Chapter 32 – Violet
Contrary to what I told Lee, I gave my mom strict instructions not to let Dad try any intimidation tactics.
We really were past that. Too mature. I almost kept a straight face thinking it.
My lips twitched. Almost. As much as the long-forgotten teenager inside me wanted an extra helping of revenge, I loved Lee too much to make him suffer.
Monday was slow at the shop, leaving me too much time to contemplate the upcoming dinner with my parents.
They spent a lot of time traveling in retirement, which I loved for them, but it made our occasional family dinners even more jam-packed with chatter and catching up.
Like we had to squeeze three months of togetherness into a single evening.
Luckily, Lee had always gotten along with my parents.
He’d had many dinners and sleepovers at our place over the years.
I remembered his parents fondly: a sweet couple who seemed in sync.
They’d moved to the mainland years ago, wanting to be closer to more sophisticated medical care without worrying about ferry schedules.
Lee tapped on the steering wheel as he drove us out to my family’s farm.
“Relax.” I dropped a comforting palm on his thigh. “My parents won’t bite.”
“No, but they might shoot me in the ass.”
“I talked to my mom. She has it under control.”
Lee snorted, catching my gaze briefly. “It’s cute how you believe that. Your Gran defies gravity. Her daughter can’t pose much of a challenge for her if she’s got her heart set on torturing me.”
“Yeah, but we Fenwick women have the same blood in our veins. We’re all feisty. Don’t underestimate my mother. It’ll be fine,” I said, squeezing the muscle under my palm.
“I love you, but if I walk up with an erection, the odds of your dad pulling out a shotgun increase at least twenty percent.”
I patted his thigh, adding a cheeky wink. “You’ve got this, Murphy. I have faith in you.”
He parked behind Drew’s truck. At least Drew and Zach might draw attention from Lee and me.
Really, the dinner should center on Anya.
If I knew my mom, our evening was supposed to reassure Anya that we loved her.
That she’d found her family in the Fenwick clan, no matter what happened with the parents who birthed her.
We wiped our feet on the front mat and slipped inside, leaving our jackets and shoes near the door before joining the rest of the family in the living room.
Our family farmhouse had a lived-in comfort that I took for granted.
Year after year, it never changed. The well-worn furniture, the soft blue couch, all staples in my life.
My mom and dad lounged in matching recliners.
The King and Queen on their thrones. Their dark hair ran gray, and more lines etched their familiar features, but they still anchored our family in love and kindness.
Anya and Drew cuddled on the couch. Not surprising.
Anya would be lucky if he let her out of sight even once over the next few weeks.
Zach and Rae sat across the room on the loveseat, her feet across his thighs.
“There you are,” my mom called, expression pleased. “We were just about to send out a search party, but there have been enough of those lately.”
She popped out of her chair like a piece of toast and wrapped me in a hug that was all warmth and comfort.
The gentle scent of her laundry detergent and face lotion clung to her skin.
The hint of the familiar floral undertones, the ones I’d known my whole life, enveloped me as surely as her arms did, signaling to my nervous system that I was home. “Smooth, Mom,” I muttered in her ear.
She released me, moving on to Lee with her arms spread wide. “Come here, you.”
Watching my mom embrace him sent a surge of affection through me for them both.
Lee had been part of our lives for so long, I don’t know why he’d been worried.
My parents already loved him. My dad wasn’t as effusive as my mom, but he was no less welcoming.
He tilted his head from his chair in an easy nod.
I leaned in, dropping a kiss on his cheek. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hey, sweetheart. I’m glad you’re here. Your mom will quit talking about you behind your back now.”
“Relax, Gary. She knows I’d say it all to her front too. I’m not exactly the bashful type.”
My dad rolled his eyes and winked at me, careful not to let my mom see.
Drew tugged Anya closer, making room for Lee and me on the couch.
It was a tight fit, but Lee would be mortified if I chose his lap instead.
Sitting next to him meant his thigh was plastered to mine, which made me burn with awareness.
He seemed reluctant to put his arm around me like Drew did with Anya, meaning we sat stiff and straight like pokers.
Gran clomped downstairs, making an entrance in a garish housedress with violently colored tropical birds. Her pink hair was styled in a lopsided mohawk, slightly misshapen on one side. It looked like she’d just gotten up from a nap.
“Hey, Gran.”
She nodded to me, turning her attention to Anya. “I hope you kicked him in the balls. Tell me everything.”
“Mom, we don’t need to traumatize Anya by making her relive her ordeal. I think we get the gist.” My mom smiled at Anya. “Let’s change the subject. How are things coming with wedding planning?”
“Bo-ring.” Gran arched a brow in Anya’s direction. “I want to hear the story. If you’re up to it,” she added in response to my mom’s fierce frown.
Anya shrugged, smiling for my mom. “It’s fine, Vanessa. I think I could tell the story in my sleep at this point. I had to repeat myself multiple times today.”
“Just tell me you hit your ex so hard that his testicles exploded.” Gran held up her hands. “That’s the only detail I truly care about.”
Anya’s grin transformed her from quiet beauty to something more mischievous. “I forget how bloodthirsty you are.”
Gran turned to Lee and contorted her face into a scowl, her brows beetled in a deep vee. “Yeah. I’m one hundred percent vigilante when it comes to the safety of my grandchildren. Never forget it.”
For my gran, such a mild threat was practically approval, but Lee shifted uncomfortably, crossing his legs.
I bit my lip to control my expression. Crossed legs wouldn’t be enough to protect his groin if Gran really got going, but he also had me.
