“Okay, fine. This one really does work.” She faced Katie. “What if…what if they don’t like me?”
Wide-eyed, her friend was on her feet again and hugged her. “They are going to love you,” she said fiercely. “How could they not? You’re amazing.”
Sitting back on the bed, side by side, Violet wished she felt that positive.
“Do you remember when we first met?” Katie asked.
Violet looked at her like she was crazy. “Of course I do. It was the day I was placed in the Michaels’ home.”
“I was sitting on my bed reading, and you walked in and looked so mature and confident,” Katie said. “All the other kids I had roomed with would mock my love of reading and I just expected you to do the same. But you sat with me and asked about the book and then told me about some of your favorites.”
Violet smiled at the memory. “Do you remember going to the library together and we would have our own book club to discuss what we were reading?”
Beside her, Katie nodded. “Remember when Morgan introduced us to reading Harlequin romances?”
“That was a game-changer.” Laughing, she shook her head. “Thank you for putting a good memory in my head, but…what does that have to do with today?”
“Vi, you have always been a confident and fun person. You were almost an Olympic athlete, and you run a very successful business. Why are you doubting yourself so hard right now?”
Her eyes closed, and she let out a long breath. “It would kill me to find myself in love with Hunter and then lose him because…because his family didn’t like me. You know he’s close with them and it’s not inconceivable that he’d listen to their opinion.” Eyes open, she looked at Katie. “What if I’ve let myself truly believe there’s someone who genuinely wants me–loves me–and then…they send me away?”
Katie immediately began to cry–the tears streaming down her face. Taking both of Violet’s hands in hers, she squeezed them. “You listen to me, Violet Drake. No one knows better than me how unfair life has been to you. But after all these years, you need to realize that your parents…that was about them and who they were as people! Not you! Their behavior isn’t your fault!”
“But…”
“No! There're no buts! Some people are weak, Violet. They can’t handle responsibility, or they struggle with their own demons, or they are just genuinely selfish people who aren’t meant to be parents. I hate how that happened to you! I hate how their selfish behavior has made you doubt yourself! But don’t let it ruin what you have right here, right now with Hunter!”
She let out a shaky breath. “Deep down, I know that. But…it’s hard to not have a knee-jerk reaction; to not feel like at any moment, things are going to change and he’s going to decide he made a mistake. That I’m a mistake.”
Now she was crying, and her makeup was running down her cheeks, and she couldn’t stop it even if she wanted to. Right now, she needed to cry–needed to make this admission out loud so maybe, just maybe, she’d have the release of all her pent-up fear and anxiety.
Reaching over, Katie hugged her, and Violet wrapped her arms around her and held her tight. She had no idea how long they stayed like that, but when they finally pulled apart, it was Katie who wiped away her tears before cupping her face in her hands.
“Never forget how awesome and special you are and never let anyone make you feel like you don’t deserve the best in this world.”
“I’ll try,” she whispered.
“Alrighty then.” And on her feet, Katie scanned the room. “Now we have some serious damage control because your makeup is completely ruined, so let’s get to work!”
And for the next hour, Violet did her best to calm her nerves and relax.
Hunter had volunteered to pick her up, but she knew he had things to do with his family and didn’t want to be in the way. It meant she was driving herself over to his sister Scarlett’s place and potentially embarrassing herself.
Think positive!
When she pulled up the long driveway that led to a spectacular home, her nerves kicked into high gear. This wasn’t a small, quaint home like Hunter’s; this place was easily a million-dollar house!
And now I might throw up. Awesome.
Frantically pulling her phone from her purse, she texted Hunter to let him know she was here. Hopefully he’d come outside and walk in with her and tell her that maybe his sister and brother-in-law had won the lottery or won the house in an HGTV contest or something.
Parking the car, she took several deep breaths while she waited for Hunter. She was so focused on her breathing and not vomiting that she never heard him approach until he knocked on her window. Her loud scream should have sent everyone within a five-mile radius running, but luckily didn’t.
Opening the door for her, Hunter held out his hand. He looked ridiculously handsome. Her hand shook as she placed it in his and climbed from the car.
“Wow,” he said, kissing her cheek. “We almost look like we coordinated this.”
“What? Oh!” Violet realized he was in navy trousers with a matching vest and a crisp white shirt. “I’m sorry! I should go home and change! I don’t want to take away from the bridal party and…”
Pulling her in close, he chuckled. “You’re not taking anything away from the bridal party. The girls are wearing pink, so…relax.”
She wanted to burrow in close and stay like that for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, it wasn’t realistic. Pulling herself together, she leaned back and smiled up at him. “Okay then. Let’s do this.”
But Hunter didn’t move. If anything, she seemed to hug her a little tighter. “First, how did things go with your tour group people? Did they book?”
She loved how he remembered. “Yes. There was a lot of back and forth, but we managed to book two groups of forty to do the Alaska package that includes whale watching, a cruise, and a tour by train. It’s going to be fabulous, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, so I hope they all love it.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him if he’d like to see Alaska, but she had a feeling now wasn’t the right time. Today was about Hunter’s family and the fact that his brother was getting married.
