Rose’s eyes filled with tears and she turned away from everyone, leaving me to dismiss the team of people she’d brought with her.
“Thank you for coming. I’m sorry it wasn’t productive and that you had to witness family trouble.” I nodded to the two women who looked ready to throw themselves out a window to escape before turning to the nasty woman. “You should leave my house and never come back.”
Rose waited until they left to turn back to me, tears streaming down her face. “God, that was rude, Violet!”
I quickly pulled on one of the guys’ shirts and a pair of leggings. “What’s rude, Rose, is calling me names to your mean friends and thinking I would ever consider them a compliment. I’ve been docile, but never stupid.”
She frowned and hugged herself. “She’s not mean—”
“If you stick up for her right now, Rose, I think you’ll have to leave, too.”
She gasped and then sank heavily onto the side of my bed. Her shoulders shook as she cried harder. Of course, when she looked up at me, she was still every bit as pretty as she’d been when she walked in. I was also the ugly crier in our set of twins. “I’m sorry. I’m just stressed out with the wedding. I shouldn’t have said that to her.”
I sat beside her and scooped Demon onto my lap. “Why did you do this to yourself? Why make the wedding so soon?”
“I wanted a Christmas wedding, and I didn’t want to wait a whole year. Plus, I never thought I’d be over thirty before I was married. It’s not in my plans. I want to be married before I’m thirty-one and start having kids before thirty-five.”
“Rose, that’s insane.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it is. It’s what I’ve always wanted, though.”
Sighing, I wrapped my arm around her. “You can have it, but you can’t use me. I’m busy, too, Rose. My business has taken off. I have a relationship. It’s unfair for you to push things off on me. I’ll help when I can, but it’s not my wedding. It’s not my choice to do it so last minute that it’s crazy.”
Leaning into me, she rested her head on my shoulder until Demon growled. “Where did this dog come from?”
“Demon belongs to Ian.” I scratched his head and smiled. “He’s a good boy, but he hates most people, it seems.”
“Not you, though.” Rose stared at me and smiled. “I think I like what sex is doing for you.”
I choked on a laugh. “What?”
“You stood up for yourself.” She blinked back more tears and pushed her hair behind her ears. “I’m sorry you had to do it against me.”
I hugged her tight after putting Demon down. While holding her smaller frame in my arms, I inhaled her familiar scent. It always made me think of our childhood, before things were harder. “Are we okay?”
“God, yes. We’re always okay, Vi. You’re my sister. Mytwinsister.” She sniffed my shirt and pulled back. “That smells so good. Is thathisshirt? No wonder you’re gaga over him.”
I breathed in the scent and grinned. Adam. “I never said I was gaga.”
“Oh, hush. You didn’t have to. And the way he stood up for you? Hot.” She sighed and ran her hands over my hair. “I’m sorry for how she spoke to you, Vi. You’re stunning and no one should ever make you feel like less than.”
I faked a gag and gently pushed her away. “Okay, enough of that. Gross.”
She laughed and bumped her hip into mine. “What’s the deal with you and Jayden? And the other hottie?”
I grabbed Demon and kept my eyes averted. “Nothing. Come on. I have a gift for you, since you think this shirt smells so good.”
“Oh, my god.Isthere something going on?”
33.
***Violet***
Roseslappedmyarmand gasped. “Look at your freaking ears!”
I pulled open the bedroom door and ignored her. “Do you want a gift? It’s a good one. I’ll have you know women have stopped me in the street to ask for one of these.”
She trailed behind me. “With that kind of hype, it better come with batteries.”