Chapter Fourteen
Violet
For months, Violet was sure she made her friends sick from how in love she and Frank seemed. She would be sick, too, but it was her first time being this in love. She couldn’t bring herself to regret or reign in the cuteness. When Frank was around, she had to be by his side or in his arms.
Frank was just as affectionate, holding her when they were in the same room or sneaking kisses from her just because. Desmond said he’d never seen his friend like that before and Violet couldn’t help how that made her feel. They were practically living together since she spent almost every night at his house.
She really had no complaints. Except… she didn’t know how to show him she was ready to take that next step forward. Since the first debacle when they talked about babies… well, he talked, and she ran out, he hadn’t been willing to approach the topic again. He went out of his way to avoid it. Anytime she brought it up, he would change the subject or make an excuse to leave.
She didn’t know what else she could do to show him she was ready. She had thought about it and talked it over with Claire and Claire’s mother. That had been an incredibly enlightening conversation. Apparently, having dragon babies wasn’t as hard as she thought. It was still weird, but not all that difficult to wrap her mind around.
Dragons could only make dragon babies during the Chinese Dragon year, which was why children were so sacred in the dragon community. It’s also why Frank’s mother was a bit adamant that he had dragonets. All of Frank’s siblings died in their eggs, and Frank’s father had been killed in a freak accident. A hunter happened to be shooting at birds when Frank’s father flew by. He was invisible, so the hunter didn’t know. It was still a fatal blow.
Understanding that, Violet did her best to get as educated as possible. She would be having his babies, even if he didn’t know it yet.
A dragon born to a fire maiden in a non-dragon year was a rarity but sometimes happened, which always resulted in a dragon celebration. Because dragons lay eggs, they could give birth to multiples, while dragons and humans could have babies at any time. The facts were humans could give birth to human babies after about forty weeks, but dragons lay eggs after twenty to twenty-four weeks, and the eggs don’t hatch for another eight to ten weeks. If a baby is a shifter, then it'll demonstrate that within the first couple of hours.
It was a lot to take in, but with Claire’s encouragement, Violet was sure she would be taken care of. Frank would never leave her, this she was sure of, and whatever the future held, she would have Claire and all of Claire’s family to help her along the way. Violet had been debating the idea of proposing to Frank for weeks. What convinced her was the lunch she had with Frank’s mother. She was intimidating in stature and attitude, but by the end of the lunch she hugged Violet tightly and told her to take care because her son was obviously in love with her.
That did it for her, which was how Violet came to stand in Footloose with all her friends trying to appear normal as everyone drank beer and ate cheese. Violet had never done anything like this before. She was the kind of girl to let life happen to her, and that worked for her. She let Claire push her into opening a store, her mom pushed her into growing out her bangs, and she let Frank push her into moving into his house. It was time she pushed back.
She loved Frank and hadn’t been confident enough to say it. If this didn’t prove how much she loved him, she wasn’t sure she could bear anything else. She wouldn’t have to worry about anything else if he said no in front of all their friends and everyone else in the bar. She was sure she would die of embarrassment.
Claire rubbed her back, calming her since Claire was the only one to know what was in her purse. Inside her black coach purse was a ring handmade with one blue diamond, gold bands, and an infinity symbol inscribed on the inside. Desmond helped her sneak the blue diamond from Frank’s stash because on her own, Violet could never afford such a thing, but she liked the idea of matching the ring to her favorite feature, Frank’s eyes.
Claire leaned into her and whispered over the loud music, “You got this.”
She did. She could do this. She took one deep breath and looked at the bartender, who knew on her cue to lower the music volume.
She caught his eye and nodded. The music lowered and Violet’s blood pressure skyrocketed as she tapped Frank’s shoulder.
He turned and smiled at her, unknowingly giving her the courage she needed.
“Frank?”
“Yeah, babe?” he said, giving her his full attention.
