Loving Violet

by Terri Anne Browning

  He brushed a kiss over my forehead. “That’s why I’ve been so busy lately. Putting the finishing touches on everything so that I was ready when I saw you again.”

  “You planned this?” I stared up at him in amazement. “For us to be together now?”

  “Hoped.” His mouth twisted. “But if you weren’t ready, or if you were still hung up on the ex, I wasn’t going to push you.”

  I just sat there, stunned by what he was confessing. “I don’t know what to say,” I finally whispered, my heart racing.

  “Say you’ll stay with me.” Krush grumbled again, and Remington sighed. “With us,” he corrected, causing me to giggle. “Because apparently Krush has staked his claim on you.”

  “Stay…here?” I asked, glancing around at the bedroom. It was huge, and beautifully decorated, but it felt kind of empty.

  Remington grinned. “Giving up the company doesn’t mean I’m giving up the money. Or the estates. We can travel the world, live on any continent you want. You want to be closer to your parents, we’ll live in the Santa Monica house. You mentioned several times over the years how much you like going with Shaw to West Bridge, Tennessee. I’ll buy you a house there. I have a brownstone in New York. A house in Tokyo. A villa in—”

  Laughing, I lifted my hands to stop him. “Okay, I get it. The sky’s the limit.”

  “Not even the sky is the limit for you.” He grasped my hips and lifted me onto his lap. When my sheet fell, I squealed and quickly covered my nakedness. Not because I was embarrassed about Remington looking at me, but because Krush was right there. Laughing, he helped me rearrange the sheet, then grasped the back of my head and pulled me in for a deep kiss.

  I could feel exactly how much he wanted me as he pulsed against my core through his sweats. I squirmed against him, wanting a repeat of the night before. I was a little sore but not enough to stop us from making love again.

  But when I reached between us to wrap my fingers around him, he caught my wrist, stopping me. “Say you’ll stay with me,” he pleaded. “Be with me for the rest of my forever and let me show you the world. Let me give you everything I am, Violet. Let me love you until I take my last breath and show you what living in the moment is all about.”

  My breath caught, and I couldn’t see anything past the beauty of his eyes. “O-okay,” I whispered. “I’ll stay with you.”

  Chapter 34

  Violet

  My parents weren’t thrilled when I told them I was dropping out of college to travel around the world with a guy they’d technically never met before. But when I told them Remington made me happier than I could ever remember being, they calmed down pretty quickly.

  We flew home for a few days so Mom and Dad could meet him and get to know him a little. It was Remington’s idea, because if I’d been given a choice, I would have voted for a week in the French Alps away from everyone rather than taking my new boyfriend home to be grilled by my overprotective father.

  To my surprise, Dad welcomed Remington without much fuss. Or maybe it was because he saw just how happy I really was with Remington, something I hadn’t been in years, that kept him from making too much trouble for us. Mom loved him, though, and Mason even seemed to like him. Although my little brother grumbled about Luca, I shut him up quickly.

  I didn’t want to hear about my ex. We were over. He’d moved on a while ago, and now I had as well. I was happy, falling in love, and no one was going to stand in our way.

  Once Mom and Dad were satisfied that I was happy and Remington would keep me safe, we flew to Tokyo because Remington said that was one of his favorite places, and I’d only ever been there once. He showed me all the reasons why he loved Japan so much, and I found myself falling for the country and even deeper for the man.

  But it seemed like we were only there a minute before Lyric was texting me about his wedding.

  “You’re kidding me,” I muttered to myself as I glared at my phone.

  “What?” Remington asked sleepily. We were taking a nap on the couch with Krush on the floor in front of us. I’d been dozing off and on all day with him, but when Lyric texted me, I’d readily reached for my phone.

  “Remember I told you I promised Lyric I would go to his wedding?”

  “Yeah?”

  I dropped a kiss on his lips and then lifted my head enough so I could look down at him with what I hoped were big, pleading eyes. “It’s this Saturday.”

