37. Violet
VIOLET
I step into the living room, my gaze sweeping over the space.
The chaos is over. No more movers. No more boxes blocking every walkway. Just the soft hum of a house coming back to life.
My fingers brush over the back of the couch as I pass, adjusting it half an inch.
That’s better.
My gaze drifts toward the hallway where Drew appears.
He still looks a little shaken.
Get used to it, sweetheart. This is only the beginning.
Satisfaction settles low in my chest.
It took longer than I expected.
But I’m here now.
Ivy holds Luna, who purrs happily. Sebastian is beside his wife, where he always is.
Three pairs of eyes lock on me.
Ivy’s expression is bright with curiosity.
Sebastian’s is sharper. More careful and observant.
And Drew looks like he’s been hit by a freight train.
Ivy grins at me like she’s just been handed a secret. “You’ve been busy.”
“Someone had to make sure he didn’t put his couch somewhere ridiculous.”
Sebastian arches a brow. “Interesting choice of words.”
My lips curve. “Is it?”
His eyes narrow a fraction.
Ivy, of course, looks delighted.
Drew steps closer, and the second he does, the room shifts.
My attention locks on him before I can stop it. The top button of his shirt is undone, his sleeves rolled up. He looks rumpled. Flustered.
“Thanks for your help, Violet. If you have other things to do, you can leave. I don’t want to hold you up—”
"I don't have any plans." I pull a throw pillow from one of the bags. "I don't mind helping."
Ivy glances between us and smirks. Sebastian looks back and forth between Drew and me, thoughtful in a way that would bother most people.
“Well,” Ivy says brightly, shifting Luna in her arms. “Now that the movers are gone and the sexual tension is so thick I could choke on it, Sebastian and I should probably leave you two alone and go get pizza.”
Drew chokes on air. “What?”
Sebastian doesn’t even blink. “That sounds wise.”
Ivy beams. “See? He agrees.” She pats his chest, then hands me Luna. “Here’s your little menace. Time for me and Sebastian to go make a noble sacrifice and pick up dinner.”
Drew stares at them. “You’re just... leaving?”
Ivy gives him an innocent look. “Do you want us to stay and watch you spiral?”
“Great idea,” Sebastian says dryly. “That would be entertaining.”
“Sebastian.”
He shrugs. “What? He’s clearly losing control of his own house. It’s fascinating to watch.”
Drew scowls at him. “I’m not losing control.”
I shift Luna in my arms and glance at Drew. “You forgot to buy a TV.”
His jaw tightens.
Ivy snorts.
Sebastian’s lips twitch.
“Yes,” Drew mutters. “Thank you. I’m aware.”
Ivy loops her arm through Sebastian’s. “We’ll be back. Try not to emotionally combust while we’re gone.”
Sebastian lets her pull him toward the front door, but not before he looks back at me. His eyes narrow in suspicion.
“She’s like you,” I hear him say to Ivy.
Ivy gasps happily. “I know.”
Drew makes a sound I’ve never heard before. His face goes pale.
I’d clap my hands in delight if I weren’t holding Luna.
I’m like Ivy. What a wonderful compliment.
Sebastian’s gaze moves back to me. “No. She’s worse. She’s just... more controlled.”
I smile.
Ivy bursts out laughing as she drags him outside. “Don’t scare your brother before pizza!”
Drew looks ready to bolt after them.
The front door closes behind them.
Silence settles between us.
Luna squirms, and I lower her to the floor. “Run free. Check out your new home.”
She immediately trots off, little paws tapping over the hardwood as she investigates the room.
“So…” I put my hands in the back pockets of my jeans. “Ivy’s comment was a little... odd.”
Drew stares at me in alarm. “Ivy stalked my brother.”
I know.
I don’t say anything.
He fidgets with the button on his shirt.
“It worked out. Look how happy they are,” I say.
Drew looks around the room, his eyes landing on Luna. The alarm on his face as he watches her is deeply endearing.
“Do you think she’ll be okay here with just me?”
He looks worried.
Not for himself. For her.
Something warm stirs inside me.
“I could stay tonight,” I say calmly. “Make sure she settles in.”
His eyes widen. “Oh,” he says. “That’s unnecessary.”
I nod once.
Then I bend, grab a box, and head toward his bedroom.
“What are you doing?” he says to my retreating back.
“Unpacking some of your clothes,” I call over my shoulder.
I hear his footsteps following me.
“What?” He catches up to me in the bedroom. “I can do that.”
“I’m sure you can.” I set the box on the floor near the bed. “But I’ve got it. Why don’t you start unpacking some of the others?”
“I don’t like people touching my clothes.”
He nearly trips over Luna, who darts in and attacks one of his shoelaces.
He stumbles, catching himself on the doorframe.
My mouth twitches.
I crouch by the box and peel back the flaps.
His voice drops. “My boxers are in there.”
I slowly lift my gaze to him. “Oh, the horror. I might melt if I see a pair of men’s underwear.”
Besides, I’ve already seen them.
But he doesn’t need to know that yet.
His face does something deeply satisfying. “Don’t say underwear.”
I blink at him. “Why not?”
“It’s…” He drags a hand through his hair. “It’s underwear.”
