The Mafia’s Good Wife
Chapter 53

- Violet -

Violet was walking around the room aimlessly. Damon told her to wait there, but he didn't say until when. He had been gone for almost half an hour now, and there were no signs of him coming back.

While waiting, Violet found herself looking through all the stuff in the new nursery. Damon already ordered all sorts of toys, books, sports equipment, and clothes that could fit even toddlers. And the baby wasn't even born yet.

Violet found herself smiling looking at all the books and toys on the shelves. When Damon wants something, there is no holding him back. He would get so extra, money seems to have no value. Literally, he paid her a million dollars when he wanted her the first time. And he paid more than that after that too.

"Trust me, sweet girl, I know value when I see one. And I call it like it is. I think you'll be worth every penny,"

Those were the words that he said when she asked him why he was paying her so much money. Violet didn't believe it then, but Damon really knew that she was special. She was different. And that investment paid off. Because this relationship, this love, and this happiness they shared - it was worth more than all the dollars in the world combined. "Miss Violet?"

Suddenly, a voice was heard from the door. Violet whipped her head around to see Elena.

"There you are, everyone was looking for you," Elena said as she stepped inside. "What's up?"

"It's lunch time. Your family is waiting,"

Violet checked the clock on the wall. It was past 12 PM. She didn't realize she had been staying in the nursery for hours now, looking through all the baby stuff and imagining what the baby's gonna look like in that shirt or with that toy. "What about Damon?" she asked.

"Mr. Van Zandt is still in a meeting in his office. He says not to disturb him,"

"Oh," Violet's mouth formed an 'O'. Looks like that meeting is very serious after all. "Okay, I'll come down,"

Violet didn't want to think too much about Damon and Liam's meeting. It feels like something always has to happen in the Van Zandt household. Their business seems to have no end, even though ending the business was what Damon's trying to do. "Sorry, I'm late everyone," Violet said as she walked into the dining room. All of her family and Talia were already seated. Violet sat down at the closest empty seat by the door, next to Luke. "I lost track of time seeing the nursery. It's really coming along," "Oh, I'm sure. It's probably like a maze in there with all the stuff Damon's got," Talia replied.

"I saw that..." Barbara added. "I saw some of the guys carrying a bicycle to the garage. The baby's not gonna be able to ride that for years..."

"Well, that's Damon for you," Violet chuckled. "Always so extra,"

"Where is he anyway?" Barbara said as she looked around. "Is Damon not joining us today?"

"I don't think so, he's in a meeting," Violet answered.

"Is he going somewhere again? I saw some of the guys running around with suitcases," Ivy chirped in.

"I don't think so..." Violet replied, trying to sound certain, though she wasn't. Quickly, she grabbed the big bowl of salad and changed the topic. "Let's just eat, shall we? I'm starving,"

Not wanting to think about Damon's business, Violet put on a happy face all throughout lunch. She directed most of the conversation around babies and Talia and Ivy's pregnancies too. Dylan and Barbara were happily chiming in, but Luke was mostly silent. It might be because he caught a glimpse of Violet's finger. Violet had put Damon's ring on her finger, but she purposefully put the diamond on the inside of her hand so it wouldn't be too apparent for other people. Technically, she hadn't even given her answer to Damon yet. She didn't want to have to answer her family's questions before that.

"Oh, can we see the nursery? I wanna look at the five feet teddy bear!"

"Sure,"

Ivy and Talia were asking to go to the nursery after lunch. They wanted to get ideas for their own nurseries later. Violet agreed to bring them up. But as she was walking towards the stairs with the girls, Luke suddenly pulled her arm back. "Hey, uh, can I talk to you?" he said lowly so that only she could hear him. "In private?"

Violet paused for a beat before answering, "Sure. Let's go to the garden,"

Violet then turned her head to the stairs, watching Ivy, Talia, and Barbara already walking up, giggling in excitement.

"Hey, you guys go ahead, I'll join you in a bit," she called out to them. Ivy and Talia gave her two thumbs up as they continued walking up the stairs. Violet turned back to Luke and smiled, walking with him in the opposite direction.

"So... what's up?" Violet said as she stood with Luke at a far enough distance from the house. The air was chilly outside, so she pulled her cardigan tighter over her body.

"So, I'm guessing you two are getting married?" Luke shot point blankly. His expression was calm, but Violet's face immediately turned tense.

"What?"

"I saw the ring,"

Violet glanced down at her finger. Even though she hid it well from everyone else, of course Luke would notice. "Oh, I..."

"Guess it all worked out in the end, huh?"

Violet looked up again and saw Luke's warm blue eyes. He was smiling at her, but his eyes looked sad.

"Luke, I-"

"I've been wondering why I came back here. I mean, I know for a fact that you're not gonna come back to me," Luke stifled a laugh, pausing before saying, "But I guess I was curious. I wanted to know what your life's gonna be like with him. And knowing that you're safe and happy... I guess that's the closure I need,"

"Listen, I'm s-"

"It's okay, you don't have to explain anything to me," Luke cut her off again. Perhaps listening to her talk would hurt even more. "Love is love, right? You can't really control it,"

Violet's lips curved into a small smile as she sighed. Yes. Love is love.

"I'm really glad that you're happy, Vi. Even if it's not with me. He's not the greatest man out there, but he's a great man for you and the baby. He loves you two a lot, I see it. And I can see it in your eyes too. You're different around him and... I'm really happy for you," Luke said again. Even though his eyes were sad, he really meant the words he said.

