Page 10 of Corrupt Obsession

He and Violet watched from the doorway as Isaac placed Mom in the passenger seat. As the truck reversed out of the garage, their parents waved while Violet blew kisses until the door slowly came down.

“They actually left us,” Violet said, stunned.

“Want to throw a party?”

She snickered as she closed the door to the garage and made a big show of locking it before she turned and surveyed their new house, filled with unwrapped furniture and stacked boxes. “Is this real life? Pinch me.”

He tugged on that curl in front of her face that had been driving him crazy. “This is real, all right.”

The last thing he expected was for her face to crumple.

“Vi? What’s wrong?” he demanded.

When he drew her against him, she burst into tears.

“Did someone say something?” he demanded over the sound of her heart-wrenching sobs.

It had been a hectic day with their parents tying the knot, followed by a casual lunch reception, which finished just in time for Mom and Isaac to catch their flight. Violet hadn’t seemed upset. On the contrary, she was so over the moon, she couldn’t keep still. So, where was this coming from?

“Tell me what happened.”

She shook her head.

He rubbed her back and was momentarily distracted by the soft, buttery material of her dress. “Come on. Talk to me. You know I hate when you cry.”

“I just…” She twisted her hand in his shirt. “I’m…”

He ducked his head to hear her better and caught a whiff of something sweet and alluring. Violet had been experimenting with perfumes. This one was new and definitely his favorite.

“I’m scared.”

Her confession brought his attention back to her weird breakdown. “Scared of what?”

She raised her tear-streaked face and tugged urgently on his shirt as she babbled, “I’m scared something’s going to happen! I’ve never been so happy in my life. I kept thinking something was going to happen before they got married. They’d break up or someone would get into a car accident or…” She groaned and slumped against him. “I wake up every day, thinking this must be a dream. That I made you and Lynne up and?—”

“Why can’t this be real?”

“Because good things don’t happen to me!”

He tugged on her braid, which was coming undone. “What do you mean, good things don’t happen to you?”

Heartbroken green eyes searched his. “I wasn’t enough for my mom to stay. Dad loves me, but he’s never known what to do with me. He was relieved to drop me off with other families so he could go to work. I’ve never had a home or real friends, and then you and Lynne come along, and you’re so great, and you actually like me and…” Fat tears slid down her cheeks. “I’m so scared something terrible’s going to happen and this will all disappear.”

He clasped her face between his hands. “Nothing is going to happen.”

He saw the flash of anger on her face, so was prepared when she tried to jerk away.

“How do you know?” she snapped.

“Because I’m not going anywhere.”

“But what if something happens between Mom and Dad?”

“Then we’ll figure it out.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Yes, it is. You’re just making it complicated.”

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