I tilt my head. “So you can say it, but I can’t?”
“That’s not—Violet. Just let me do it.”
I tilt the box slightly so he can see inside. “This box doesn’t have your underwear.”
His brows pull together. “What?”
I point toward the other box near the dresser. “It’s that one.”
He goes still.
“How do you know that?”
I look back down and pull out one of his shirts, sliding it onto a hanger. “I’m observant.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting.”
He exhales through his nose, standing there like he’s trying to decide whether I’m infuriating or fascinating. Possibly both.
I stand and carry the shirt to the closet.
As I pull out clothing, I begin organizing.
Trousers first.
Then button-downs.
Then blazers.
Darkest to lightest.
Even spacing.
When I reach for the next hanger, I feel his stare on my back, heavy and focused.
I hang another shirt.
Soap and cedarwood fill my nose when he moves closer. “They’re color-coded.”
I glance up at him. “I know.”
He just stares at me.
“Our closets are the same.” I smooth my hand over the sleeve of his navy shirt.
“How would you know how I organize my closet?”
I lift another hanger. “You seem like the sort of man who likes order.”
He’s quiet for a beat. “That’s a hell of a guess.”
I smile faintly and hang the last shirt.
He moves closer still. I feel the heat of him now.
“Violet.”
I slowly look up.
His shirt is open at the throat, sleeves pushed up, and he still looks perfectly undone and confused.
His eyes drop briefly to my mouth before returning to mine.
Something tightens low in my stomach.
“What?” I ask softly.
He opens his mouth—
Then closes it.
His gaze searches mine as if he’ll find answers there if he looks long enough.
He won’t.
At least, not the ones he wants.
Luna darts between us, batting at his shoelace again.
He steps back with a muttered curse, looking down at the kitten.
I bend and scoop her up before she can launch herself at his other foot.
“She likes you,” I say.
“She’s trying to kill me.”
“She’s just playing.”
“Yeah.” He huffs out something that sounds suspiciously like a laugh. “Toying with me like a mouse.”
I can’t help but laugh.
The tension leaves his body, and he gives me a smile.
Progress.
I cradle Luna against my chest and move past him toward the box of clothing that goes into the dresser.
I feel his eyes on me.
I kneel, settling Luna down, and start opening the next box.
“This is ridiculous,” he mutters.
I glance up. “What is?”
“You.”
My brows lift. “That’s rude.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes.” I peel back the tape. “Don’t worry. I’m only putting your socks away. Top drawer.”
Just like when you lived with Sebastian.
He makes a small sound. A huff of frustration mixed with disbelief.
I don’t hide my smile.
He crouches across from me, forearms braced on his knees. Intense brown eyes bore into mine. “What exactly are you doing?”
I meet his gaze. “Helping you unpack.”
“No,” he says quietly. “You’re not just helping.”
Luna rubs against me. I reach down and distractedly scratch her ears.
“I don’t like the idea of you here by yourself with nothing set up,” I say.
His expression shifts. It’s subtle, but I catch it.
“Violet…”
“So I fixed it.” I gesture lightly to the room around us. “You’re welcome.”
His mouth twitches despite himself.
I step closer before I can think better of it. Close enough to smooth a nonexistent wrinkle from the front of his shirt.
He stills instantly, breath catching.
So does mine.
“I’m serious,” I say, my voice quieter now. “You should at least let me stay until Luna settles in.”
His eyes lock on mine before dropping to my hand on his chest.
Then he looks back up at me. “This isn’t about the kitten.”
No, it isn’t.
I just smile. “Are you sure?”
He swallows hard.
The front door opens before he can answer.
Ivy’s laugh floats in first, followed by Sebastian’s heavier footsteps and the smell of pizza.
I step back smoothly like nothing happened.
Ivy appears in the bedroom doorway holding two pizza boxes. She stops short.
Her gaze goes from Drew to me. Then to the open boxes.
A slow, delighted grin spreads across her face. “Oh my God. You organized his closet.”
I beam.
Drew drags a hand down his face. “Please don’t.”
Ivy ignores him. “That is incredibly romantic.”
“You mean incredibly terrifying,” Drew mutters.
“Both,” Sebastian says from behind her.
He steps into the room carrying drinks, his eyes going straight to the color-coded closet.
“You let her do that?” he asks.
“I didn’t let her,” Drew says. “She just… did it.”
The strangest part is he doesn’t look angry. Just confused.
Ivy leans against the doorframe, openly entertained. “She really is like me.”
Sebastian’s gaze stays on me. “No. She’s not.”
Drew looks between us. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means Ivy breaks into your life like a tornado.”
Ivy beams. “Accurate.”
His eyes never leave mine. “But Violet?” he says quietly. “She moves in like she’s always belonged there.”
A soft, dangerous silence follows.
I hold his gaze.
Then I take the pizza from Ivy’s hands like nothing at all just shifted in the room.
“Glad the food’s here,” I say lightly. “I’m starving.”
Drew stares at me.
Sebastian looks even less convinced.
Ivy looks thrilled.
Luna rubs against Drew’s ankles.
Don't worry, Luna.
We'll take good care of him.