  He snorted out a laugh. “Didn’t they just decide to get married last week?”

  “Something like that.” I batted my lashes at him. “Please, take me to my friend’s wedding?”

  His brows rose. “You want me to go with you?”

  “Of course I do.” I frowned down at him like he’d lost his mind. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Because you are close to Lyric, and his brother is your ex,” he said with a shrug, the action making me shift on him. “I figured you would want to go alone so there was no drama.”

  I grimaced. “I hadn’t really thought about drama. I mean, it’s been years, Remi. We are grown-ups now, and we both love Lyric. We can be civil to each other for a few hours for this wedding.” I snuggled into him, wrapping my arms around his lean waist and pressing my ear to his heart. I loved the sound of it beating under my ear. It was so soothing that it put me to sleep quicker than any lullaby ever could have.

  When he was quiet for so long, I lifted my head again. “Do you not want to go with me?” I asked, feeling hurt for some reason.

  “No, Violet. I want to go with you. Fuck, I never want to be away from you. Not even for a minute. Sometimes I’m scared I’m going to suffocate you because all I want is to be beside you, soaking up the sunshine I feel every time you so much as smile at me. I just want you to be happy.” He stroked his fingers through my hair, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.

  “I’m happiest when you’re beside me,” I whispered. “I love you, Remi.”

  Suddenly, I was on my back, and he was the one leaning over me. He moved so fast, Krush growled, but when Remington told him to hush, he rolled over and went back to sleep.

  “Say it again,” he commanded, his eyes begging me.

  I stroked my fingertips over his jaw, smiling when I felt his scruff. “I love you.”

  His eyes filled with tears, and one splashed onto my cheek. “Fuck, Violet. I love you more than life. I never thought… I always knew it was you. That you had my heart. But I never let myself hope you would love me back.”

  “Not even when you asked me to be with you?”

  “Not even then.”

  My heart broke, and I couldn’t hold back my own tears. “Well, it happened, you big dummy. I love you. You’re my forever.”

  “No,” he denied, a sad smile tilting his lips. “You’re my forever.”

  I mock-glared at him. “I’m not going to argue with you over who is whose forever.”

  “Whatever you want, my love.”

  “Whatever I want, huh?” I murmured with a smile. “So, does that mean you’ll go with me to the wedding?”

  “You go to the wedding with Shaw,” he suggested, and I started to pout. “And then I’ll join you for the reception.”

  “But—”

  “Violet, let’s not cause a scene at the wedding, okay?” he urged.

  I frowned. “How would we cause a scene?”

  He sighed heavily and then rolled us so I was on top of him once again. “When the footballer sees you, he’s not going to be able to take his eyes off you. And I can’t blame him. How can I? You’re so sweet and beautiful. The most precious person I’ve ever met. And you’re mine now because he fucked up.”

  “Remi…”

  He pulled my head back down onto his chest. “When he sees me with you, and he realizes you’re mine now, he’s going to lose his mind.”

  “He won’t—” I tried to argue, but Remington touched his index finger t
o my lips.

  “Trust me, Violet. He will.” His eyes darkened. “And again, I can’t blame him. Because if the roles were reversed, I know I would do exactly the same thing. So, if you really want me to go with you, I will join you at the reception. That way, at least the wedding itself isn’t disrupted.”

  “Okay.” I gave in. “But there won’t be any issues. Not only because I know Luca has moved on and won’t care, but because I’m going to talk to Lyric and make him promise Luca stays away from us.”

  “If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to stay away from you. Nothing could hold me back once I saw you again.”

  I kissed my way up his chest to his neck then his jaw before finally brushing my lips over his. I felt his body respond, and I shifted so I was straddling his waist. “You’ll never have to stay away from me, Remi. Because I’m yours. Now and forever.”

  “My forever,” he said with a groan, making it sound like a prayer as I took him inside me.

