-Violet-
"Are you sure you want to do this?" James asked for the millionth time.
"Yes." I smiled and took his hand. "We'll show your dad that we're not splitting up and he won't get to us."
James smiled nervously. "Sometimes I wish your optimism would rub off on me. Then maybe I'd get somewhere with my dad."
I shrugged. "Maybe I could've too." Then I tugged on his hand and started leading him to the front door. "Let's just get it over with. It's only dinner."
"We already have to deal with him Christmas Eve for his party. Why push it two weeks early?" He said dully.
I snorted and continued to pull him forward. "And we'll get through that too. It's going to be fine, James. If something happens, we'll leave. It's not a big deal."
"That's what I'm supposed to say," He grumbled.
We reached the front door and I rang the doorbell before James could run away. There's no going back now. The door swung open and Cristin stood on the other end with a giant smile. "You're late," she said.
James glanced at the watch on his wrist. "By five minutes."
Cristin shrugged. "It's rude, James."
James didn't reply and he pulled me inside. We walked around Cristin and further inside the house. James led me into the living room where we only found his dad. He was leaning against the blazing fireplace with a drink in hand and his phone pressed to his ear. "Dad," The annoyance in James's voice didn't go unnoticed.
David lifted his head, a smile tugging at his lips. He told the person on the other end of the line that he had to go and hung up. He placed his drink on the mantle and walked up to us. "Glad you could make it." He looked at me. "It's good to see you, Violet."
"You too, Mr. Roedan." I smiled weakly because I knew he didn't mean it.
James shook his hand and put on a forced smile.
"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," He informed. "We can head into the dining room."
David led the way into the dining room and we sat down, including Cristin. I was next to James of course and he held my hand tightly under the table. Just as David was about to sit down, I heard Sara's voice call him from in the kitchen. He excused himself and walked out.
Cristin stared dully at her glass, not saying a word.
I felt James lean in close, his lips touching my ear. "The first sign of him being an asshole to you, we're leaving," he whispered.
I turned my head to look at him and his face was barely an inch from mine. "It's going to be fine," I assured. "Even if he does, we'll stay." I shrugged. "It doesn't bother me and I don't want it to bother you either."
"Of course it's going to bother me, Vi." He lifted my hand to his lips, pressing a small kiss on the inside of my palm.
"Gag," Cristin groaned from her end of the table.
But we both ignored her. James dropped my hand and I took that moment to caress his face and kiss him quickly. As I pulled away, James drew me back in for one more.
"Dinner is ready!" David announced.
We pulled apart, but James kept a firm grip on my hand.
Sara came in with a big smile on her face, carrying a glass dish filled with something in her hands. "It's my grandmas recipe," She said as she sat it down in front of us. No one said anything, but David was smiling and Cristin looked nervous. I'll give Sara an A for at least trying. Hopefully it tastes good, because it really doesn't smell bad.
We all took turns filling our plates and then hesitated.
I took my first bite and almost wished I didn't. My brain is screaming no, but I swallowed it anyway.
James choked on a cough next to me and took a sip of water.
"It's great, honey," David complimented and gave Sara a smile.
"Thank you," she gushed. "I knew you would like it."
I honestly couldn't even tell you what was in it. The next bite I took had to be washed down with water.
Cristin was surprisingly quiet.
"So, Violet," David started, "what does your father do?"
"Dad," James hissed.
"What?" David asked. "I'm just asking a simple question."
"I told you—"
"James, it's fine." I touched his arm lightly and looked at David. "He was into construction last I heard." There was no point in telling him that he had passed away. For some reason, I think he knew. He had to know, right? Maybe I shouldn't jump to conclusions, but I kept it to myself anyway. "He's not around anymore," I added instead.
David just nodded his head and took a sip of his drink. "And your mom?"
"She helps with her...friends diner."
"Like a co-owner?"
A lump formed in my throat and I couldn't answer. Thankfully James was prepared before I was. "Yes, Dad." It was a lie, but I know why James did that.
David made a weird noise and looked down at his food. "James, there was something I needed to talk to you about," He said and took another dreadful bite of Sara's food.
"If it's business, it can wait," James replied with a hint of irritation.
David shook his head and dropped his fork. "No, it can't. I have to go to New York in the morning and I need you on the flight with me first thing in the morning."
James squeezed my hand. "You didn't think to tell me this earlier?"
"It's last minute," David clarified. "I just found out myself."
"Why do you need me there?" James loosened his grip on my palm.
"Because you're going to be taking over the business in a few years and it doesn't hurt to see it all. And your mom can't go, so I really need you there."
I looked to James and he had his jaw clenched. Instead of saying anything, I used my free hand to wrap around his and draw circles over the top of his hand with my thumb. "If you need me there, I'll go," James said finally in a low voice.
