25. Violet
Violet
“Coffee is beautiful.”
Five Days Before The Grand Opening
It’s been just over a week since he left my apartment after our date. One day since I sat in the new theater while he told me his entire world might be about to change.
One day since he said the words, I might have a daughter. And those words have been echoing around my brain ever since.
I stir the coffee in my mug, even though there is nothing in it to dissolve, watching the swirl slowly spin.
Three years old.
The number has stuck with me.
Three years of a little girl’s life that Everett didn’t even know existed.
I try to imagine what that must feel like from his perspective. Because Everett isn’t the kind of man who would shrug that off. If Emily turns out to be his, he would step up. He would figure it out. That is exactly the kind of man he is.
Now there is an Everett-shaped hole in my life.
A small, quiet void where he used to be.
And it is unsettling how much I feel it.
Which is exactly why I knew I needed to talk to someone.
Three someones, to be specific.
I grab my phone and open our group chat.
Me:
Emergency sister meeting tonight at my place.
Rose:
That sounds dramatic.
Daphne:
Should I bring wine?
Lily:
Do I need to be worried?
I smile despite the knot in my stomach.
Me:
Wine is required.
Rose:
See you tonight.
At seven o’clock, my sisters show up, opening my door without a knock.
“You can’t send a message like that and expect us to just chill all day and casually arrive,” Rose announces as she walks inside.
Daphne follows behind, holding two bottles of wine. “We came prepared,” she says, lifting them up.
Lily steps in last, already studying my face carefully.
“You look like you’ve been overthinking something all day.”
“That’s because I have,” I reply.
We gather on my couch while Daphne opens the wine.
“Alright,” Rose says. “Tell us what’s going on.”
I take a breath.
“Everett told me something yesterday.”
That immediately gets their attention.
“What kind of something?” Lily asks carefully.
“His ex called him.”
Rose’s eyebrows lift. “Okay…”
“She told him he has a daughter.”
Silence fills the room.
Then Daphne blinks. “Wait.”
Rose leans forward. “How old?”
“Three,” I respond.
All three of them stare at me.
“Well,” Rose says slowly. “That’s…not a small piece of information.”
“No,” I say. “It really isn’t.”
“Does he know for sure?” Lily asks.
“Not yet, they did a paternity test, the results should be back any day,” I respond.
Daphne exhales softly. “That must be a lot for him.”
“It is.”
“And for you,” Rose adds.
I shrug a little. “I wasn’t actually upset about the daughter.”
That makes them pause.
“Then what?” Daphne asks.
“The communication part.”
I told them about the conversation in the theater yesterday. About how Everett waited a week to tell me. How could I tell something was wrong but didn’t know what?
Rose nods slowly.
“No Wonder you were frustrated!”
Lily adds gently, “But the fact that he told you before the results came back also says something.”
I stare down at my glass.
“I miss him.” The words come out quieter than I expect. All three of them soften immediately. I continue, “There has just been this weird void this past week.”
Lily nods, “That happens when someone becomes part of your everyday life.”
And Everett had.
Somewhere between quiet conversations, late-night texts, and the way he always showed up at the café to just say hi and check in.
He had settled into my life in a way that felt natural. Comfortable. Like he belonged there.
“You should talk to Mom and Dad,” Daphne offers.
“Why?” I ask.
“Because they are parents. They may not be stepparents, but they will be able to give you guidance in areas where we can’t.”
They understand what it means to love someone and choose each other every day. Even the messy parts.
Lily squeezes my hand. “You don’t have to decide anything right now.”
“I know.”
“But one thing seems pretty clear,” Lily adds.
“What?”
“You really care about him.”
I look down at my wine. She isn’t wrong. He has become more than just someone I hang out with. I stare out the kitchen window into the night. Somewhere across town, Everett is waiting.
And the truth was. I am too.