Page 27 of Mariposa (Queens Command #1)
VIOLET
“ H ello!” I cheerfully greet my ex-boyfriend’s mother.
When Penny opens the door, she’s grinning ear to ear and opens her arms to embrace me.
Her muted purple cardigan hugs her thin arms. She’s wearing Christmas wreath earrings decorated with mini ornaments.
I notice her bright red lipstick matches her shining brown eyes, which have flecks of red when the sunset hits them just right.
Tears prick my eyes. A motherly hug is something I can use right now. I haven’t had one since I buried my father.
Her warmth comes over me in a wave. I can feel her love through it as she rubs my back up and down as I rest my chin on her shoulder.
“You’re back. It feels like forever since I’ve seen you,” she breathes, giving me one last squeeze. She backs up and rubs my arms as she looks me up and down with pride glinting in her cheerful radiance.
“The year flew by for me,” I joke half-heartedly, which earns me another chuckle from Penny. She puckers her lips with a teasing, genuine smile.
“I can only imagine! How’s your mom? How are your grandparents? They must be so proud of you, Violet!” she exclaims as she opens the door wider, waving me inside.
She doesn’t know how the wheels turned in my mother’s and my relationship. There hasn’t been one text, letter, phone call, or word. She really meant it when she said joining the military was the last straw for her and that she disowned me.
“They’re all good. Grandma is being as strong as she can be with her condition. I haven’t seen my grandpa yet, but I’m going to stop by their house tomorrow. I’m only home for two weeks before I report to my group.”
I’m not entirely lying, but I’d rather keep a positive mindset, so the holiday spirit isn’t tainted with the family drama. Bringing up those details would mean I’d have to talk, which leads to me fighting back the anger, resentment, and grief I fight daily.
I follow after her, greeted by the aroma of vanilla, cinnamon, and wood, most likely coming from the candle that’s burning on her white coffee table. Christmas music continues to sync with the fire crackling from her living room. Penny always decorates for every season—something I also like to do.
I look forward to the day I buy my first house, when I can decorate it for each holiday and bake pies accordingly.
“Which group are you going to?” she asks over her shoulder as she enters the kitchen. “I’m just finishing up a ham, come over and give me a hand. You must be hungry.” Her distant, soft southern tone trickles into my ears over “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” by Michael Bublé.
I enter the kitchen but stop walking as my heart sinks when I see a familiar face.
Adam .
“Yeah, Violet. Which group are you going to?” Adam sits on a golden barstool by the kitchen island.
He throws a pecan in his mouth and chews it while a coy grin plays at his lips.
His brow dances as he taunts me for an answer.
His light brown hair is chopped into a buzz cut.
He wears an all-green and red Christmas sweater over his dark brown slacks.
I didn’t know he was going to be here. Penny left that part out when we were making plans. I thought it was naturally implied that Adam and I were over and most likely aren’t ready to be just friends yet. I didn’t see his car parked out front when I drove in.
Mixed feelings bubble into my veins, and I flutter my gaze to Penny, who pulls out a bright yellow birthday cake from the fridge. She closes it and whips around and slightly hops.
“Surprise!” they both screech happily.
Adam claps his hands roughly. “Happy birthday!”
I roll my lips together, forcing a grateful smile, trying to push away the urge to dart out of the kitchen. I hate surprises, especially when I hadn’t planned to reunite with Adam so soon. I feel ambushed.
Adam strides toward me, making sure his back is toward his mother when he leans into my ear. I stiffen. My whole body crawls with guilt and resentment.
Guilty for overstepping with Kade and resentment towards Adam for breaking up with me the day I left for the course at the airport.
“My girlfriend is back home.” He pecks my cheek and runs his soft hands through mine.
Girlfriend? What game is he playing at?
“I’m going to place this here and run to the restroom really quickly. Don’t move! I need to take a picture of all three of us together!” She runs out of the kitchen and disappears around the corner into another hallway.
“What’re you talking about, Adam? I’m not your girlfriend anymore.” I snort into the shell of his ear. I take a step back, but he catches me by the forearms and brings me closer. The maneuver blindsides me—he’s never been aggressive with me like this.
The stench of liquor on his breath hits me as he replies, “My mother doesn’t know you broke up with me. Please keep that between us for the holidays. She’s going through a lot of stress at work. Her company is downsizing, and I don’t want her to think or worry about us during Christmas.”
“Adam…” I shoot him a scowl. Brushing him off, my nose scrunches.
“Violet,” he mimics and tries to intertwine our fingers, but I pull back. The rejection causes him to frown. I turn my head away, stare at the white tiled floor, and sink my teeth into my bottom lip.
He takes a step back, granting me space. I clear my throat as I watch him with narrowed brows. He glances me up and down as his Adam’s apple bobs.
“You look…different. Still beautiful as ever.”
Unsurprisingly, his compliment doesn’t do what it used to do to my body. I don’t feel anything.
“Where are you getting stationed?”
I purse my lips.
“North Carolina.”
“Nice. So, I’ll still be able to see you anytime I want. You know I visited your grandma often while you were gone.”
I rear back.
“You did?”
“Yeah. It sucks to see her slowly wither awa?—”
How dare he talk about her like that? Narrowing my brows at him, my face turns wry.
“She’s not! She’s…” I cut him off with a shout, not knowing what to say. I still don’t want to accept that she’s dying. It’s too painful.
“Sorry…” he murmurs, throwing his hands up to his chest in a surrendering kind of way. “I just wanted to feel closer to you. I fucked up.”
“First, thank you for visiting her, and speaking of which, I want her ring back. Secondly, it doesn’t matter anymore, Adam. It’s been a year since we last saw each other.”
He shuffles backward on his feet.
“It’s been a year since we last saw each other, but only a month since we broke up,” he corrects with a slightly deluded tone to his words.
A flicker of denial in his whiskey eyes.
He lifts a Christmas mug to his mouth and drinks, never taking his gaze off me.
I can only assume it’s the liquor laced with something else that would explain the scent coming out of his pores.
“No, Adam, it doesn’t work like that. Your timeline is severely off,” I retort.
I’ve never seen this side of him before.
He’s almost desperate to win me back. Adam has always been selfish in our relationship.
He didn’t attend my basic training graduation because he said he had to work, even though I gave him lots of time to plan.
I found out that he was partying all night the day before.
Our mutual friends told me about the adventurous drunk night he held at his house.
He was too hungover the next day to come.
I was always making plans to spend time together, and he spent it on his phone each time we went on a date.
In the beginning, it was great, but he changed over time when he went to college.
Maybe I wasn’t as in love with him as I thought I was.
Perhaps I was comfortable because he was there for me when I didn’t have anyone else.
“Things were rocky before I left. Going away has given me plenty of time to set my expectations and boundaries that I deserve. You were always apologizing, and I was always forgiving. We’d been growing apart for a while, isn’t that what you said?” I snap.
Penny claps her hands when she enters. Her smile tells me she’s utterly unaware of what we’re discussing.
“Shall we get started? We’ll eat cake and decorate the Christmas tree!” Her bright smile reaches her brown eyes as she pulls out three plates from a cabinet.
Adams sips his drink angrily.
I’ll stay for one hour and then leave.
Being around Adam and Penny, I feel like I’ve betrayed them. They can’t find out what Kade and I shared. They wouldn’t understand. At the end of the day, they’re his family, and I’m an outsider. Adam already resents Kade. What will happen when he finds out we’ve crossed a line?