“You make me feel something nobody has ever made me feel.” Frank’s brows scrunched together, trying to piece together why she would say that while they were in public but she continued. “I’m so glad I needed help and to be clear, there’s no other accountant I’d want to help me get my finances in order.” Violet shook her head, trying to focus. She should have written down what she wanted to say. “I’ve been wanting to say this for a while, but I just didn’t know how. Which is silly because I’m about to say it now but I love you, and I don’t want to be with anyone else in the entire world.”
Frank’s eyes widened as she dropped to her knees, but then remembered at the last minute she was only supposed to be on one. “I know you’re supposed to be the one asking, but I didn’t want to wait.” Her purse toppled over as she pulled the ring out. “I hope you don’t mind me beating you to the punch. Will you marry me?”
Frank yanked her from her knees and spun her in a circle “Are you crazy, Violet? I would love to have you as my mate, my wife,” he whispered in her ear before putting her down on her feet. “You’re already my life.” He kissed her deeply to the cheers and encouragement of everyone in the bar. When he pulled back, she held out the ring, and he slid it on his finger, noting the jewel. “Hey. This is from my hoard,” he said looking up at Desmond who laughed and shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t just want to be your wife, Frank,” Violet said looking up at him with a smirk. “I also want to be the mother of your children.”
Frank’s mouth dropped open, and a look of pure seductive need crossed his face. She couldn’t miss the yearning in his expression before he pulled her into his arms. “Are you playing with me, Violet?”
She shook her head and he growled.
“You’re lucky we’re out in public,” he whispered, “but please believe you’re not getting any sleep tonight.”
Violet ‘s skin flushed hot and her entire body heated with the distinct rush of arousal flowed through her. “I hope so,” she whispered back.
Frank stood and declared, “A round of beer and cheese on me! Tonight, we’re celebrating.”
Everyone cheered as he leaned down to kiss his fiancé. She loved the sound of that.
* * * *
Violet stood in the mirror, taking in her reflection. She was a bride, and if Claire wasn’t standing right beside her, she might be tempted to believe it was a dream but it was real. She stood in a white form-fitting dress. It was tight, clinging to her body, making every curve stand out and a veil trailed behind her in lace. She felt beautiful, and for once, she was sure she would be the center of attention today. She looked at the black necklace around her neck. Frank gifted her the matching pieces to her bracelet, and the purple flecks caught the light, no matter what direction she turned. It made her dress appear even whiter, and she smiled at herself.
“It’s time,” Claire said, somehow knowing she was ready though she hadn’t said anything.
Violet took a deep breath. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“I can.” She laughed as she pulled the veil forward and over Violet’s face. “You deserve this. You were always the nice one, too nice, in my opinion. You deserve all this happiness and more, Vi. It’s time you start putting yourself first,” she said with a soft smile before bending down to grab the end of Violet’s train.
“I just always thought you would be the first one to get married,” Violet said, walking forward in her heels.
“I didn’t,” Claire said, following behind her with a scoff. “I haven’t met the man that can handle me yet.”
Violet thought that wasn’t true. She hadn’t missed the way Desmond and Claire went back and forth or the way they both stared at the other when they thought no one was watching. Violet was willing to bet money Claire was closer to this phase of her life than she realized, but didn’t say a thing. Claire was a lot like a stallion. If she thought she was being forced to do something, she would go the opposite way just to prove she was free to do so. So Violet smiled softly and said nothing.
“All right, this is where I leave you,” Claire said stopping her on the other side of the church’s door. Claire fiddled with the veil, double-checking it was perfect, though it hadn’t had a chance to fall out of place in the few minutes they had been walking. “I’ll see you at the end of the aisle,” she said sniffling.
“Are you crying?” Violet asked, calling Claire out on it because she swore she was too tough to cry.
“No.” She wiped her eyes. “A little something got in my eye,” she said leaning in to hug Violet tightly. “You’re a beautiful bride.” She didn’t wait for Violet to respond. She turned to Violet’s dad, who held both of their bouquets in silence. “Don’t let her fall,” she demanded then grabbed her boutique from him and took her place in front of the entrance to announce her presence. The music started immediately.
