Page 19 of Against All Odds (Ember Falls #3)

fourteen

Everett

I stare out the window, watching the sky at the earliest parts of the morning, where night and day are at war and the dark blues are starting to lighten. I maybe slept an hour, but it’ll be worth every minute of exhaustion I feel.

I pull Violet closer before I kiss the top of her head. To have her again was everything and more.

Her arm is draped across my chest while the heat of her breath dances across my skin. Her scent, vanilla and cinnamon, fills me, warming me from the inside out.

In my thoughts, I had this belief that if we did this, I’d somehow have exorcised her from my head. That was a lie.

If anything, I just want her more now.

She stirs and then looks up at me. Her warm eyes widen, and then she blushes. “Good morning.”

I smile. “Good morning.”

“What time is it?” she asks.

“Just about five thirty.”

She lifts up onto her elbow. “Shit, didn’t you have to go to Killian’s farm?”

I pull her back down. “I’ll be fine. I’d rather stay like this a little longer.”

She nestles back in, her hand resting over my heart. “Okay.”

We lie like this, and I do my best not to think about how I’m going to spend the next year around her and not have her this way. “You were right,” I tell her.

“I was?”

“This bed really is comfortable.”

She grins. “It’s all the pillows.”

I laugh once. “Yes, that has to be it.”

What Violet doesn’t know is that I didn’t have this mattress lying around. I ordered it the day we painted her room after I remembered her saying she couldn’t sleep well on her old one. When I sat on the edge, it sagged more than I’ve ever seen a mattress sag before.

I just wanted to make her smile and not have to worry about one more thing.

Violet’s alarm starts to beep, and she rolls away before sitting up. “We should get moving.”

Yeah, we should. “I need to get home anyway,” I say reluctantly. I really have to get my mother set up, but I’d much rather stay here with her lying next to me.

She gets up, pulling the sheet with her, and just watches me as I pull on my pants. “Everett?”

“Yeah?”

“Are we okay?”

I laugh once. “That’s supposed to be my line, Twinkle.”

For a second my heart stops. That came out way too easy. That nickname hasn’t been said in fifteen years, but she’s not just some girl I picked up in a bar. There’s a lot of history, and while that’s probably why we fell into each other’s arms so easily, it’s complicated as fuck.

Violet watches me, swallowing once before smiling. “Well, that makes me feel better.”

If there’s anyone in this situation who is going to end up hurt, it’s me.

As I lay awake, I kept thinking what a fucking idiot I was. She’s ... I don’t know, vulnerable? Her entire world has come down around her, and here I am, walking right into it.

Yes, we said no promises and all that, but come on. There’s always going to be feelings between people who loved each other once.

Plus, she’ll leave, go find whatever peace she is looking for, and I’ll be here. I can’t leave Ember Falls and we both know it. Even knowing this, I won’t resist her. I’ve wanted her for too long and one taste of her will never be enough.

“Come here, Vi.” I watch her walk around the bed before she’s in front of me, and she tilts her head back to meet my gaze. “Are you okay?”

Her lashes flutter, and she bobs her head slightly. “I am.”

“Truly?” I hook my finger under her chin, not allowing her to look away.

“I’ve never done this. I’ve never slept with someone I wasn’t in a relationship with, but at the same time, you’re different. You know? We were in love. I’ve kissed you before. I’ve been with you before. It’s not casual, but at the same time, it ... is?”

“I get what you mean. If you were just some girl, I would’ve bounced before the sun came up, but I didn’t want that.”

She laughs and then turns her head. “We’re a pair, aren’t we?”

“We sure are.”

Her eyes move back to mine. “I don’t know how to ... like I don’t want to say thank you, because it wasn’t like a service, you know?”

“No, it wasn’t. It was something much more than that.”

“But at the same time ... it’s not like we can say I’ll see you tonight or make plans, because we said no strings.”

I pull her close, my arms wrapping around her, wanting it to happen again, but I won’t push. “Shut up and kiss me goodbye.”