“You ready to meet everyone?” he asked.
It would be wrong to turn and run, so instead she said, “Absolutely!”
“I now pronounce you, man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Hunter smiled and clapped along with everyone else when his brother kissed his new wife. The weather was perfect–not a cloud in the sky–and he couldn’t imagine a better day for a wedding.
As Courtney and Dean made their way up the aisle toward the house, Hunter spotted his son sitting with his dad. Eli waved, and he looked utterly adorable in his little suit. Sitting beside him was Violet. She smiled and waved along with his son, and he wished the photographer could capture that moment. After all, this was a big day for them too.
Not as big as his brother’s but still…big.
He walked with his sister up the aisle. There were maybe a total of fifty people in attendance and he was thankful for it. Violet had been visibly nervous when she arrived, and even as they walked around before most of the guests arrived so she could meet his family, he could tell she was still a little uncomfortable. Luckily, he had an awesome family, and they all did everything they could to make her feel at home. Mason and Scarlett even invited them to come for dinner one night next week and Violet seemed genuinely excited about it.
And then asked if they had won the house in an HGTV contest.
It was an odd question, but then he explained how his brother-in-law happened to come from a very wealthy family and had inherited the property. It mildly appeased her, but once Scarlett took her on a tour and was her typical chatty self with no filter, it seemed to completely put Violet at ease.
Then there was his father who appeared to be slightly smitten with her and with getting information on Brian’s mother, Rose. Hunter had no idea where that had com
e from, but it meant the two of them had something to talk about other than him.
“I like her.”
Turning his head, Hunter looked at his sister. “What?”
“Violet. I like her.” She squeezed his arm as they kept walking up the aisle toward where they were going to do family pictures. “She seems really nice and friendly and very easy to talk to. Plus, Eli hasn’t stopped talking about her–or talking in general–and that tells me she is practically a miracle worker.” She grinned up at him devilishly. “Well, that and the fact that she got you to bring a date to a family event.”
“Scarlett…”
“Oh, hush. I’m happy for you. No one deserves it more. You’ve spent a lot of years struggling because of she-who-will-not-be-mentioned.”
“She who will not…What are you even talking about?”
“You are so clueless sometimes. It’s painful. All I’m saying is she obviously makes you happy, and that makes me happy. I think she’d make an awesome addition to the family.”
“Don’t you think you’re getting a little…”
“Please, we all know you’ve asked her to move here, and that means it’s only a matter of time before you ask her to marry you. You don’t do anything halfway, Hunter.”
“How do you know I asked her to move here?”
“Kyle told me.”
Groaning, he said, “Why does he have such a big mouth?”
“You know he loves to gossip.”
“No, he just likes being a blabbermouth.”
“Okay, fine. You’re rubber, he’s glue. Feel better now?”
Only Scarlett could say something like this in the middle of a wedding processional and get away with it.
There wasn’t time to argue with her because the photographer was waiting to get some shots of the bridal party before inviting the immediate family to pose with them. Eli came running over since he was the ring bearer, and for the next hour, it was non-stop posing all over the yard and then down on the pier with the gazebo on the end near the boat lift Mason had recently installed. By the time they were done, everyone was a little wilted from the heat and more than ready to get under the tent where the reception dinner was set up.
When Hunter finally spotted Violet, she was talking to Mason’s sisters, Parker and Peyton. Peyton had handled catering all the food for the wedding, and Parker was helping her out. The closer he got, he was able to hear them talking excitedly about a trip to Cancun. It wasn’t surprising that the topic of conversation was travel. It was what Violet did, what she was passionate about, but…he still didn’t get it.
Although, if he was being fair, he imagined she probably didn’t fully understand why he chose a career that had him running into burning buildings either.
“Ladies,” he said when he was next to Violet. His arm immediately wrapped around her waist because it felt like a lifetime since he’d held her close rather than a few hours. “Everything looks amazing, Peyton.”
“Thanks, Hunter. I was a little nervous about this being my first catering, but Courtney assured me she had confidence in me.”
With an eye roll that spoke volumes, Parker nudged her sister with her elbow. “Why would you admit being nervous to the guests?” she cried. “You should never do anything like that! You should exude confidence and say thank you before pointing out the best thing on the menu!”
Peyton gave both him and Violet an apologetic smile before excusing herself.
And her sister.
“So, having fun?” he asked, turning her in his arms so he could place a soft kiss on her lips.
“I am,” she replied, smiling up at him. “Everyone’s been very nice and super friendly. Once you left to take pictures, I came up here to the tent and introduced myself to Parker. Turns out, she’s a bit of a travel enthusiast so we had a lot to talk about.”
“Well, that was certainly convenient,” he murmured as they walked around until they found their table.
“It’s about time you all started to come in and sit down!” This coming from his grandfather who had a beer in his hand and his napkin in his lap waiting for dinner to be served.
