"Hi, Jamie," Ellis greets, voice tight, holding in all the things he wants to say.
Jamie nods, and in a risky move, I brush my hand along his arm in a feather-light touch as I pass. Ignoring his grunt of protest, I follow Ellis toward the living room. Our heads swivel, trying to find Violet, but she's not here.
"Where is she?" My voice comes out a bit angrier than intended, but I'm on edge. Jamie said she wanted to talk. If he's fucking with us, I don't know what I'll do.
Jamie, nonchalant as hell, leans against the kitchen island. "Who?"
"Jamie," I force through clenched teeth.
"Calm down," he cuts me off with a small quirk of his lips. "She's...calming down."
Ellis crosses his arms beside me and questions Jamie's choice of words. "What do you mean calming down? Is she okay?"
The cruel smirk on Jamie's lips reminds me of when he edged Ellis in the past. "She will be once I take care of her later. She's so..." He licks his lips. "Delicious. Had to save the final licks for later."
"Oh fuck off, Jamie!" Violet shouts down the hall, and Jamie's expression softens as he glances in that direction. Jealousy flares in my chest, but before I can say something stupid, Ellis does.
"Really?" Ellis hisses. "You worked her up and left her hanging for this meeting? You know how she gets when she's edged."
"Sheis right here," Violet declares, stepping out into the living room, and I lose all sense of up and down. Dressed in a pair of leggings and a loose crop top, she's so stunningly comfortable. Her blonde and purple hair is damp and loose around her shoulders. "Andsheis far less ridiculous than you are when she doesn't come."
The jab at Ellis makes me laugh. El is a terror when he has to wait for his pleasure.
"My concern still stands," Ellis growls and glares at Jamie.
Jamie rolls his eyes. "She's just a little extra sassy. You can handle it."
Tracking Violet's jerky movement through the kitchen, I realize Jamie did this on purpose. Nobody in their right mind would be all cheery and easygoing if they were left hanging. Jamie didn't grace us with her blissed out self. Nope. We get a cranky, unsatisfied version of her while we hash out all of Ellis' and my mistakes.
"Sit. I need a snack," Violet mumbles, digging through the fridge.
Ellis does as she demands, and I follow suit. We're here to talk and make amends, not start new battles by throwing accusations, even if Jamie's shit-eating grin is obvious.
Déjà vu hits me hard when Violet settles into the solo recliner and Jamie sits on the armrest. The last time we were in this position, she was in the hot seat. Now that damn chair is her throne, and she's our queen demanding our heads. Well,hopefully not. But the look in her eyes makes me proud of her steely spine.
The silence is thick and filled with so much to say but nowhere right to start. Violet nibbles on her slice of toast and nudges Jamie who hasn't stopped glaring since he sat down.
"Right." Jamie clears his throat. "Go ahead," he says, waving a hand at us.
The fuck?
Ellis doesn’t share my shock. Instead, I watch with my heart in my throat as Ellis flings himself off the couch and onto his knees. "I'm so sorry. It was my idea. I was angry and hurt. Those things aren't an excuse. They're just a reason for my actions. I wanted to hurt you, to make you feel an ounce of the loss I was feeling since you left us."
Stiffening, I battle the desire to make him stop. He's making himself sound horrible, but my own directions stop me. I told him to give her all the answers. To explain his heart out and give himself to her fully.
This is Ellis. Messy, rambling, frantic, emotionally wounded, and completely in love.
Ellis continues, voice wavering as if the floodgates have been destroyed. "I'll sit on my knees for as long as you need for you to believe me. I'msofucking sorry."
Tears burn my eyes at the desperation pouring off him. Worried, I look up at Violet and see her eyes have widened in reaction to Ellis' breakdown.
"When—" She swallows and shifts in her chair. "I need to know when you stopped trying to hurt me. How long were you faking it?"
Ellis looks her right in the eye with blotchy cheeks and so much emotion I feel it in my throat. "I never faked it. You experienced my anger with you multiple times. Everything we built from the forgiveness and growing pains was real. Jamiethreatened me more than once because of how I treated you. I was so mad, then..."
"Then what?" Violet snaps, bolstering her energy and anger by sheer will.
Ellis doesn't break eye contact. "Then I saw you. Like really saw your pain, your growth, and everything you went through. I started looking beyond myself and my feelings and took yours into account."