  Chapter 35

  Violet

  Aunt Emmie seemed so harried by all the flight plans—using every private jet at her disposal to fly all of Lyric’s side of the family in for the wedding so the small town of Creswell Springs wasn’t overrun from all the paparazzi that followed us around like the leeches they were—that she didn’t even question it when I told her she didn’t need to worry about fitting Shaw or me into the schedule.

  Remington had his own plane, and we stopped to pick up Shaw before heading to the local airport about half an hour or so from where Lyric now lived. Shaw and I got ready on the plane, and a nondescript car was waiting for us when we landed.

  Once we got to the wedding, the driver would go back for Remington, while Krush stayed on the plane with the flight attendant and pilot. I kissed both my guys goodbye and then got into the back of the car with my best friend.

  On the ride, I sent a quick text to Lyric to remind him to keep Luca away from me. He’d already assured me he wouldn’t let his brother near me, but I hadn’t really told him why I needed the promise. Other than my parents, Shaw’s parents, Cannon, and Mason, no one else in my family knew about Remington. Aunt Emmie had been too busy dealing with Lyric’s wedding preparations—and from what I heard, the kidnapping of the bride and her twin sister, both of whom were pregnant.

  With our family so worried about what was going on from that end, there hadn’t been time for me to casually drop the bomb that I was in a relationship with a guy who was supposedly one of the top ten richest people in North America.

  Fuck, who was I kidding? It would be a bomb to my family if I mentioned I was dating anyone who wasn’t Luca Thornton.

  But they would get over it, because I was happy and in love, and I wasn’t going to let anyone ruin it for me.

  After Lyric told me that his future father-in-law was in a motorcycle club, it didn’t surprise me when the car pulled into the parking lot of what was once a huge warehouse that was now the MC’s clubhouse. It was raining, and according to Shaw, this was apparently the biggest building in the county that could actually hold everyone.

  Someone opened my door, and I smiled up at Uncle Jesse as he offered me his hand. “Now, you are a sight for sore eyes, sweetheart,” he said as he kissed my cheek once I was out of the car. “Damn, you’re trying to make that boy sweat, huh?”

  I frowned as I looked down at my dress. It was a pretty purple one that I’d bought in London before Remington and I had flown home so he could meet my parents. I hadn’t bought it with the wedding in mind because I didn’t think it would be taking place quite so soon, but it was lovely. It didn’t reveal much of anything, but Remington had bit his fist like he was trying to control himself when he’d first seen me in it earlier.

  Other than my focus on keeping Luca away from me, I hadn’t really given much thought to how he would react to seeing me. I glanced at Shaw as we walked into the clubhouse. “Should I be worried that Luca will cause a scene?”

  She pressed her lips together in a hard line for a moment as she thought about how to answer me, and I prepared myself for the worst.

  “Vi babe, I’m going to be honest. When Luca sees you, I think it’s going to take a small miracle to keep him away from you.” She sighed heavily. “But when he sees you with Remington… When he has the proof of your happiness with another guy right in front of him, he’s going to lose his shit.”

  “No,” I denied with a shake of my head. “He moved on, Shaw. We saw it with our own eyes. The entire country did. That girl threw herself into his arms, and he kissed her back.”

  She grimaced. “I think we’re about to find out one way or the other.” After she linked her arm through mine, we entered a huge room. There weren’t any chairs for anyone to sit, because there was barely enough room for people to stand, but there was an arbor set up and a minister was standing with two guys I didn’t recognize and Lyric.

  Luca was right beside him, and as if our eyes were magnets drawn to each other, they locked. I saw him inhale sharply, but if I was expecting to feel anything life-altering at seeing him in the flesh for the first time, it didn’t happen.

  I wasn’t suddenly overflowing with emotions. The love I once held for him in my heart, the attraction that would burn through me with just a glance, the way my heart would jackhammer against my ribs just looking at him and knowing he was mine…

  None of those feelings were there.

  Everything I once felt for him was only a nostalgic memory from the past.

