Wrong for You (Before You #3)(65)

“All of us are broken,” Taylor continued, “some a little more than others, but if you love someone, you accept them and their past, even if it’s ugly.”

Taylor’s words felt like pointed jabs aimed at her heart. She needed to say something, but just then the music stopped and Cam ran off the stage and twirled Taylor around in a circle. “Did you hear that, Tay? They loved our song.”

“They better have.” Taylor brushed a kiss across his lips.

Violet snuck by them. She didn’t want to intrude on their moment and she needed some time to herself before she talked to Alec. Slipping out of the ballroom, she wandered down the hall until she found the bathroom.





Chapter Twenty-Seven




By the time, he walked off the stage, Violet was gone. She said she’d wait, but maybe she changed her mind. As he walked through the ballroom searching for Violet’s pale hair, his eyes collided with Annette’s. She looked him up and down, her face hard before she approached him.

“Violet’s in the bathroom.”

Alec stuffed his hand in his pockets, not saying anything. Annette wasn’t his biggest fan. She made that clear the moment she met him. He couldn’t imagine she had changed her mind after she heard he lied to Violet.

“Turn left. It’s at the end of the hall,” Annette said, waving toward the open double doors.

“Thanks, Annette.”

He had taken two steps before he heard Annette’s voice. “If you f*ck this up again, it will be your third strike and I’ll make damn sure that Violet doesn’t give you another chance. Even if you’re famous and most likely wealthy, she’s too good for you.”

Alec looked over his shoulder. “Baseball fan?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Nope. I hate sports, but it sounded good.” She laughed. “Tell Violet I’ll see her next week.”

“Next week?”

She smirked. “I leave tomorrow, but she’s staying another week.”

“But Taylor said—”

“Violet doesn’t know. It’s my surprise, but I’m sure you’ll find a way to break the news.”

“Why?”

“Because I thought you two would need more than a night to figure out your future. Tell her you’re welcome.” Without another word, she disappeared into the crowd.

***

Ten minutes later, Violet finally talked herself into leaving the bathroom. With her heart pounding so hard she thought she might be sick, she opened the door.

Alec stepped forward, blocking her exit. Overwhelmed, she didn’t know what to say and it seemed as though he didn’t, either. His eyes swept over her body, watching her closely, like he wanted her to be the first to talk.

Violet took a deep breath, sucking as much oxygen into her lungs as she could, trying to steady her nerves. “What are you doing here?” Violet asked.

“Waiting for you.”

“I’m sorry I left.” Her eyes drifted to the floor.

“You don’t have to be sorry.”

“Yeah,” she told him and then took another shuddering breath. “I really do and I’m not talking about after your performance, but after I found out about Chasing Ruin. I should have listened.”

The seconds felt like minutes as she watched his jaw flex and his hand massage the back of his neck. “It’s not your fault. I should have been honest from the beginning or at least before anything happened between us.”

“I’m not mad anymore,” she offered, smiling faintly. “I haven’t been for a few weeks.”

“I can’t believe you’re actually here,” he said, stepping toward her, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes a hopeful sea of blue.

She chuckled, trying to lighten the heavy air circling around them. “You thought I’d miss a chance to raise money for the Foundation after years of skipping paychecks and working ungodly hours to make sure the kids had a place to go after school?”

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I guess not,” he said, his voice suddenly flat and his eyes opaque and unreadable.

She touched his arm. “And I really wanted to see you. I missed you.”

She could see all the questions running through his head, but he remained silent. Maybe that meant they were over and that he wanted to say goodbye forever. She bit down on her lip to keep from crumbling.

“You look beautiful,” he said, breaking the silence.

She smiled cautiously, her lips trembling. “You think so?”

He nodded, taking two steps forward as his hands snaked around her hips. “When I met you I thought you looked like an angel with your long blonde, almost white, hair. You glowed from the inside out and I thought you were perfect. So perfect that I tried to walk away from you and push you out of my life because I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Violet brushed her hands along his stubbled cheek. “I’m not perfect.” If she were perfect, she would have given him a chance to explain, but she didn’t because she was scared. Scared that someone like him wouldn’t want someone like her. Scared that he’d break her when he moved on. Scared that she’d never love anyone except him.

“To me you are, and I knew that someone like me was wrong for you. I have so many secrets, some my own and others piled onto me by my family. I could never let anyone in…until you…and then I messed up.” He closed his eyes briefly as pain washed over his face. “My whole life I’ve been a disappointment.”