her as soon as we touched down at LAX, so she knew I was on my way. Walking in through her kitchen door, I was greeted by Oscar and took a moment to pet the beautiful German shepherd before grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge and heading to Vi’s room.
“Hey, Shaw,” Mason called from the living room. “How was your trip?”
“Meh,” I said with a twist of my lips that made him grin. “How was your weekend?”
“Jagger and I went surfing yesterday, then we took Violet to dinner last night.” He patted his stomach. “I’m still full from all the nachos. I out-ate Jags by two baskets of chips.”
“Gross,” I laughed. “And I’m kind of jealous. I want some nachos.”
“Tell Jags. I don’t mind having a rematch tonight. I think he said he was coming over this evening since you were supposed to come home.”
Excitement and trepidation filled me in equal parts. I wanted to see him—ached to see him—but what if the only reason he was going to come back to Santa Monica was to see Cannon? Forcing a smile for Mason, I left him in the living room and went up to Violet’s room.
She was sprawled out on her bed reading when I opened the door without bothering to knock. When she saw me, her eyes brightened. “I guess you survived?”
“Barely,” I grumbled as I flopped down beside her. Grabbing a pillow, I pulled it under my head and crossed my arms over my stomach as I glared up at the ceiling. “Mind if I sleep here tonight?”
“You know you’re welcome here anytime,” she assured me. “By the way, Jags was so pitiful all weekend because you were absent.” I glanced at her out of the side of my eyes and saw her smirking. “He put up a good front whenever Mason was around, but he would sigh so heavily, like he was missing a piece of himself. It was so freaking adorable. I don’t even think he realized he was doing it.”
That gave me a giddy little feeling in my stomach, but I fought the smile attempting to lift my lips as hope tried to rise higher in my heart, pushing my ever-present fear away—but only just a little.
“I called him after your text saying you were on the ground,” Violet informed me. “He casually asked if we might want to grab dinner or something.”
“Mexican?” When my bestie made a face, I couldn’t help but laugh. “How disgusting was it watching them pig out on nachos?”
“I honestly think Jagger let Mase win,” she said as she made a grossed-out face. “But it was still like watching two wild beasts who hadn’t eaten in months devour all that salsa, queso, and guacamole. The waitstaff kept giving us looks, and I’m fairly sure our waitress was scared of losing a finger if she got too close.” She shook her head, causing her hair to fall over one shoulder. “Mason ate all those nachos and was still able to eat a burrito that was practically bursting at the seams with beef, rice, and beans.”
“Please don’t ruin Mexican food for me,” I snickered as I rolled onto my side. “If we’re going to dinner, maybe we should have Italian or Japanese instead.”
“I’m okay with hibachi,” Vi agreed with a nod. “And it’s not like Jagger will say no to you.”
Rolling my eyes, I picked up the book she had been reading. “What’s this?” My brows lifted when I saw the title, and I had to swallow the sudden knot that filled my throat. The book was simply called Untitled, but the cover showed a girl huddled in a dark corner. “Vi…”
She snatched it back and, after placing the bookmark in to keep her place, put the book in the top drawer of her nightstand. “My support group suggested I read it,” she muttered. “It’s about a girl struggling with not falling apart for her friends and family after her sister committed suicide. It’s an eye-opener as to how those around me must have felt when I admitted to having…thoughts.”
“Are you okay? You haven’t been thinking about it again, have you?” I wasn’t so sure I wanted to go to dinner now that my stomach was knotting up. Without realizing it, I was holding my breath as I waited for her answer.
“No, Shaw. It’s been a while since I’ve had those thoughts. Once I started living for myself and not for the future Luca and I were supposed to