Violet’s dad smiled at her, “Last chance, honey.” From the very beginning, her parents had been supportive of her boyfriend. She told him he was a different religion and they told her it didn’t matter as long as she was happy, which she was. She held out her arm, and he looped her arm through.
“I’m ready, Dad,” she said, thankful she wouldn’t have to walk down the aisle by herself. She could only imagine how she would have handled it if her parents weren’t there, but they had always been in her corner when it came to her decisions.
“Then let’s get you married,” he said, turning toward the door. “You know, I imagined this day when you were a baby, and I gotta tell you, you’re even more beautiful than I imagined.”
Violet smiled, not trusting herself to talk because she didn’t want to cry. Instead, she counted down from twenty like they practiced, and then together they walked down the aisle to “Here Comes the Bride”.
Frank stared at her with loving eyes and she forgot to breathe as he walked toward her instead of standing at the alter like they promised. Of course, he couldn’t wait. The man didn’t have any patience.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, standing in front of her in the middle of the aisle. Frank turned to her father and said, “I’ll take it from here.”
Her dad chuckled at Frank’s enthusiasm and handed her over. “Take good care of her, son.”
Frank nodded. “With my life.”
Together they approached the preacher and Frank held her hands facing each other as the preacher welcomed everyone. Everything zoomed by too fast as they repeated things and practiced a mix of human and dragon customs. Violet’s favorite one was when they lit the fire of love. It was a tiny box that had a long coil of wick that symbolized their love. They held a candle together and lit it, and after the wedding, they would put it in their home. It was supposed to burn for the minimum of a year, an example of their love never burning out, which Violet thought was unique. Then suddenly it was time for her to say her vows.
“Frankford Radcliffe Lodge, you have made me feel more loved than I ever thought possible. Today, I give you all that I am, and all that I have. I give you my heart, my life, and my friendship. I choose you today, and I will choose you again every day after that, for the rest of our lives. I promise to always be honest and kick you in the butt when you need it,” she said causing the audience to chuckle. “I promise to help us grow. You are my once-in-a-lifetime. I love you, and I can’t wait to see what life we build together.”
By the time Violet was finished, she was wiping tears from her eyes. Claire being the maid of honor was right there with tissue, reaching under her veil to dab at the tears and preserve her makeup.
Frank waited until she finished before speaking, “Violet Green, I do pledge to you my love, for as long as I live. Everything I possess in this world, I give to you. I will keep you and hold you, comfort and tend you, protect you and shelter you, for all the days of my life. I choose you. To stand by your side and sleep in your arms. To be joy to your heart and food for your soul. To learn with you and grow with you, even as time and life change us both. I promise to laugh with you in good times and struggle alongside you in bad times. I promise to respect you and cherish you as an individual, a partner, and an equal, knowing that we do not complete, but complement each other. May we have many adventures and grow old together.”
Then they raised their hands and spread their fingers, as if pushing against a wall before putting their hands together and recited the dragon oath. It’s an oath a dragon takes publicly to signify taking a mate since an actual mating ceremony is very private.
Fred said each phrase and Violet repeated since she didn’t know the oath to say it at the same time as him.
“I take you to be my partner for life, I promise above all else to live in truth with you, and to communicate fully and fearlessly, I give you my hand and my heart, as a sanctuary of warmth and peace, and pledge my love, devotion, faith, and honor, as I join my life to yours, forever."
All the dragons, knowing how serious this oath was, screamed and clapped loudly when Violet repeated the last words. The preacher waited until all was quiet before saying, “Frank and Violet, you have expressed your love to one another through the commitment and promises you have just made. It is with these in mind that I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lodge,” he said but Violet barely heard him. She was too lost in Frank and the happiest moment of her life.
After the vows were exchanged and the rings were placed on their fingers, they danced down the aisle to the reception area, and just like that Violet was a dragon’s wife. She couldn’t wait until their honeymoon to officially become his mate.