Chapter 10
You have got to be kidding me! Violet slammed her palms down on the steering wheel of her Mercedes at the sight of the flashing red and blue lights behind her. “What in the hell did I do this time?” Even as she asked herself the question, unlike the last time, she knew. She’d been speeding like a maniac on her way to Devon’s house.
Damn Logan, damn him to hell! She silently cursed her ex as she rolled down her window and waited for the officer to approach her car.
“Well, well, well, look at who we have here.”
She didn’t even have to look up to know who it was who stopped her – Will Daigle. She forced a smile onto her face as she looked up at Will. They’d never gotten along as teenagers and upon looking up at the smug smile on his face she doubted that was going to change. Surprisingly in the past week this was the first time she’d run into him.
“Will. Wow. So you’re a cop too.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She nodded, rummaged into her purse and pulled out the information she knew he’d ask for and attempted to pass it to him, but he waved a dismissive hand at her. “No need, I didn’t stop you for speeding, although you were in excess and I should be giving you a ticket. I’m stopping you so we could have a little talk about Devon a moment.”
A frown creased her brow as she looked at him. “I don’t follow. What about Devon?”
Will hooked his thumbs into his belt, drawing her eyes to the gun at his hip. It’s not like he’d ever dream of hurting her, but she got what he was trying to do, trying to make himself the big man. Well, to hell with him. She didn’t back down to his bullying all those years ago and she sure as hell wasn’t about to now.
“Look, he had a rough time when you left the first time. So how about you do him a favour and just go back to New York now? I was here with him while he nearly drank himself to death and got in so many fights it’s a damned good thing he’s tough or he’d have been killed. I was there at the academy as we trained to be cops, pushing him to get you out of his head and move on with his life.”
“You know what, Will? It’s none of your damned business. So either give me my ticket or get away from the car because I’m in a hurry.” She narrowed her eyes at him, challenging him to make his move. “What’ll it be?”
Their gazes locked and he nodded, turning away from her and taking a step back from the car. “Have a good night, Miss Phillips. But keep in mind what I’ve said. Consider him this time, not just yourself. Maybe in New York the world revolves around Violet Phillips, but it’s not like that here – not anymore.” He tipped his hat at her. “And be sure to watch that speed, wouldn’t want you getting a ticket.”
Violet sat seething behind the wheel as she watched him in the rear-view mirror saunter back to the car and drive off. The bastard even had the nerve to give a friendly honk as he drove past her. But did he have a point? Was she being selfish by starting things again? She sank back into her seat and sighed, tears filling her eyes.
~*~*~*~*~
He paced and paced and paced some more along his bedroom floor, swirling the tiny engagement ring – the ring he’d bought for her when they were teenagers – around his pinky finger. Violet – she wouldn’t leave his mind. It had only been a little over a week and he was right back where he was before, when they were eighteen. While he told himself it was for the best, that walking away and letting her go back to her old life was for the best, he knew it wasn’t. Every part of him knew he needed her in his life, he couldn’t let her go again. But what was he supposed to do, force her to stay in Alabama, lock her in his basement?
“Fuck,” he groaned, closing his eyes, lacing his hands behind his neck and letting his head fall back. “I have to talk to her.” He opened his eyes, letting his hands drop to his sides to the sound of a car driving up his driveway and towards his house.
By the time he made it through the house to the kitchen, flinging open the door to see who it was, she was already standing on the porch, her hand poised to knock. She caught her lower lip between her teeth and lifted her blue eyes up to meet his grey ones.
“V.” By the look on her face he wasn’t sure what to expect from her, it didn’t seem good. Was this it? She was about to tell him she was going back to that fucking douchebag.
“Devon. Can I come in?”
He stepped back, giving her room to enter and motioned to the kitchen. Just keep cool, man, he coached himself. “Yeah, of course. What’s up?”
“I know you were at Mom’s house when Logan was there.”
“Ahhh. And, you’re going back to New York.”
She paused, dropping her gaze to the floor between their feet and shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other before him. “I haven’t decided that yet.”
I have to stay strong here, even if it means being brutal. “By all means, don’t stay here on my account.”
Violet visibly cringed. “You don’t want me to stay?” Her eyes were so damned sad, it made him ache inside because it was his words that hurt her.
“Don’t stay here on my account. We both knew you were going back eventually.”
“I – that wasn’t for sure.”
“You have a great career, an apartment, friends. You have everything you want back there. Why stay here?” He laughed, but he could hear the hollowness in his laugh. “You want to waste your education and stay here to what? Be a housewife? Work at the local Walmart? It’s not like you’ll be able to get some fancy job here, we both know you have to be there.”
“I don’t have to be there. I could commute to Birmingham. I could work online. Hell, I could open a little ad agency of my own.” She looked up into his eyes. “I know it’s not perfect, but it’s not like I have no options. Besides, this career wasn’t my dream.”