"Thank you." I glanced at David and he smiled. It actually felt genuine. "And there's something else I'd like to talk to you about before you leave."
"Yeah, sure," James said.
* * *
After dinner, James followed his dad out of the room and into David's office to talk. There's no reason to be nervous, but I felt it anyway.
James told me to wait out on the swing while they talked. Sara wanted to go to bed and I did not want to be stuck with Cristin. I liked the view from here anyway. The lake was still and quiet. The sky was pitch black with no stars dotting the dark blanket. The moon was bright and almost full.
The quiet was nice. It gives you an opportunity to think and sometimes to not think at all. I prefer the latter.
A few more minutes went by and I heard the front door open. James's booted footsteps thumped against the porch and soon he was sitting next to me. I didn't look at him. Knowing his presence is next to me was enough. "Everything okay?" I asked.
He found my hand and slipped his fingers between my own. "Yeah, he was just talking about doing something for my mom for Christmas."
It was surprising that David wanted to do anything for Claire. "Should you be scared?"
"Surprisingly no."
Then I looked at him. "Can I ask?"
"Yeah, let's talk in the car." James stood up and offered me his hand again. I followed suit and stood up to follow him to his car. He opened the door for me and I slid in. James closed my door and walked to his side.
Once he was in, he started the car and we left.
He was quiet for a few minutes and I didn't push anything.
"My dad...he wants to move. They decided it would be best to send Cristin back to her mom after New Years. Obviously she's not happy about it, but there's not much she can do about it, I guess. I don't know, I didn't ask questions about it."
I guess that's a good thing, now she won't cause any more trouble. "Does that mean he's going to sell the house?"
James sighed. "He was talking about it. He was going to leave it to me, but I couldn't see myself living there again. He wants to give my mom the house for Christmas. During the divorce, my mom didn't want anything. No money and none of our houses. Just a clean divorce. Dad didn't fight for us either. He told us to go live with our mom because he couldn't take care of us. We were seventeen, so there's really not much to take care of."
"I'm sorry, James," I said softly. "I didn't know."
"It's okay now," He said. "It just sucked knowing your dad really didn't want you, he just didn't want to admit it."
I opened my mouth to reply, but James went ahead. "During the first month of the divorce, there was a huge strain between all of us. My mom would barely come out of her room, Dad would stay at the office, and Meredith was rarely home. It was like a divide was set between us. One night when I came home, Mom was crying and Dad was yelling. A kid never wants to see their mother cry, so that pissed me off from the start." He paused. "He was telling her he didn't want us and she wasn't getting anything. I snapped and hit him. I just remember my mom screaming and landing in the middle of our glass coffee table."
My breath hitched in my throat and I didn't know what to say.
We were on the back road now and James pulled over. He turned the engine off and sighed. "I was lucky that night. Only a few stitches on my cheek and minor scrapes on my arms, a few on my back. It was stupid and I shouldn't have done it. I wasn't in a good place, Vi."
"It breaks my heart, James," I choked out and looked down at my hands. "You didn't deserve to go through that."
"I'm stronger today because of it," he said in a low voice. "I don't want your heart to break for me. It's okay now. I have a great relationship with my mom and Meredith and I have you. My heart is full."
I turned to look at him. "There's room for your dad."
"Of course," He said with no hesitation. "We'll get there."
"I'm glad you have the chance. Fix things with your dad before it's too late. It's really nice of him to give your mom the house, I'm sure it'll mean a lot to her. Just don't stay mad at your dad forever."
His smile was small. "We'll see what this business trips does. Maybe it'll be good for us. It'll give me a chance to talk and let it out without his mind being somewhere else. He needs to know."
I nodded. "It'll be good for you. You'll feel so much better."
"Yeah, I know." He glanced out his window and back to me. "I leave in the morning and won't be back until the twenty-third. It's just in time for Christmas and my dad is having his party on Christmas Eve. And I'd love to spend Christmas with your family."
A smile curved my lips. "I'd love for you spend Christmas with us."
James's smile stretched. "Then it's a plan."
I leaned over the center console and kissed him quick. "I'm guessing you need me to watch Chaos?"
James smiled against my lips. "Please?"
"I'll watch Chaos." I pecked his lips again and sat back. "I'm sure Blue will enjoy it." I lifted my hands and gripped his face. "I'm going to miss you."
He leaned in closer, his lips gently caressing mine. His hand slid to the back of my neck and he pulled his lips from mine only an inch. "I'm going to miss you too, my love."
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Sorry it's shorter than my usual, but every book has their short chapters and this is mine. I actually liked writing this chapter a lot, even though it's basically a filler. I wanted to give more backstory on James's relationship with his dad.
James or Violet's point of view for the next chapter? :)
Please vote and comment? Pleeeeeaassee? :)