Her hands move up to my face, and our lips meet. It’s a soft, gentle kiss, not nearly like the lust-filled and frantic ones we shared all night.

I pull back and then lean in again to give her a peck. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Okay.”

I wink. “Okay.”

I grab my shirt, throwing it on, then my sweatshirt and shoes. I turn back, and Violet is still standing there, the sun now poking out more, and I know I’ll never forget how she looks right now.

She’s so beautiful with her brown hair falling around her face, framing her sleepy eyes and slightly swollen lips.

Her delicate hand lifts in a wave and I do the same, then turn before I tackle her back on the bed and we both miss work.

“So, how did last night go?” Killian asks as we’re walking out to the barn.

“It was fine. How is the horse?”

He laughs. “Deflecting much?”

As if I would give them any ammunition to use against me? Absolutely not. I’ll lie before I tell them a damn thing.

“Here, I brought you coffee. Hazel insisted.” I hand him the cup.

“Thanks, but it’s half gone.”

“Oops.”

Killian snorts. “Anyway, the horse is better. He was moving around a little earlier.”

“That’s good. Does the trainer know how he could’ve injured it?”

“He wasn’t overly forthcoming—you know how Travis is. He knows everything, and he only produces winners.”

Killian owns part of this horse farm with his friend who breeds and boards racehorses. It’s an amazing facility, and the care his horses receive is top-notch, but his head trainer is an egotistical asshole. If I can avoid dealing with him, it’s for the best.

“He’s something, all right,” I say as we enter the stall.

The horse shifts back and forth as we approach. “Hey there, buddy.” I lift my hands as I open the door. “I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to see what that mean trainer did to your leg.”

He snorts and lifts his head a few times before stepping back. I’ve looked at him a few times over the years, and he’s always been a little skittish. I can only imagine, now that he’s in pain, that I’ll have to work a little harder.

Killian steps over to the side a little out of view, and the horse settles slightly. “You’re putting weight on that leg, so that’s a good thing,” I say in my most soothing voice. “I’d like to take a look. Will you let me closer?”

I lift my hand and brush his neck, continuing to let him know I’m not such a bad guy. After another minute of that, he moves his head to bump my shoulder, and I see we’re going to be friends.

The exam doesn’t last long, since it’s pretty clear, based on the swelling, it’s a joint issue.

I exit the stall and Killian comes around.

“He needs stall rest and no training or races for a while. I’d like to do an injection to help with the healing, but I’m serious that Travis needs to give him a break. ”

“I’ll take care of it,” Killian promises. “He’s still young, and I think Travis sees something in him and is just pushing him a little harder than he needs to.”

“He is. Tell him to relax or you’re going to have more issues than just this.”

“Thanks, Ev.”

“Of course.”

We start to walk back, and Killian just can’t help himself, apparently. “So you were childhood sweethearts with Violet?”

“Yes.”

Maybe if I keep to one-word answers he’ll give up.

“How is being around her now?”

It’s conflicting and terrifying because I could see myself easily falling back in love with her.

“It’s fine.”

Okay, that was two words.

“Sure it is.”

“We’re just friends. There’s nothing there.” That’s the biggest lie I’ve said. There’s definitely something there.

“It didn’t look like that last night. You looked like you were ready to lasso the moon for her.”

“You need glasses, old man. I don’t have the time or the energy to put into any relationship.

Between work, my mother, Frisbee, and sleep, there’s not a chance in hell I can dedicate more of myself.

Not to mention, Violet and I have already failed once, and she’s leaving in a year, and then she’ll probably move back to California. ”

Which is what she’s alluded to and I have to remember if I feel myself slipping.

“Did she say that?” Killian asks. “Hazel was talking about her staying around longer.”

No, no, no. I can do a year. I can’t do forever with her here.

I’ll fucking lose my mind.

“That’s news to me.”

Killian clasps me on the shoulder. “It’s a good thing, then, that you guys are just friends.”

Yeah . . . just friends.