Page 80 of What Doesn't Kill You…

"You will." Her grandmother stood. "And Violet. If it turns out that this pretense of a relationship is far more than either you or Max anticipated, you may keep the rings." She placed a hand on Violet's shoulder. "I've had my time with them, and the memories of your grandfather are a blessing no one can take from me." She smiled, a soft secretive smile that made Violet's heart ache. "I would be happy knowing these rings are worn by my warrior granddaughter and the man she loves as much as I loved your grandfather." She paused, her face filled with understanding. "We're too much alike, you and I. When we love, we do it fiercely." She straightened her shoulders and turned toward the patio. "I will be interested to see what happens to my rings," she said.

Violet couldn't help but think that her grandmother might already see the future.

Slowly, Violet reached out and curled her hand over the rings, pulling them into the safety of her fist. The weight of history and promise burned into her skin. And hope, like an arrow, pierced her heart.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Max wore the tux he'd bought years earlier for the award functions his newspaper insisted he attend. He'd never cared much for the awards he'd won. The only thing that ever mattered to him was the story. Now, here he was, in the middle of the biggest story of his life, and the tux was out of the closet again. It seemed fitting, somehow.

"You okay?" Rodrigo put a hand on his shoulder.

They were standing under a flower covered arch at the end of a white sandy path, between two sets of wooden chairs decked in white silk and adorned with more flowers. Behind them, the sparkling blue of the sea made for a stunning backdrop. Only a line of dark gray on the horizon broke the perfection. A storm was coming, and it felt like an omen.

"I know it's fake," Max told the best man he barely knew. "But it feels real. Weirdly, I wasn't this nervous last time I got married."

"I hear some professional actors feel the same way when they have to work a wedding scene," Rodrigo said with a smile. "I think it's the weight of the occasion. It's hard not to feel it."

"Yeah." Max nodded. "That must be it." He took out his handkerchief and wiped his hands. "Or fear Violet won't turn up."

Rodrigo chuckled. "Knowing Violet, I'd say that's a possibility. Noah worked with her in London for years and he says she's always done her own thing, and she doesn't make any excuses for it either."

A memory of Violet in bed the night before flashed in Max's mind. No, she had no problem doing what she wanted, or taking what she needed. It was sexy as hell. Now, the only question was—did she want to turn up for the ceremony? His stomach churned with uncertainty, and he wiped his palms again.

Rodrigo saw the movement. "How about I get you some more water? It's hot out here."

"That would be good," Max said, his eyes on Violet's nieces, who were taking photos of the wedding photographer. He grinned as they posed in front of him, turning him into a backdrop for their selfies. His sisters would have enjoyed hanging out with those two. Pity they weren't there.

He shook his head. The heat was definitely getting to him if he was thinking crazy things like his family should be present. The last thing they needed was for more people they loved to be on the island, and on the radar of a monster like Damien.

Rodrigo handed him a bottle of water from the cooler nearby and Max gulped it down.

"Don't worry," Violet's dad said from a seat in the front row. "She'll be here. Lee women like to make an entrance."

"And Patterson women," Poppy chimed in.

"You're all Lee women," her grandfather said.

"Thanks for wiping out my lineage with one sentence," Harvey said cheerfully before addressing Max. "You realize that once you've married into this family, you will forever be considered a Lee, to hell with your actual name. You sure you want to risk your heritage? This lot have a way of swallowing other cultures whole."

Max grinned. "It's a risk I'm willing to take."

Actually, it sounded kinda nice. He'd barely known his first wife's family. Looking back, he suspected they never thought the marriage would last and it turned out they were right. Whereas here was Violet's family, laying claim to him when they barely knew him, just because they thought he was Violet's choice.

"I'm telling you," Harvey continued. "It isn't a family, it's a cult. Once they have you, there's no getting free."

"Oh, I don't know," Samuel said to his son-in-law, "I've thought of cutting you loose a time or two."

Harvey barked a belly laugh. "No, you haven't. Who would you talk to when they all go crazy discussing flowers or fashion or some random Korean TV show that makes no sense?"

Samuel looked at Max, resigned. "He's right. We're like the mob. Once you're in, the only way out is in a casket."

Max appreciated they were trying to keep his mind off his nerves as he waited for his bride. Only, he shouldn't have had any nerves. He should have been calm and focused on the mission, aware the ceremony was a small part of the job. Yet his palms were sweating again, and it wasn't from the heat.

He glanced to the path running up to the resort buildings. They were only a few minutes away from the main area, but the little cove felt secluded and private. Max couldn't help wondering what kind of ceremony they'd have chosen if he'd really been marrying Violet. He'd bet it wouldn't have happened on a beach. No, Violet would probably have wanted to seal the deal during her lunch hour, probably at the local courthouse, and no one they knew would have been invited.

He was smiling at the thought when movement caught his eye. His breath hitched as he saw Violet's mother escort Lian down the path to sit beside Samuel. She smiled his way before gesturing to Poppy and Marigold to take their seats. They squealed with delight before plopping in behind the rest of the family.

Max cast a glance at the chairs on the other side of the aisle, where his family should have been, and wondered why it felt wrong that they weren't there. For a moment, with his mind's eye, he saw his sisters sitting excitedly beside their new teen relatives. Then his mother and father, proud in the front row. He blinked and the image was gone.