  Because Luca really wasn’t destined to be my forever.

  He wasn’t my happy ending.

  Remington was.

  I watched Luca speak to his brother, and they looked like they were suddenly arguing. But with the room so crowded with people, I couldn’t hear what they were saying and I didn’t try to read their lips. It wasn’t my business.

  “Violet.” I turned at the sound of my name and instantly embraced my cousin Nevaeh.

  Or tried to.

  She was seven months pregnant, so it was hard to get too close, and even if I’d succeeded, I doubted her husband would have let me squeeze her too hard. “Look at you,” I said, my hands going straight to her stomach and rubbing over her adorable baby bump. “You’re so beautiful. I’m jealous.”

  My cousin glanced over her shoulder then turned her eyes back to me. She was wearing contacts today instead of her glasses, and her blue-gray eyes sparkled as she looked at me with concern. “If he gives you any trouble, let me know. Brax will put him in a sleeper hold and knock his ass out.”

  I didn’t doubt her husband could or would do just that, but I wasn’t worried about Luca. “I’ll keep that in mind,” I told her with amusement. “Now, hold still. I want to see if this little one will move for me.”

  She put her hand on her stomach with a grimace. “He’s all over the place today. I think we’re going to leave after the wedding. I’m tired, and I just want to go home.”

  “I’m sure Lyric will understand,” I assured her, then squealed when I felt her son kick against my hand. “Oh my gosh, that’s so incredible.”

  “Stop molesting the pregnant woman’s stomach,” Shaw chastised me as she turned from talking to someone.

  “Yeah, hands off,” Uncle Drake said as he came up to us and pushed my hand away. Only to replace it with his own. “I totally get why Jesse and Devlin were always doing this to Lucy when she was pregnant with Hayat and Evan,” he said with a grin as he rubbed his daughter’s tummy.

  Nevaeh rolled her eyes. “And I totally get why she ran and hid whenever she saw them coming,” she teased. The smile on her face turned into a grimace moments later, and both Uncle Drake and Braxton turned pale.

  “Kitten, are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Braxton asked worriedly. “You’ve been making faces like that all day.”

  “I’m fine,” she mumbled. “Just a little cramping. It’s probably all the excitement. And I haven’t eaten much today. I just haven’t been hungry.�
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  “Let’s find you a place to sit down, Nevi,” Uncle Drake urged. “You’re sweating.”

  The three of them disappeared into the crowd without so much as a look back at Shaw or me, and I watched them go, concerned about my cousin.

  Moments later, I spotted my parents, and taking Shaw’s hand, I weaved our way to them.

  “How was Tokyo?” Mom asked as soon as she stepped back from hugging me.

  “Amazing,” I gushed. “We had so much fun. I want to go again when the cherry blossoms bloom.”

  “You’re going to be home for a little while now, though, right?” Dad asked hopefully.

  I shrugged. “We hadn’t talked about where we might go next.”

  “Maybe I should make a few suggestions,” Dad grumbled, and Mom smacked his arm.

  “Hush. She’s happy and having fun. That’s all that matters.”

  He started to argue, but whatever he saw in Mom’s eyes stopped him. “Yeah,” he finally said with a sigh. “That’s all that matters.”

  A few minutes later, the wedding started, and we all shifted to make an aisle for the brides to walk down with their father. Hayat and Emerson were both flower girls, and Evan was the ring bearer.

  I couldn’t hold back my giggle when Little Em looked at Uncle Nik and shouted, “Look, Papa. Look! Am I doing this shit right?”

  When her mother scolded her, the sassy little redhead looked at Mia and demanded, “Well, am I?” and the entire building lost it with laughter.

  The smile was still on my face from her stealing the spotlight, even as the minister was telling Lyric to kiss his bride, then doing the same to Mila’s sister, Monroe, and her brand-new husband, Gian. As the minister pronounced both couples husband and wife, I finally let myself glance at Luca.