Whisperwind

by Cat Porter

Violet had burst inside me and taken root, whipped through me, pushing new air into my lungs, new sap in my veins.

“What do you think I’m doing? Holy crap, this is like my fantasy of Edward come to life⁠—” “Who the hell is Edward?” “The vampire in “Twilight”?

“But when she broke it off with me, it was a real knife to the artery. It made me look in the mirror, and I was surprised by what I saw. I didn’t like it. Hollow, tired, disconnected. Hungry for something. Didn’t know what. And I had nowhere to land. No one to trust. I didn’t realize how much I craved that. With you, I found all that and more. So much more.”

and I read his text back to Mae. “Not interested. Not at all. I’m in a committed monogamous relationship and very happy.” I bit my lip. This was for real. We were for real. Me and Beck Lanier.

It was my escape and my moving forward. And you, you were the spark for all of it. You turned everything right side up for me.”

“The house that you bought, Whisperwind?” “Oh, that.” He licked his lips as he grabbed the coffee cup holder. “I never bought that shithole. If I had, I would’ve torched it. