Page 72 of Cruel Embers
“Well, well, well,” Ethan says, coming over to join the fray and clapping me on the back. “So, a little birdie tells me someone was a busy boy with Violet last night, care to share?”
I feel all eyes on me and can’t even hide my smile. “By little bird, you mean your better half. And no, a gentleman never tells,” I reply, stuffing my hands in my pockets.
Meg rounds the reception desk and crosses her arms. “Oh, no you don’t, spill,” she says as Henry pulls her back against his chest.
It's Sunday, and the gym is empty except for a few regular members paying us no mind.
“Fine, if you must know, Violet and I are seeing each other.”
Ethan smirks. “Can’t say I’m surprised. She’s got under your skin, hasn’t she?”
I nod, moving my hand to the back of my neck. “Yeah, you could say that.” Under my skin, embedded in my veins, I’m whipped.
“Okay, as your cousin and best friend, I have to tell you if you hurt her, I’ll kick your arse,” he says, raising an eyebrow. I see the brotherly affection he holds for her.
“As will I,” Henry chimes in.
“And me,” Meg says, her lips curving into a smile.
“What the fuck? Him I get,” I say, pointing my thumb to Ethan. “But you two, on the other hand, where’s the loyalty?”
“Women empowerment,” Meg says. “Not even sorry.”
Okay, yeah, fair enough.
My eyes cut to Henry. He just laughs. “Hey, I want to stay in Lottie’s good graces for when my niece and nephew are here, thank you very much.”
“Okay, fine, and if she hurts me?” I ask, joking, but there’s an element of truth in my question. What if she’s the one to hurt me? Last time I opened up to someone… I shake that thought away. Vi is nothing like Naomi. Besides, we’ve been very open with one another, and the last thing I want is cross-communication.
Ethan shakes his head, eyeing me. He witnessed first-hand my state when I turned up at his a few months back, drunk. He saw enough to know how much I was hurt.
His eyes soften. “Then Lottie will kick her arse,” he replies.
I shake my head because somehow, I very much doubt that.
“You’d be surprised,” he says, raising his brows like he somehow knew what I was thinking. “All jokes aside, you are family. She wouldn’t want to see you hurt any more than she would Vi.”
And I believe him. Lottie is loyal to a fault. It's one of the very many qualities I admire about her and why I know she’s right for Ethan.
It’s also what I like about Vi. She loves fiercely. I’ve seen it in the way she looks out for Lottie. How she puts other's feelings above her own. Like with her parents’ grief, it's clear she’s still grieving herself.
I want to be the one to make her smile, let her know she’s not alone. Fuck. When did I turn into such a sentimental shit?
ChapterThirty-Eight
VIOLET
Char won’t stop grinning at me around the mouthful of apple she’s been dipping into peanut butter, a pregnancy craving, it would seem.
“I knew it,” she says, adding more to the slice of apple and pointing it at me. “I told Ethan I thought something was going on.”
“Yeah, well, it's all new, so don’t start getting excited, okay?”
She laughs, crunching loudly on the apple she just popped into her mouth. “Oh, please, I’m allowed to be happy for my best friend. And Nathan is one of the good ones, so don’t you hurt him.”
I can’t help but smile. She threatened to castrate him if he hurt me, but it would appear she cares about him too. Maybe it’s her maternal instincts kicking in, or perhaps it’s just a Char thing.
“Yes, Mum,” I say, going in to swipe myself a piece of apple, but she’s fast as she snatches the plate away.
