“Only what I see with my own eyes.” Hope twitched and began to rise. “Am I going to be the first one to say congratulations, Daddy?”
There it was—the overwhelming joy she’d seen on Reaux’s face when he found out she might be expecting. Mack had been a businessman in his previous life, so his poker face was impressive, but some things just weren’t meant to be concealed.
He nodded once, but his smile spoke volumes. “Sierra wants to break the news to everyone while they’re all here, but we told her we should wait until after you told us yours. The family at Avalon already know, so she’s content with that.”
“No. She’s been through hell, Mack, as have you and Liam. Let her have the spotlight and bask in it.” She laid her hand on his arm. “I am so, so pleased for you all.”
“Thank you.”
Conversations carried on for a while, swirling around her like a symphony. She closed her eyes simply to listen to her friends’ voices, the different tones and inflections, accents and rhythms. They were smart, intelligent people who used their voices as tools every day, and it amused her how they could switch from strict disciplinarians to arguing like idiots in a heartbeat.
“Daddy, can I do the ding-ding?” Callie’s voice rang out, more of a demand than a question.
Chuckling, Elias handed her a spoon and his glass. “Don’t break it, little minx.”
“I won’t, Daddy.” Rolling her eyes, she held the glass aloft and, very solemnly, tapped the spoon against it three times. The serious effect was spoiled when she turned her head and blew a raspberry at the sadist. “See?”
When she continued to ring the bell, so to speak, he plucked the spoon from her fingers. “Now that Callie’s gained everyone’s attention, Fordham and Levi send their apologies. Levi has a shoot he can’t reschedule, and Fordham is stuck on an investment call. They’ll join us as soon as they’re able.” Blue eyes swung to Violet. “Would you like to wait until they get here?”
“Actually, I think Sierra has something she would like to share first.”
The redhead’s cheeks pinkened delightfully as all eyes turned to her. She rubbed a hand nervously over her beard, then peeked at her husbands. “W-Would you mind if we wait until Fordham and Levi arrive?”
Of course, she’d want them present. Fordham, Levi, and Merrick had all played a strong part in helping her get past a difficult stage of her time here when bullies drove her to the brink of despair. They were critical spokes in the wheel of her circle of trust.
“Okay then. I guess…” Violet cleared her throat as it tightened, emotion already choking her before she even got the words out. She jolted when a big, warm hand linked fingers with hers, then drew strength from it. “This isn’t easy to say. Being here has been one of the best experiences of my life, but the time has come to go home.”
Silence fell swiftly, heavy and sad, until Callie’s voice quivered from the end of the table. “But youarehome.”
“Some days, I can’t imagine being anywhere but here, Callie. Being part of this family, doing a job that I love.” Violet smiled sadly, exhaling a shaky breath. “Other days, I miss my home andmy roots. Lately, I’ve been feeling more and more homesick. It’s time for me to go, sweetheart.”
“No.” A small fist thumped hard on the table. “Daddy won’t let you, will you?”
Both Evander and Elias said nothing. They knew the score, they understood her reasons. She couldn’t claim they were happy about losing her, but they’d been genuinely pleased that Evander’s little matchmaking scheme was successful.
Callie glared at her husbands, her angry gaze bouncing from one to the other until her bottom lip began to quiver when she realized they weren’t going to save the day. “Daddy?”
Evander kissed her hair. “Violet hasn’t made this decision lightly, sweetness. We have to respect it, because we love her and want her to be happy.”
Turning her head slowly, Callie skewered him with a glare hot enough to sear flesh. The Little was temporarily cast aside, letting adult Callie roar to the surface. She turned that fiery stare to Boudreaux. “Is it because of him?”
“This was on the cards before Reaux arrived, Callie. I’ve been toying with the idea of moving on for a while. The plan was actually to leave a couple weeks ago, but he derailed everything.” Swirling the wineglass absently in circles, Violet thought carefully about her next words. “We were a couple for over a decade before… well, before. We’re going to take another chance and see where it leads us.”
“You can take another chance here,” Callie said pitifully, her eyes devastatingly sad as they pleaded with Violet. “Is it something I did? I won’t do it again, I promise.”
“Oh, no, sweetheart, it’s—” Her throat slammed shut.
Reaux sighed and bumped their joined hands on her thigh, indicating he was taking over. In a firm yet gentle tone, he spoke to Callie as any Daddy would. “You haven’t done anything wrong, little one. Sometimes the heart yearns for home and, nomatter how much you love being where you are and the people there, going back to your roots is the only way forward.”
“B-But you can s-stay—”
“No, little one, we can’t. Your Daddies built Serenity from the ground up, right? They had a dream and they made it come true. But simply building it doesn’t keep the dream alive—it takes work, passion, dedication, all the things a marriage requires.” When Callie nodded slowly, tears streaming down her face, Reaux continued, “My club, Amatory, was already up and running when I met Violet. It grew from one club into two while we were together, and my dream was that she and I would run them, then everything went to hell. Violet disappeared for a couple years, and during her absence, I spent the time turning it into an empire for her.”
“You love her,” Sierra whispered, sounding just as emotional as Callie.
“I do. She is the most important person in the world to me, and I will die loving her.” Reaux’s voice was strong, emphatic. He truly believed nothing could stand in their way now. “Even though capable people are looking after the clubs, I need to head back in a couple weeks. Violet is coming with me of her own volition.”
There was an almighty sob.