"But... I think it's best for me not to be here right now. It's hard for me to watch you with him. You understand, right?"

Violet's head hung low and she nodded meekly. It was insensitive of her to expect Luke to hang around as her friend after everything. His heart must be hurting every time he saw her with him, every time she mentioned his name, and every time they talked about the baby. Those were all the things Luke wanted for himself. Unfortunately, it could never be his.

"Good luck with everything, Vi. I wish you all the best,"

Luke didn't wait for Violet to answer. He just stepped closer and hugged her tightly. Violet returned the hug as her eyes were filled with tears. Luke held her for a second longer before finally pulling away, letting her go. "Luke..."

I'll always love you. You know that, right?

Violet couldn't say the words out loud, but her eyes said it all. As if Luke could read her mind, he let out a smile and said, "I know,"

And with that, he pulled away completely and turned to his heel, walking out of the garden, out of the estate, and possibly out of her life forever. Violet stood in the same spot as her hands went to her face. Her heart was sinking to her feet. That was really hard to do. The moment she starts saying yes to Damon, she'd have to lose her friends and family again. That was a steep price to pay and she might have to really do it this time.

"Vi? What's wrong?"

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice. It was Dylan. Violet looked up to see her brother standing in front of her, looking very worried.

"Nothing," she said as she wiped her tears away. "Luke's leaving,"

"He is?"

"Yeah..." she breathed. "He wished me luck. He didn't look angry or bitter... But I know I disappointed him..."

Dylan cocked his head to the side and sighed. He saw the tears brimming in his sister's eyes, so he opened his arms and pulled her into a hug.

"Hey, come on, don't cry," he cooed.

"Luke's my best friend... he's been there for me the past four years... and now I'll probably never see him again..."

"Hey, I thought your best friend's me?" Dylan tried to crack a joke, but Violet wasn't amused. She just kept crying into his chest.

"Don't worry, Vi. Luke's a big boy. He can handle himself,"

Violet held back her sobs and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. Pulling away slightly, she then looked up at Dylan.

"Dyl,"

"Yeah?"

"Are you gonna leave me too?"

"Why would I do that?" Dylan narrowed his eyes.

"Because... Damon asked me to marry him. Again. And I'm gonna say yes..."

Violet waited on Dylan's reaction cautiously. She knew how he reacted the last time. She expected him to explode, but Dylan didn't really react. his face remained calm. "So, you're gonna stay here?" he asked.

"Maybe," she replied guardedly. "Are you gonna leave?"

Dylan let out a long sigh. This was it, Violet thought. Dylan was gonna lash out, calling her crazy for sticking around here. Instinctively, she took a step back, anticipating the worst.

"Vi, I know we don't look like it right now, but we were so close growing up, weren't we? You always got my back and I got yours..." Dylan said instead, catching her by surprise.

"I mean, remember that one time when I got arrested in Atlantic City? I was drinking too much and I punched the bartender in the face. Ha-ha! Crazy times. And then I had to call you at 3 AM to come get me,"

"Oh my God, I remembered that!" Violet stifled a laugh. "I had to sneak out in the middle of the night to bail you out of jail!"

Violet started laughing and Dylan joined in. Ever since they were kids, he was always a troublemaker and Violet was his saving grace. Even the way she met Damon was because of Dylan's trouble-making.

"Look, maybe this was long overdue, but I'm sorry for never supporting you and Damon," Dylan said meaningfully, and Violet fell silent. "It's hard to picture your little sister being with a mafia man. And not just any mafia man too. It's Damon f*****g Van Zandt! The man paid us a million dollars for your-"

Dylan couldn't continue his words. He paused and cleared his throat. Meanwhile, Violet was silent, waiting for Dylan to continue.

"So, was I thrilled that he paid you a million dollars for your virginity? Hell no. But if that's what it took for you to find love. Then that's what it took," Dylan spoke again, speaking lowly so that no one around could hear them.

"I never supported you before because I thought I was protecting you. I thought it was impossible that someone like him can love anyone other than himself. But after being here and seeing how happy you two are together... how he was fighting for you all these years... I know now that I was wrong. About everything. So I guess what I'm saying is... if you want to be with Damon, then I'll support that. Me, mom, all our family's right behind you. We can move back to New Jersey if you want or we can all move to Texas. It doesn't matter. As long as we're all together,"

Violet was completely speechless. This was not the reaction she was expecting. Dylan was always against her and Damon from day one. But this time, he finally gave in.

"...Wait, really...? Are you serious...? You'd move back here...? For me...?"

Dylan just shrugged and nodded his head.

"Mom's doing better with you around. She'll be fine as long as we keep things familiar to her. Besides, I kinda miss living on the east coast. Texas's too hot,"

Violet couldn't believe her eyes and ears. Tears were brimming in her eyes again, but this time, they were happy tears.

"Dylan...!" she said as she leaped and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you!"

Dylan stifled a laugh and hugged her back.

"Of course, anything for my baby sister," he said, pausing for a beat before adding, "But hey, if he ever hurts you-"

"You'll be the first to know," Violet finished the sentence for him, and he smiled brightly.

Violet buried her face back on Dylan's chest and hugged him tighter. It had been a long time since she hugged him like this. Having his support meant everything. Now she didn't have to choose between her family and Damon anymore. She could have it all. One big, happy family. Together. Forever.

And that right there is priceless.