Page 54 of Friends That Heal Us
I’m thankful my dad trusts me the way he does. Letting me put my shop under his name was already a big risk. And now,letting Violet put her bakery under his name is riskier. It says a lot about the man he is. He believes in the people he loves, and it shows.
“How is everything going with…” he trails off like he’s struggling to find words because this situation isn’t normal. “I was going to say friends. But they’re not your friends anymore. Or at least I hope they’re not.”
I cross my arms, leaning my shoulder against my truck. “It’s like every week they figure out something new to do to make our lives miserable.”
He shakes his head. “It’s unbelievable what they did. Your mom and I still can’t wrap our brains around it.”
“Trust me, I know.”
I go on and tell him everything that has happened since the last time we spoke. It’s nice to vent. For men, it’s easy for us to hold on to everything and let it boil inside of us until it explodes. My dad always taught me not to do that. But sometimes it was hard because of the people I surrounded myself with. I was shut down for years because of that. I’m finally being more open, and it feels good to release everything.
“So, what’s going on with you and Violet?” he says, eyeing me for more information.
“What do you mean?”
“You know…are you two a thing now?”
“A thing?” I chuckle.
“What do you kids call it nowadays?”
“Dad, I’ve always loved her. And right now, everything going on has helped me realize my feelings for her have always been there.”
“I always thought you two would be the ones to get together.”
“It should have been us. Come to find out, Rya played us both in high school.”
His brows furrow sharply. “How?”
I tell him everything we found out. The last time I ever admitted I liked Violet was when I was a kid, and I only told my dad. After that, I kept it locked away, never saying it out loud to anyone. God, it feels good to finally share it. I don’t know how I carried it for so many years.
He shakes his head in disgust. “She’s a bigger snake than I thought. Have you told Violet how you feel?”
“I haven’t told her how I feel now, only how I felt back then.”
He gives me a smirk. “Son, don’t lose your chance with her again.”
“What if it’s too soon? Hell, she’s gone through so much in such a short amount of time. I don’t want to freak her out.”
“You’ll never know unless you say something. All you have to do is tell her.”
Easier said than done. I need to find the right time to talk to her. Everything in our lives right now feels out of our control. I don’t want to add one more thing to her plate, but I need to tell her before I lose her…again.
“You and Violet should come over for Sunday dinner.”
My eyes shift away from him in guilt. Sunday dinner used to always be a thing for my family. It’s something my parents always cherished when my sister and I moved out. But life started taking over, and we don’t make it over as much as we used to.
“We will. I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to it.”
I nod with a smile.
“I hope two dozen cookies are enough.”
My eyes go wide in shock. “Are you feeding a family of ten?”
Her brows pull together, eyes narrowing as her mouth parts as if she’s trying to make sense of what I asked.
