37. Magnolia Steel
Chapter 37
Magnolia Steel
The wheels bump against the tarmac, and I exhale.
Charleston.
Home.
But is it really?
I pull out my phone, thumbs flying across the screen as I shoot a quick text to Violet.
Just landed.
She takes all of two seconds to respond.
We’re here! Can’t miss us. I’m the one waving like a crazy person.
She better not be wearing that ridiculous inflatable dinosaur suit again—or waving some embarrassing giant sign like last time.
Love the girl, I do, but if she pulls that stunt today—especially with Alex’s brother there—I might just pretend I don’t know her.
I tap Alex’s name, bringing the phone to my ear. It rings once before he picks up.
“You made it, babe?” His voice wraps around me like a second skin.
“Just touched down,” I say, looking out the window for Violet’s SUV.
“Always relieved to hear that.”
“It was a pleasant flight. Smooth. Quiet. I slept a little.”
“I’m glad. You need your rest.”
“Thank you again for the plane. For…everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” His voice deepens, drops into that soft, serious place that always makes my heart ache. “I’m happy to do it. Anytime. But only if you keep using it to come back to me in Dallas.”
My breath catches, a stupid, giddy smile tugging at my mouth. “Missing me already, huh?”
“Yeah, well, I’m kind of stuck on you,” he says, rough affection bleeding into his voice.
The words land somewhere soft and tender inside me, cracking something open in my chest.
“I’m kind of stuck on you too.”
The plane slows, the engines shifting to an idle hum, and the seat belt sign dings off overhead.
Time to move.
I adjust my grip on my carry-on and lean against the armrest for just a second longer.
“Vi and Elias are here to pick me up, but I’ll call you later, okay?”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“I love you.” Those three words have become more natural to me than breathing.
“Love you more.” I can imagine the grin tugging at his mouth.
I step down onto the tarmac, the thick Charleston heat washing over me like a wave.
I spot them, Violet waving like she’s trying to flag down a plane. Beside her stands a man I haven’t seen in months—not since Samoa.
Elias spots me, his face lighting up.
“There’s my favorite teine!” he says, his voice full of laughter and affection.
Teine . I remember the word from my time in Samoa. Girl, friend, someone you claim as your own. It’s what all of Alex’s brothers called me. It made me feel special, like I was one of them.
He crosses the distance between us in long strides with those legs that go on forever and wraps me up in a bear hug so big and warm it almost knocks the air out of me.
I laugh, squeezing him back just as hard.
When he lets me go, I blink fast against the sudden sting behind my eyes.
Elias grins down at me, all mischief and sunshine.
“Still so little.” He ruffles my hair like I’m his kid sister.
“ Still not funny,” I shoot back, swatting his hand away, but grinning.
He laughs and grabs my bag without being asked, slinging it into the trunk of Violet’s car.
The second we pull out of the parking lot, Elias rolls down the window, sticking his arm out and grinning like a kid tasting freedom for the first time. “Man, it’s like a sauna here. Everything smells green and salty and… old.”
“That’s Charleston for you. Historic and humid. We aim to please,” I say.
Violet shoots Elias a mischievous smile in the rearview mirror. “Wait until the mosquitoes introduce themselves. You’ll really get the full-on Southern experience then.”
He laughs, tossing his head back, and it’s such a good, easy sound that I find myself smiling too.
I settle back against the seat, watching them trade quips. Violet’s even more charming and quick-witted than usual—her grin brighter, her laugh a little softer—and Elias is eating it up like she’s the best thing he’s seen all day.
It’s sweet. And a little funny. But mostly ridiculously obvious.
There’s a current running between them—bright and electric—and even though I’m bone-tired and still carrying a heavy pit of anxiety in my gut, I’m glad to see it.
The conversation drifts for a few minutes—favorite foods, worst travel stories. But eventually, it shifts. And I sense it before he even says a word.
Elias leans forward between the seats, his tone changing, a new seriousness threading through it. “I hate to bring it up, teine, but we gotta talk about McRae.”
I nod, already expecting it. “Of course.”
He glances at Violet—like he’s weighing whether to say what he needs to say in front of her.
“It’s fine. She knows everything. My little chihuahua went head-to-head during the last incident with him and scared him away.”
“Impressive.” Elias settles back in the seat. “You don’t have to be afraid of him. I’m here on behalf of my brother. He was very clear about what he expects from me. McRae tries anything, and he’s going to regret it.”
The certainty in his voice—the quiet, unflinching promise—hugs me like a shield. I am safe with Elias here.
“Thank you for coming.” It means more to me than he will ever know.
Elias smiles, easy and sure. “Don’t mention it, teine.”
We pull into the lot outside my building, the bright heat of the afternoon beating down on the asphalt. I don’t have time to protest before Elias is shouldering my bags and tossing me a grin over his shoulder.
“Lead the way, boss.”
Elias carries everything in, stacking my bags by the couch like it’s nothing. He straightens up, glancing around—and his gaze catches on the corner of the living room.
He whistles low under his breath, stepping toward the basket filled with rolled-up Samoan mats, the shelf stacked high with books about Samoa and its culture, and the framed map of the islands hanging on the wall, surrounded by a handful of small Samoan artifacts I’d picked up when Alex took me to meet his family.
“Wow,” he says, grinning. “Tinā thinks she loves you now? She’d straight-up lose her mind if she saw this.”
“I love Samoan culture. It’s beautiful. The people. The history and tradition. The heart behind everything.”
Elias nods, warmth in his eyes. “Trust me, we know.” He taps his chest over his heart with his fist. “The whole family knows. We saw it in Samoa—how you didn’t just visit. You soaked it in. And cared. You loved it like it was already part of you.”
