Page 77 of Loving Violet
“It was nothing. I want to protect you and Adrian. That’s my job as your man.”
“Thanks, anyway. This necklace is so cute. It doesn't look like a GPS, I like it.”
“That’s the point of this kind of necklace. They blend in so no one will ever know that it is a GPS.” I watch her admire the necklace, moving the center stone to watch it sparkle in the light. From afar, it kind of resembles a diamond, and the gold chain adds to the elegance, making sure to hide its real use. The GPS is microscopic and the only way to check the location is through an app that I’ve already installed on my phone.
“Like in the movies!” Violet says and laughs.
“That’s true. I’m your 007.”
“You are more handsome than James Bond.”
“True,” I say to her while I give her a soft kiss.
“I feel safer already,” she says, hugging me tightly.
“We’re going to get through this, Violet. I promise.”
As we sit down for dinner, I feel a renewed sense of hope. Yesterday, I found out about the stalker, and today, I’ve done everything in my power to make sure that Violet and Adrian are safe.
The following week passes in a blur of work on Violet’s house, soccer practices, and trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy.
We keep an eye out for anything unusual, and I make sure Violet and Adrian are never alone.
Chapter 26
Austin
Every morning,I wake up with Violet snuggled in my arms, and every night, I get to kiss her goodnight. Life doesn’t get better than this. Who knew I’d go from being a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” type, to a guy who can’t imagine a life without a woman and her son?
Last night, I made the mistake of asking Adrian why he’s been so attentive lately. He gave me this serious look and said,“Because I’m the man of the house. It’s my job to take care of Mom.”His words made so proud.
I nodded and said, “You’re doing a great job, kid. Your mom is proud of you.”
Adrian’s a great kid. We bond over TV, sports, and him “schooling” me on random facts he pulls from YouTube. He keeps an eye on Violet like a little watchdog, making sure she eats and doesn’t overdo it. He even told me once,“You better treat my mom right, or I’ll find a new boyfriend for her.”The kid’s not messing around.
As I’m flipping pancakes for breakfast, Violet shuffles into the kitchen, still half-asleep and wrapped in a blanket like a burrito. She yawns, gives me a sleepy smile, and leans her head against my back.
“Morning,” she mumbles, her voice muffled by the fabric.
“Morning, beautiful,” I say, flipping the last pancake onto the plate. “You sleep okay?”
“Better now that I’m not freezing to death in bed,” she teases, her cheeks pinking up.
Before I can say anything clever, Adrian bursts into the kitchen like he’s been shot out of a cannon. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Pancakes,” I reply.
“Pancakes?!” His eyes light up like Christmas morning. “Bruh, I got the syrup!”
He grabs the bottle, practically saluting me as he slides into his chair. I can’t help but laugh. This kid cracks me up.
Violet shakes her head, trying to hide her smile. “You’ve created a monster.”
“Hey, I aim to please.” I wink at her before serving up a stack of pancakes. Watching them both dig in, laughing and bantering, I feel this overwhelming sense of rightness.
My past life seems like a bad dream compared to this. Who knew domestic chaos could feel so perfect?
I’m already exhausted, and it’s not even six o'clock yet. After breakfast, I took Violet and Adrian to the river. Adrian is getting better at fishing, and today, I let him do it alone while I sat with Violet and watched him. He caught four trouts and released them, each catch making him more excited than the last.