“Gramps, there were plenty of things to snack on,” Hunter reminded him. “And at least you got to sit here in the shade. The bridal party didn’t have it as easy.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Could you please flag Kyle down and tell him to grab me another beer!” He chuckled and winked at Violet. “There are certain perks to being the patriarch of this family. I get the best seat at the table and the kids always make sure I have what I need.”
Violet laughed with him. “As they should, Mr. Flynn!”
Waving her off, he said, “Call me Tommy. All that Mr. Flynn stuff is way too formal. Besides, the way I hear it, you’re practically family.”
“Gramps!” Hunter hissed.
“What? What did I say?”
Luckily Violet was laughing and his grandfather immediately began telling her all about his pub and some of the history of Magnolia Sound. Hunter felt it was safe to go and find the rest of his family. Courtney and Dean had a table for two at the rear of the tent and the family table was off to the right.
“Daddy!” Eli called out as he ran into Hunter’s arms, hugging him tightly.
“Hey, buddy! You and Grandpa having fun?”
“Yeah! We saw fish!”
“You did? That’s awesome!” His father walked over and looked a little exhausted. “Thanks, Dad. I appreciate you keeping an eye on him.”
“No worries.”
“C’mon. Gramps is already getting antsy about eating and I’m supposed to go find Kyle.”
“I saw him over by the bar,” Dominic replied and then pointed to the far corner of the tent. “There he is.”
“I’m going to get Gramps his beer. You want one?”
“Definitely. You want me to take Eli?”
“Nah, I got him. Go and make sure Gramps isn’t boring poor Violet.”
“Are you kidding? You should be more worried about him flirting with her!”
They both laughed, but Hunter knew his grandfather was a consummate flirt and he loved nothing more than meeting someone new to charm. No doubt Violet would get a kick out of it.
At least…he hoped she would.
Within minutes, he and Kyle and Eli were all back at their table and taking their seats. Eli had insisted on sitting next to Violet, which complicated the whole seating arrangement. By the time they all got done playing musical chairs, his son sat on Violet’s right and Hunter was on her left.
“You doing okay?” he whispered in her ear.
“I’m fine. Your family is amazing.”
Thankful she felt that way, he made sure to point out how his father was sitting on the other side of his son and would help with Eli so she wouldn’t have to.
“Hunter, stop,” she gently chided. “I think your dad could use a break. He’s been chasing Eli around for a little while. Let him relax. I’ll help him with his dinner.”
And she did.
At one point, she even swatted his father’s hand away when he went to cut Eli’s chicken–something Eli thought was hysterical. Once dinner was through, Courtney and Dean got up for their first dance–something Hunter was looking forward to because it would be the first time he and Violet would be dancing together. As soon as guests were encouraged to join the bride and groom on the dancefloor, he immediately asked Violet to dance.
“This is nice,” he said as they found their spot. His arm banded around her waist, her hand in his. “I’m really glad you came with me today.”
She hummed softly and rested her head on his chest as they swayed to the music. “Me too.”
Looking around the tent, Hunter realized he was surrounded by everyone he loved and how happy everyone looked.
And for the first time, that included him.
Because, yeah, he hadn’t been happy for a long time. Not that he ever complained about it, but for years he felt like he was simply existing and g
oing through the motions of getting by as a single dad. This was a whole new world for him, and he had so much hope for the future that he was ready to burst with joy.
And he realized how ridiculous that sounded and was glad it was his own internal dialogue. No doubt his siblings would make fun of him if he said it out loud.
One ballad led to another and his sister and her husband were now dancing beside them.
“Hey, you two,” Scarlett said, grinning. “You’re looking very cozy over here.”
“Scarlett,” Mason said with a bit of amusement. “Don’t embarrass your brother.”
“How am I embarrassing him? I was just making an observation.”
Mason gave him a look that said he knew exactly what his wife was doing.
“So, Violet,” Scarlett went on, “when do you have to head back to Nashville?”
Hunter found himself holding his breath suddenly. They hadn’t had time to talk about any specifics of when she was leaving and when she’d be back. The last week had been incredibly busy because she had a lot of clients to handle, and he was trying to spend some quality one-on-one time with Eli. Whenever he and Violet were together, talking about her move just never seemed to come up.
Well, he had tried to bring it up a couple of times, but somehow the subject always got changed.
“My original plan was to go back once Brian got home,” she was explaining. “But when Hunter asked me to come to the wedding, I knew I’d be staying until after this weekend.”
“So you’re heading back this week?” Scarlett asked, eyes wide as she looked between him and Violet, and he had a feeling his expression mirrored his sister’s.
“I’m still not a hundred percent sure. I was thinking of staying at that new B&B here in town rather than at Katie and Brian’s. He just got home so…”
“My aunt owns that B&B,” Mason said, no doubt trying to distract from what was becoming an awkward conversation.
“Really? That’s amazing! It looks gorgeous from everything I’ve seen online,” Violet replied.
“The house has been in our family for almost a hundred years. My great-grandfather lived there his entire life. When he passed away two years ago, he left the house to my aunt, and she turned it into a B&B.”
Can't Help Falling in Love Page 19
