Sierra reached up and took Violet’s left hand from her shoulder, her lips trembling as she spun the engagement ring around so the stones were on display. “It doesn’t work that way. People drift apart when they move. You’re going to build a life with Reaux, have a family, and we’ll all be too busy to stay in touch.”
“We’re only too busy if we don’t make the effort. There are happier things to think about right now, Sierra.” Violet rested her hand on the bearded cheek and gently turned it toward the men. “Those two men standing there love you beyond reason. Ask them for anything and they’ll turn themselves inside out to get it for you. Two devoted husbands and a miracle baby are three incredible reasons to celebrate.”
Sniffling, Sierra nodded.
“And these women here,” Violet added, turning the sub’s head in the direction of their friends, “are another reason. The best friends you could ask for, all as strong and unique as you. I’m just a little piece of the puzzle, sweetheart.”
“The missing piece of the jigsaw no one can ever find,” Callie interjected sadly.
“Or the one that gets sucked into the vacuum from beneath the table. All right, let’s get this over with so we can buckle down and celebrate everything that’s finally right.” Violet opened her arms, welcoming her girls. “Group hug. You, too, Tabitha—even tough cookies need a hug now and then.”
Perhaps it wasn’t quite agrouphug when she was the one being squeezed from all sides, but she didn’t care. When she was thirteen hundred miles away, wondering if she was ever going to fit in with the old crowd, she’d remember this.
Being loved and giving it in return.
Christ, she was going to miss them.
Feeling like a mother saying goodbye to her grown daughters as they set off into the big, wide world, Violet pressed kissed each of them on the cheek—even Tabitha, who flinched slightly at the contact.
“I think it’s time for champagne,” Elias announced loudly, catching her eye with a wicked smile. “Sparkling apple juice for the expectant mother… and our Littles.”
Instead of conjuring several ways to murder him for his play on words, Violet just shook her head and smiled back at him. God forbid he should change, that any of them changed who they were, but it was inevitable.
Still, they would be okay. They knew how to guard each other’s backs, how to handle extraordinary situations, and take care of each other like any family should.
When Reaux came to her with a couple of glasses in his hands and the subs dispersed to their significant others, she burrowed into him and sighed.
Here was her missing jigsaw piece.
Epilogue
Boudreaux
Two weeks passed quickly, faster than he liked.
Two weeks of falling back into a familiar routine, making two cups of coffee in the morning instead of one, adjusting to sleeping and waking beside a soft, warm form instead of cold sheets and empty pillows.
At Violet’s behest, they’d spent more time in the club, wringing out every extra minute of time they could with her friends as the clock ticked down to tonight.
It was their last night in the cabin.
Violet’s car was already stuffed with her belongings, all but the essentials. Her clients had been notified of her impending departure; Reaux wasn’t unhappy to field several enquiries about membership at Amatory when they found out she was relocating, although he had yet to discuss what she wanted to do regards work once they were home.
Discussing anything with her at the moment was akin to taking his life in his hands. She flipped from sad and quiet to snappish and bitchy within a breath, and vice versa; he wasn’t sure whether to pin it on the move home or potential pregnancy hormones, but either way, talking was off-limits.
Sex, however, was not. Given her volatile mood swings, Reaux erred on the side of caution and tactfully refused to scene with her until they settled; he saw no point in tempting fate to fuck things up by trapping them in a scene if she lost control.
Making love to her, however, was actually kind of therapeutic for them both.
Stepping out of the cabin, he locked the door behind him. Tonight was Serenity’s Halloween-slash-anniversary party, and Violet was already at the clubhouse, helping with the final touches. He’d gotten caught up on a call to the Baton Rouge branch of Amatory, which was why he was almost half an hour behind her.
They were leaving in the morning. He discovered he was a little sad about going, especially when this place was so calm and peaceful. There was something about the woods that just soothed the rough edges of his soul—maybe coming back a few times a year for a vacation wasn’t a bad idea.
“Hey.”
Boots crunching on the gravel, his breath streaming into the cold night, Reaux strode down the path, surprised by the number of guests heading in the same direction. Wild and wacky costumes were everywhere, with a few more conservative options merging in.
He wasn’t one for costumes, so he’d chosen comfort over imagination.