Dammit, his resolve fading fast, being angry with her seemed like an exercise in futility. Looking down at his finger, he noticed the tiny diamond sparkling on his pinky finger. It had cost him three months’ pay at the local service station to save for it. He’d been so damned excited at the thought of seeing her eyes light up when she saw it, but never got to see the look of surprise. Never got to hear her utter that one word that would have made his life complete – “yes.”
Her eyes followed his to the ring. “What’s that?”
“It’s ummm…” He could feel the heat rushing to his face as he quickly pulled the ring from his finger and was in the process of pocketing it when she grabbed the hand he had it clutched in and pried his fingers from around it.
“Is that my ring? I mean…” She looked up into his eyes, searching for an answer. “What you’d bought me at prom. The ring?”
Loosening his grip around the ring, he allowed her to take it, cursing himself for being stupid enough to have even dug it out after all this time. It would be pretty damned hard to pretend he didn’t care what she did when he was holding the evidence that his words were a lie. He was tempted to act like a kid and snatch it back, denying she’d ever seen it or make up some stupid excuse, but he didn’t. He simply watched her as she wordlessly examined the ring.
~*~*~*~*~
She wasn’t sure how to take this new discovery, it was so pretty, dainty and perfect. It was in direct contrast to what he was saying. Why hadn’t he thrown it away, or pawned it or tossed it into the back of a box somewhere, having forgotten where he’d left it years ago? But he hadn’t.
Without even thinking about what she was doing she slipped it onto her finger, testing the way it looked on her. The little diamond sparkled under the light of the kitchen. Why couldn’t he have told his mother to butt out and given it to her at prom? But would it have made a difference? She didn’t have an answer for that.
The sound of him clearing his throat and shuffling nervously in front of her made her look up, drawing her from her ponderings and trip down memory lane. She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. The life she’d always wanted was standing before her, wrapped up in a bright red bow.
Or was it?
“I just had it out. I was just…” He raked a hand through his hair, clearly agitated.
“Yes.” As soon as the word came from her mouth her blue eyes went wide and she wished she could take it back. What in the hell was she doing? He hadn’t even asked her a question. Hadn’t even hinted towards proposing. He’d just said they were only having fun… No big deal.
“Excuse me?” He frowned, his eyes shining with confusion.
How in in the name of God do you backpedal out of this? She didn’t know. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She looked down at the ring, heat colouring her cheeks. Grabbing the ring, she attempted to pull it off her finger; it wouldn’t come off.
Ohmyfuckinggod ohmyfuckinggod ohmyfuckinggod! “I can’t. I mean.” She tugged a little harder, but it seemed to refuse to come any further than her knuckle.
After frantically watching her attempt to pull the ring off of her ring finger to the point she’d turned the skin red and raw, he grabbed her hands in his, forcing her to stop. “What do you mean, yes?”
“It’s nothing.” Tears filled her eyes. She was so humiliated. She’d let her mind wander and let her guard down. “I was thinking. I just…” Rambling again, I’m rambling. Her gaze frantically looked everywhere but at him. She didn’t want to see the look of pity in his eyes. She couldn’t handle that.
Cupping her chin in her hand he forced her to look up at him, directly into his eyes. “What are you saying ‘yes’ to, Violet?”
She sighed. His eyes didn’t hold pity or scorn, they held confusion and… hope… maybe? She attempted to pull her chin from his hand, but he refused to allow her to look away.
Devon’s voice softened. “What do you want, V? Stop feeding me bullshit, what do you want? Just say it.” He released her and straightened, waiting for a response.
“I want this.” She waved her hands toward their surroundings but nowhere in particular. “And I want to gather eggs in the morning with you and share the stories of the day with you. And I want to catch up on all the years that were stolen and I just… I want what I’ve always wanted…” She looked up and caught his anguished gaze. “I want you. Forever.” She looked down at the ring and stroked the small diamond. “I want this to be real.”
It was as if something burst within him and he deflated. He couldn’t be hard with her, he’d never been able to be strong – not with her. Grabbing her shoulders, he pulled her to him, holding her tight, allowing her to cry for the years they’d lost and for the pain they’d felt alone, but had never shared. She clung to him, fisting the back of his shirt as her tears saturated the cotton covering his shoulders, drawing from his strength.
He waited until the sobs lessened, brushing his lips across her temple. “Then stay, V. Stay. No one is chasing you away this time,” he whispered. “Keep the ring. Stay.”
She pulled back, just enough to look up and into his eyes, but refusing to move out of the strength of his embrace. “Isn’t it fast?”
Wiping the tears from her eyes with his thumb, he smiled. “I’ve loved you for twelve years, since we were thirteen, Violet. It’s hardly fast. I’m not saying get married today or tomorrow, but when it’s time. So stay, it’s time to come home. If you want.”
“I want. So much, I want that.”
“I love you Violet, I’ve never stopped.”
Their eyes locked a final time and he nodded; his sweet, sexy dimples appeared as he gave her his patented Devon Land smile. “I love you too.”
He lowered his forehead to hers. “Stay.”
“Forever.”
The End