Chapter 14 Xaden #2
Garrick's hands clench at his sides. "Just tired."
"Or thinking," Meredith says gently. "About certain things changing."
Violet tilts her head, looking between them. "Is something wrong?"
"No," Garrick says quickly. Too quickly. "Everything's fine. Business is good. You've done great work."
But his scent tells a different story. Distress layered under the cinnamon.
"Then what's bothering you?" Violet asks, genuinely concerned.
He doesn't answer for a long moment. Just stares at her like he's trying to memorize something.
"Your car's fixed," he finally says. Quiet. Careful. "Liam mentioned it this morning. Tom called."
Violet blinks. "Oh. Yeah. He did."
"That's good." The words sound like they're being dragged out of him. "You've been waiting for that. Now you can..." He stops. Starts again. "Now you have options."
"Options?"
"You can go. To Texas. To wherever." His jaw clenches. "You're not stuck here anymore."
The kitchen goes quiet except for the background noise of cooking.
Violet's scent shifts. Confusion mixing with something that might be hurt. "Are you... are you asking me to leave?"
"No." The word comes out sharp. Desperate. "God, no. I'm just... I'm saying you can. If you want to. You should know that you can."
"I don't understand."
Garrick runs both hands through his hair, flour dusting down.
"Your ex. He controlled everything, right?
Kept you trapped. I won't do that. I won't make you feel like you have to stay because.
.." He gestures helplessly. "Because of anything.
The apartment, the work, whatever. You're free to go if that's what you want. "
Understanding dawns on Violet's face. Her scent softens. "Garrick..."
"It has to be your choice," he continues, voice rough. "Really your choice. Not because you feel obligated or because I... because any of us want you to stay. But because you want to."
Meredith is watching this exchange with knowing eyes. A small smile playing at her lips.
"And what if I don't know what I want yet?" Violet asks softly.
Garrick's face does something complicated. Hope and fear and longing all mixed together. "Then you take your time. Figure it out. No pressure. No strings. Just... whatever you decide, it's yours to decide."
"That's the problem, isn't it?" Meredith says gently. "You're so afraid of being like her ex that you won't tell her what you actually want."
Garrick flinches.
"Maybe," Violet says quietly, "I need to know what you want. Not to make my decision for me, but because... because it matters. What you think matters."
"Chef!" Maya's voice cuts through. "Table seven's asking about wine pairings, and..."
I snag a Riesling and thrust it at her. She disappears.
Garrick is staring at Violet like she just said something in a foreign language. "It does?"
"Of course it does." She takes a small step closer to him. "You think I haven't noticed that you've been different today? Distant? I thought... I thought maybe you regretted..." She stops. "I thought maybe you wanted me gone."
"No." The word is fierce. Certain. "Never that."
"Then what do you want?"
The question hangs in the air. Garrick's scent spikes with a dozen different emotions at once.
"I want..." He stops. Tries again. "I want you to stay. But only if that's what you want. Not because I'm asking. Not because you feel like you should. Because you choose it."
Violet's scent blooms warm. "And if I told you I'm not ready to leave yet? That I've been thinking about staying anyway?"
Hope flashes across Garrick's face so clearly it's almost painful to watch.
"Then I'd say..." He swallows hard. "I'd say I'm glad. Really glad. But it still has to be your choice."
"It is my choice." She moves closer. "And I'm choosing to stay. For now. Maybe longer. I don't know yet. But it's my choice, Garrick. Mine. Not yours, not Mark's. Mine."
The tension in his shoulders eases slightly. His scent shifts, the distress fading into something warmer.
"Okay," he says quietly. "Okay."
A crash echoes from the prep station. Julienned carrots scatter across the floor, mixing bowls clattering after them.
"Out!" I bark at the server who nearly slips. "All of you! Out!"
Meredith takes Violet's arm gently. "Come on, dear. Let's let the boys clean up this mess. We can have that drink now."
Violet nods but looks back at Garrick. "We should talk. Later. When you're not covered in flour and I'm not interrupting dinner service."
"Yeah," Garrick agrees. "Later."
They leave. The kitchen doors swing shut.
Garrick stands there for a moment, just breathing. His scent is calmer now. Still worried, still uncertain, but not panicking anymore.
"She's staying," he says, like he can't quite believe it.
"For now," I agree. "Her choice."
"Her choice," he repeats. Then he heads for the exit. "I need air."
The doors swing shut behind him.
I pivot to the wreckage. Carrots everywhere, pans askew, timing shot to hell.
"Chef, sauce for table four!"
I plate automatically, muscle memory taking over.
Garrick's been wound tight all day. Not because he wants Violet gone, but because he wants her to stay so badly it scares him. He's terrified of being like her ex. Of taking away her choice.
So instead of being honest about his feelings, he tried to give her freedom. Even if it killed him.
Classic Garrick. Noble and stupid all at once.
"Is the order up for table six?"
I slide another plate across the pass, but my focus is shot.
Having Violet around seemed like a good idea. She brought business, brought life. Made us all feel more.
And now we're all circling her, wanting her, trying to figure out how to keep her without trapping her.
We promised no omegas. No complications. No risk.
But it's too late for that. We're already in it.
And I don't know if that's the best thing that ever happened to us or the beginning of the end.
But at least she's staying. For now. Her choice.
That has to be enough.