The words hit hard, a bittersweet ache blooming behind my ribs. Because even when I wasn’t trying to belong to anyone, they claimed me.
Elias lingers by the basket of mats, his hand brushing over the rough weave of one of them before he glances back at me. “I’m glad you’re back in the family. It was a rough time for Alex.”
My heart squeezes, the ache still sharp. “I didn’t handle being apart from him very well either.”
Violet sucks air between her teeth. “Magnolia did not thrive during her sad-girl era. It was bad.”
Before the moment becomes too serious, Violet claps her hands together. “You know what we should do?”
“I’m sure you’re going to tell us.”
“Let’s take Elias out. Show him a real Lowcountry welcome his first night here. Shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, the whole shebang.”
Her grin is pure mischief.
What are you up to, Vi?
“Elias just got off a transpacific flight. He deserves something way better than sad airplane food.”
I bite back a smile. Because let’s be real—Elias flew business class. He wasn’t choking down some sad, plastic-wrapped sandwich and lukewarm coffee at thirty thousand feet.
Still, the way Violet’s looking at me—vibrating with excitement—I can see she’s not about to let this go.
The weight of exhaustion presses into my bones. “I don’t know. I’m pretty wiped. And I’m sure Elias is tired after his long flight.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Violet behind Elias’s back.
She widens her eyes, mouthing. “ pleeeeease ,” and pressing her palms together.
Sleep can wait, I guess. “You know what? It’s still early. I could eat.”
Violet’s face lights up like she just won a lottery scratcher.
“If Elias is up for it.”
He nods. “Always starving.”
I shake my head, laughing. “A family trait, no doubt.”
Elias flashes a grin that’s pure trouble. “Let’s do it. Feed me all the Lowcountry, teine. I’m ready.”
We end up at one of my favorite spots tucked away near the Battery—a worn brick building with creaky floors, mismatched chairs, and food that tastes like home.
The second we step inside, the scent of butter and spices and something rich and fried wraps around us. Elias breathes in deep, his whole face lighting up.
“I think I’m gonna like it here,” he says.
Violet slides into the booth next to me, bumping my shoulder with hers as she grins across the table at Elias.
“You’re about to be ruined forever.” Her voice drips with flirtation.
I don’t need to turn my head to know she’s turning on the sparkle. She’s so obvious, she’s leaving a trail of glitter across the table.
Vi rattles off a list of appetizers and entrees to the server. I order some of my favorites, and Elias grins like he’s ready to eat whatever we throw at him.
The table fills up, one plate after another. A heavy cast-iron skillet lands in front of us, steaming with creamy shrimp and grits, the buttery sauce pooling around the edges.
Next comes a wide bowl of she-crab soup, the smell so rich it makes my stomach growl out loud.
A basket of hush puppies follows, golden and hot, a tiny pot of honey butter melting faster than we can slather it on.
By the time the last plate drops, every inch of the table is covered with bowls, skillets, and baskets balanced on top of each other like a game of edible Tetris.
Elias digs in like he hasn’t eaten in a week, groaning around every bite.
“Zero regrets,” he says, grabbing a hush puppy and taking a huge bite, eyes closing like he’s having a religious experience.
Violet laughs, resting her chin in her hand as she watches him eat.
“So… you like Lowcountry food, huh?”
Elias waves a forkful of grits in the air like he’s delivering a sermon. “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. No offense to the rest of my life.”
I lean back, sipping my drink, watching them banter across the table. Violet is shining in a way I haven’t seen in a long, long time.
It’s subtle—the way she leans in just a little closer when Elias talks, the way her smile lingers a beat longer than usual—but it’s there.
That spark. That bright, ridiculous, hopeful thing that’s been missing from her for too long.
And Elias…he’s eating it up. Every glance, every grin. Like he already knows he’s in trouble and he’s not even trying to fight it.
It’s sweet. It’s fast. And it feels good.
After everything Violet’s been through—all the heartbreaks and dead ends—watching her light up like this makes something inside me ache in the best way.
Elias glances around. “Excuse me for a moment, ladies. Be right back.”
He slides out of the booth, tossing his napkin in his seat before heading toward the back of the restaurant.
The second he’s out of earshot, Violet leans into me, grabbing my wrist like she’s about to deliver a life-or-death confession.
“Mags! My ovaries went into overdrive the second I saw him.” She is wide-eyed, dead-ass serious.
I choke on my sweet tea, coughing as I laugh.
“Violet!”
“I’m so fucking serious,” she says, flailing a hand. “I think I got pregnant with his little Samoan baby just by standing next to him. And I’m not even mad about it.”
I laugh harder, doubling over a little in the booth. God, it’s good to laugh like this. To be like this.
But honestly? I get it. Alex and Elias come from the same mold. I remember how my heart sped up when I first saw my big guy.
Violet leans closer, lowering her voice to a whisper even though Elias is nowhere near.
“Will you be mad at me if I fuck him?” She looks so serious that she might as well be asking for a kidney. “Mags, I really want to fuck him.”
I laugh so hard my ribs hurt. “I don’t care. Just… don’t do it on my couch please.”
Violet grins, the kind that says she’s already planning trouble.
“Don’t worry. I have plans. Filthy plans. Plans that are not couch-appropriate. I’ll take him to my apartment.”
“He’s my bodyguard right now. You can’t just whisk him off for mattress wrestling with optional choking. I need him in one piece.”
Violet waves a hand, unbothered. “You’ll be flying back to Dallas to be with your man soon enough, leaving his brother here. Which means––” She grins even wider. “He’s all mine.”
I’m still laughing when Elias returns, sliding back into the booth with that charming Sebring grin.
Violet and I exchange a look—loaded with mischief and a thousand unspoken things—and burst out laughing all over again.
I’m hopeful for Vi.
Maybe things are falling into place for both of us.