashing at Caleb’s these days, while you look for a place?”
My stomach twists. “No, I decided to stay at a hotel.”
“Whatever works. You can stay here for a few weeks, if you get sick of hotels.”
“Thanks, but I realized I’d rather just chill by myself for a little while.”