16. Violet
Violet
My husband and our two best friends surprised me when they didn’t charge out of the house and bombard me with questions after Shaw had stormed off. My first thought was maybe she didn’t say anything to Luca or even Jagger.
And maybe pigs could actually learn to fly.
There was zero chance of that happening. Which confused me because no way would Luca not confront me when he found out what was going on in my head. And maybe, just maybe, I’d wanted Shaw to be the one to confess my inner turmoil to my husband so I didn’t have to.
Damn, I was such a pussy.
Luca took such good care of me that I’d gotten too reliant on it.
We were so connected, he could fulfill my needs before I even knew what I needed.
But he wouldn’t have ever thought that this was on my mind.
Or to this extent. Communication was everything in a marriage—any relationship, for that matter.
But I had definitely not been communicating.
Was he angry with me because I hadn’t been open about how I was feeling? Because I sure as hell was mad at myself for it. Yet I still couldn’t gather the courage to seek him out and unload the baggage that kept piling up inside my head.
Lyric, Maverick, and Gian came out onto the terrace where I’d remained with Mila, River, and Monroe. All three women had carefully changed the topic after the heaviness of our previous conversation. I didn’t think any of them knew what to say to be of any true help to me anyway.
My heart still ached for River and her confession. Now that I knew it was there, I couldn’t miss the tiny flicker of loss in her green eyes. As Maverick crossed to sit with her, they shared a look that spoke of how much they loved each other. But also, their shared loss.
Gian sat beside Monroe, pulling her legs across his lap as she tucked her head under his chin, snuggling close.
They both reacted to seeing each other like it had been days instead of less than an hour since they’d last been together.
But that was how it had always been anytime I’d been around the couple.
For me, a casual acquaintance observing from the outside, they seemed to have a very codependent, obsession-driven relationship.
Not necessarily toxic or even remotely unhealthy, but different from anything I’d ever seen before meeting them.
Since then, however, I’d gotten a glimpse of Ryan Vitucci with his wife, Nova.
That relationship was on its own plane, separate from any other universe.
Anytime I looked at Ryan, I got the sense that madness was just below the surface, and the only thing protecting the world at large from him was Nova.
Not that I would ever judge their relationships. Mine was bizarre, to say the least. Unconventional. I loved three people. My husband. My best friend. And her husband.
Lyric dropped a kiss on Mila’s lips before sitting down on the end of her lounger. Picking up her feet, he placed them on his lap and started massaging her soles. My brother-in-law gave me a smile. “Still cold, I see. Even with this sun frying everyone.”
“There’s a hot tub,” Gian spoke up. “If you’re chilled, it will help.”
“Thanks, but I’m good for now,” I told him.
“Make yourself at home, Violet,” Monroe implored. “We’re all family here. What’s ours is yours.”
Before I could thank her again, Gian nuzzled his nose against her ear. “Precious, let’s take a walk. I didn’t get to show you the waterfall during our last stay.”
“Is that code for you want to bone my sister in the jungle?” Maverick grumped, causing River to playfully kick at him to shush. “That’s a yes. Gross. I just threw up a little in my mouth.”
Lyric snorted but didn’t engage with his brother-in-law. “Seriously, Vi. Go change, and you and Shaw relax in the hot tub. Just looking at you in that thick hoodie is making me feel suffocated.”
“Getting rid of me?” I teased.
“Sure fucking am,” he admitted unabashedly. “As soon as you’re occupied, I’m taking my wife upstairs and fucking her until she can’t remember her name.”
“Gross,” Maverick gagged, earning him another kick and a giggle from his wife.
“You’re the only one I worry about being comfortable other than Mila this weekend,” Lyric continued. “If you’re comfortable, I know Shaw and Jagger won’t have anything to complain about. Luca will be happy that you’re happy.”
I hesitated, but he shooed me with a wave of his hand. His brown eyes were laughing, but he couldn’t hide the bit of concern I saw swirling in those ever-changing brown depths. “Go on. Get going. I don’t want to see you again until dinner. Your shit is already in your room.”
With a dramatic huff that had him laughing, I stood and glared down at him with my hands on my hips. “And where exactly is my room, sir douchebag?”
“There’s a double suite on the bottom floor in the southeast corner,” Monroe supplied, half distracted by Gian as he purred something in Italian at her ear. “I asked the housekeeper to give it to you guys. It opens up on to the beach. The view in the mornings is to die for.”
“Thank you,” I murmured, although I didn’t think she heard me. Or anyone else. Mainly her brother, who continued to make gagging noises.
Note to self: Do not go in search of the waterfall.
Lyric caught my gaze and rolled his eyes before winking.
Shaking my head, I sent him a small smile before going to find the others.
It was a big, extravagant house. A little much for a private island that, according to Monroe, she’d only been to a few times in the years since Gian had gifted it to her for her thirtieth birthday.
He tended to spoil her even more than Jordan Moreitti spoiled my cousin Arella.
Finding the southeast wing, I opened a few doors before I found what Monroe had said was a double suite.
It had two bedrooms with a connecting bathroom.
The rooms were decorated basically the same in soft, neutral tones, but the focal point of each one was the massive bed in the center of the space, set to face the sliding glass doors that overlooked the ocean, uninterrupted.
Bigger than what would be considered a California king, the beds could have easily held every couple on the island, although we would have been squished together.
No one was in either room, so I picked one, deciding it would be Luca’s and mine.
Given how plush the mattress looked, I stretched out in the middle of the bed, staring sightlessly up at the ceiling, pretending like I wasn’t procrastinating.
“Grow a pair, Vi,” I gritted out just as the bathroom door opened.
Shaw stuck her head into the bedroom. “Get your sexy ass up and in a bikini. Now. Lyric just told me about the hot tub.”
“It’s way too hot out for the hot tub, Shaw,” I whined.
“You have five minutes to get into a bathing suit, or you will be going in naked,” she warned. “Honestly, I prefer that. But do you really want to risk Luca and Jagger going feral if the other guys see us without tops on?”