can I tell you something?"
"Anything."
"I'm not over Henry."
He was completely silent for a long pause before he tentatively said, "Don't tell me you want him back."
She moved her head from side to side vehemently. "No, it's not that. I don't want him back. I just want ... closure."
"It's been almost a year now, Violet."
"I know, I know. But I never got any definite closure. One day it was, 'Hey, I've fallen in love with Natalie' and the next it was 'Goodbye, we should probably part ways, but thanks for the memories, babe.' It's not that I want to be with him again; he's not the one for me, and I know that now. But it just ended so quickly. He never really gave me any warning." Violet paused and then whispered, "How is he?"
"Do you really want to know?"
She thought about it. Did she want to know? She had worked so hard to get him out of her system that she knew this was probably a step backward. But, how could she not wonder? "Yeah. And Beck? Just give it to me straight, okay? No dancing around the subject to spare my feelings.”
"Twatty said she thinks he'll propose."
Her throat clenched. Oh god.
"Vi? You there?"
"Yeah.” Her voice cracked, pain pushing to the surface. "He's proposing already? And I really hope you don’t call her Twatty to her face.”
"She's already told Dad and Sarah about it. They're getting ready to book the country club and all that shit." Beck sighed heavily. "Just so you know, I’ve only called her Twatty to her face once or twice but you can’t blame me. I'm just so conflicted with this screwed up situation."
She smiled weakly, loving her best friend even more as she hugged her arms tightly around herself. "I know. And thank you for staying with me."
"Well, you've been a saint about this entire thing. You never blamed her. Nor him. Well, at least you haven’t blamed them in a long time." The line when silent for another pause. "Why is that? Because if I were in your shoes, I would’ve taken a sledgehammer to both their cars."
“If you were in my shoes, you would have been arrested for destruction of property,” she told him dryly before continuing, "Besides, I told you. Henry said that he fell head over heels in love with Natalie. And that we weren't that kind of love. To be honest, I knew it wasn't some great love of the century with him. But I thought we were happy. Content. That's what hurts the most, I guess. I did love him. Maybe not as much as he grew to love her, but still."
"Twatty felt really guilty when she told me that the douche was going to propose, so I guess I can give her that. She really doesn't want to see you hurt. I told her she should have considered that before starting a relationship with your fiancé.”
That was the worst part of all. Violet had been friends with Beckett's stepsister, Natalie. Violet could still remember the night that Beck had brought Nat to dinner as his date. A double date with her and Henry. And wham! Violet lost Henry.
When Henry broke things off with her, she had retreated and no one really knew for certain why their engagement ended. Six weeks later, he quietly began dating Natalie and while they never flaunted that they had an affair, it didn't take much to put two and two together. So, Henry had bowed out of all their common restaurants, bars, and friends, leaving Violet surrounded with memories instead. Eventually, she couldn't take it. She had to move, even if Philly was just an hour and a half drive away now.
"So what are you going to do now?" Beckett’s smooth tenor interrupted her thoughts.
"Breathe." She sighed. Inhaled then exhaled. "And try to remember that all things happen for a reason and even though it hurts to be dumped and two-timed, it was better that it happened this way than to have gone through with a marriage that would have been even more painful.”
*
V iolet clutched Bear for comfort as she quietly knocked on Declan's front door. When it opened, her eyes expanded at the sight of him clad only in
"Anything."
"I'm not over Henry."
He was completely silent for a long pause before he tentatively said, "Don't tell me you want him back."
She moved her head from side to side vehemently. "No, it's not that. I don't want him back. I just want ... closure."
"It's been almost a year now, Violet."
"I know, I know. But I never got any definite closure. One day it was, 'Hey, I've fallen in love with Natalie' and the next it was 'Goodbye, we should probably part ways, but thanks for the memories, babe.' It's not that I want to be with him again; he's not the one for me, and I know that now. But it just ended so quickly. He never really gave me any warning." Violet paused and then whispered, "How is he?"
"Do you really want to know?"
She thought about it. Did she want to know? She had worked so hard to get him out of her system that she knew this was probably a step backward. But, how could she not wonder? "Yeah. And Beck? Just give it to me straight, okay? No dancing around the subject to spare my feelings.”
"Twatty said she thinks he'll propose."
Her throat clenched. Oh god.
"Vi? You there?"
"Yeah.” Her voice cracked, pain pushing to the surface. "He's proposing already? And I really hope you don’t call her Twatty to her face.”
"She's already told Dad and Sarah about it. They're getting ready to book the country club and all that shit." Beck sighed heavily. "Just so you know, I’ve only called her Twatty to her face once or twice but you can’t blame me. I'm just so conflicted with this screwed up situation."
She smiled weakly, loving her best friend even more as she hugged her arms tightly around herself. "I know. And thank you for staying with me."
"Well, you've been a saint about this entire thing. You never blamed her. Nor him. Well, at least you haven’t blamed them in a long time." The line when silent for another pause. "Why is that? Because if I were in your shoes, I would’ve taken a sledgehammer to both their cars."
“If you were in my shoes, you would have been arrested for destruction of property,” she told him dryly before continuing, "Besides, I told you. Henry said that he fell head over heels in love with Natalie. And that we weren't that kind of love. To be honest, I knew it wasn't some great love of the century with him. But I thought we were happy. Content. That's what hurts the most, I guess. I did love him. Maybe not as much as he grew to love her, but still."
"Twatty felt really guilty when she told me that the douche was going to propose, so I guess I can give her that. She really doesn't want to see you hurt. I told her she should have considered that before starting a relationship with your fiancé.”
That was the worst part of all. Violet had been friends with Beckett's stepsister, Natalie. Violet could still remember the night that Beck had brought Nat to dinner as his date. A double date with her and Henry. And wham! Violet lost Henry.
When Henry broke things off with her, she had retreated and no one really knew for certain why their engagement ended. Six weeks later, he quietly began dating Natalie and while they never flaunted that they had an affair, it didn't take much to put two and two together. So, Henry had bowed out of all their common restaurants, bars, and friends, leaving Violet surrounded with memories instead. Eventually, she couldn't take it. She had to move, even if Philly was just an hour and a half drive away now.
"So what are you going to do now?" Beckett’s smooth tenor interrupted her thoughts.
"Breathe." She sighed. Inhaled then exhaled. "And try to remember that all things happen for a reason and even though it hurts to be dumped and two-timed, it was better that it happened this way than to have gone through with a marriage that would have been even more painful.”
*
V iolet clutched Bear for comfort as she quietly knocked on Declan's front door. When it opened, her eyes expanded at the sight of him clad only in
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