As if reading my mind, Gran’s eyes danced with mischief, but she let him off easy, turning to Anya and waiting expectantly.
Anya cleared her throat. “Dr. Underwood approached me as I left the bathroom at the dance. I thought nothing of it until she brushed by my side and I felt a prick.”
“Obviously, not the fun kind,” Gran muttered, her frown fierce. “I knew that bitch was suspect when she told me I needed to knock off the glaucoma meds.”
“Gran, that’s because you don’t have glaucoma.” Drew’s deep voice was dry as dirt after a ten-day drought. He tightened his hold on Anya’s hand, offering silent comfort.
“Yeah, yeah.” Gran flapped her hand. “What I have is a nosy family and too much time on my hands. Let an old woman cope how she pleases.”
“Gran, are you saying we’re too much for you?” Zach asked sweetly.
“Pshaw. Go ahead, Anya.”
“I got woozy right away. It was hard to focus. Dr. Underwood pulled me through the door by the bathrooms. At first, the cold air helped, but in a flash, she and Chaz had me bundled into their car. Owen was waiting in the back seat with a gun.”
“That prick. Still not the fun kind,” Gran grumbled, her body rigid.
“Maybe, thanks to the drugs, she thought I wouldn’t remember, but Dr. Underwood couldn’t keep quiet in the car. Kept saying it’d all be fine now. That even if Jordan’s stupid accident had wrecked all of their careful plans, I could help them ‘fix’ things.”
“How did Owen connect with the Underwoods?” my mom asked.
Anya shrugged. “They share some of the same dark web contacts. When Owen was trying to set up operations through this area, he reached out. My parents wanted a local money person. They were worried their original contacts might be compromised. Then, when it all went to shit, they decided something more drastic was necessary.”
“So, what – they thought they’d get away with kidnapping you on their way out of town?” my mom asked.
“To be fair, they would have if you hadn’t all started looking for me so quickly.” Anya smiled at me and Lee. “I can’t thank you enough for coming after me.” She included Rae and Zach. “All of you.”
“I’m still waiting for the part where you exploded his balls for touching you.”
I choked off a laugh. Lee’s shoulders shook. Drew scrubbed a hand across his brow.
“God, Gran. I’m just glad Anya’s safe,” Drew barked.
“That is the important part,” she said. “But please tell me you kicked him in the daddy button.”
Anya giggled, the sound small at first, slowly growing until it erupted into full belly laughter.
Some of the tension in the room eased. Rae and I exchanged smiles.
Our friend would be fine. Maybe we wouldn’t have taken Gran’s approach to breaking the ice, but it worked.
She had a knack for focusing on the important things.
“Never change, Gran. And yes. I saw my shot, and I took it,” Anya said. “He collapsed like I’d cut his strings.”
“Good.” Gran smiled with smug approval at Anya. “That’s my girl. Who else wants champagne to celebrate?”
Hands went up, and Gran left, presumably for the kitchen and glasses. So long as appropriate revenge was achieved, she didn’t care about pesky details like motive.
“I still don’t get what they think they accomplished, scooping you up,” my mom said.
“From what Owen let slip, my family assumed that if they could get me out of the picture, the case against them would fall apart.”
“Did they plan to just keep you?” my dad asked.
Anya wrinkled her nose. “Not exactly. They thought they could have me committed. Make it impossible for me to testify.”
“That’s disgusting.” The way my mom’s face crumpled, I could tell she was trying to fathom how a parent could behave that way. Try to control their own child with threats and coercion.
Drew’s hand squeezed Anya’s, his silent show of support making me smile. Anya deserved the best after everything she’d been through with her family and ex. My brother was that man.
Gran returned, precariously balancing a tray of champagne flutes. Zach jumped up to take the tray from her, passing glasses around.
“What should we toast to?” my dad asked. Gran opened her mouth, and my dad held up his hand. “I refuse to toast to anyone’s gonads.”
“Spoilsport.” Gran sniffed.
Lee shifted, wrapping one arm around me.
He raised his glass. “To the family we meet and collect along the way. To the love we have for each other.” His gaze locked with mine, his expression softening.
“To Vi for her bravery and heart.” He encompassed the rest of our family, winking at Gran.
“And to Anya for seeing an opportunity and taking her shot.”
“Hear, hear!” my mom said.
We leaned in, clinking glasses. My dad was mid-sip when my Gran added, “Those bubbles just burst on my tongue like ruptured testicles.”
Champagne shot out my dad’s nose, his eyes watering as he coughed, and I grinned. At least my family was never dull.
Lee and I mostly passed under the radar during dinner.
He relaxed as the meal went on, sneaking a hand onto my knee beneath the table, then sliding it higher.
Since he sat on my right, it was difficult to hide any attempt at retaliation.
Gran would surely notice and comment if I switched my silverware to free my right hand for under-table shenanigans.
Lee stroked the seam of my jeans, cutting off my air supply on a choke when he slid over my center, pressing.
He didn’t even need to linger to put me on edge.
I clenched my thighs, trapping his hand.
He tugged gently, but I gripped harder. Lee needed a reminder of who he was up against.
“Dad, Lee and I are talking about moving in together. What do you think about that? Are you okay if I rent my place out for the busy season?” I turned to Drew, keeping my knees tight together. “Or do you want it as a rental for staff at the salt farm?”
My dad arched one brow, staring down Lee. “Murphy, this is news. Do we need to discuss your intentions toward my daughter?”
I grinned innocently. Given where Lee’s hand was, I thought his intentions were pretty damn clear.