Page 91 of Icebound Hearts

“Pretty much, yeah. I was hungry, and all I had were some pickles, but I wanted something sweet to go with it. I love peanut butter, so I decided to mix them, and voilà.”

“Most people probably would’ve written that idea off right away.”

“I guess I’m not like most people, then,” she says with a laugh.

She has no idea how right she is. I’ve never met anyone else like Violet, and I’m becoming more and more certain that I never will.

After a moment of easy silence, she cocks her head at me, biting her lip. “Can I, uh, ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“You mentioned that you got a vasectomy. Why did you do it?”

It’s a good question, although it’s not something I’d normally talk about with, well, anyone. But like Violet said, she’s not just anyone, so I decide to be honest.

“I did it after Miriam and I split, mostly because I was determined not to do a repeat of the marriage and kids thing. Besides, I already have Jake, and he’s all I need.”

Violet smiles at me, her eyes softening. “I like how fiercely you and Jake love each other. And the way you protect him. I’ve always wanted to have kids of my own someday, and I’ve realized after seeing the way you are with Jake that it’s exactly how I’d want my kids’ dad to be.”

“Wow, thanks. That means a lot to hear.”

“I’m serious. You’re amazing with him, much better than my parents were with me and Reese when they split up.”

“I’m sorry. Can I ask what happened?” Reese has made little comments about it here and there over the years, but not in much detail.

Violet sighs and leans against the counter. “When our parents split, neither one of them really prioritized us. That hurt the most, honestly. They were way too busy with their own lives and drama to worry about me and Reese.”

“That must have been really hard.”

“I took it better than Reese. He really struggled with it and always tried to convince them to get back together. But I never felt that way. Even when I was a little kid, I could see how bad their relationship had gotten.”

I don’t know what comes over me, but before I even realize what I’m doing, I’m taking her face in one of my hands, mythumb stroking her jaw line. “I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve any of that.”

Violet shrugs. “It’s fine. It taught me at a young age not to believe in the fairy tale of love and happily-ever-afters. That’s saved me a lot of heartache over the years.”

Hearing that makes my own heart twist because her story hits really close to home. My split from Miriam was—understandably, after she cheated on me—pretty fucking contentious. And even though I tried my best to make sure Jake knew we both still loved him and that would never change, after hearing Violet’s experience, I can’t help wondering if Jake has already learned a similar lesson.

That’s the thing about being a parent. Even when we try our hardest to protect our kids, to avoid repeating what happened to us, sometimes it still isn’t enough.

I’m sure Violet’s parents did their best with what they had, and if I ever got the chance to ask either of them about it, they’d probably say they never meant for her to feel the way their split made her.

But it did, and I know from firsthand experience that’s not a lesson that’s easy to unlearn. And that’s exactly what makes it so hard to hear Violet’s story. I’ve only just started getting to know her, but I already know she deserves her own fairy tale and happily-ever-after. She’s so sweet and genuine with me and with Jake, with everyone she meets, and it proves that she’s got a lot of love to give—and that there’s so much about her to love.

I can’t be the one to give that to her though, and it’s not my place to try to convince her to believe in love again. I’ve been through more than my fair share of battles of the heart, and I still bear the scars, so it’s not like I’m in any position to do that. But I hope that eventually someone comes along and shows her what I can’t. Gives her what I can’t.

My hand drifts down to her chest, resting right above her scar. “There’s a good heart in here. It’s worth protecting.”

Violet smiles and puts her hand on mine, using it to pull me into her for another sweet, salty kiss.

“What do you say to another bite of me?” she whispers playfully when we part.

“Heartbreaker, you never have to ask me twice.”

I scoop her up into my arms, ignoring the slight twinge in my ribs as she yelps in surprise. We try our best to keep it down on our way back upstairs, but we laugh quietly the whole way and can’t keep our hands and lips off each other.

I might not be able to give her the love she deserves, but I can at least give her this.

And maybe that’s enough for now.

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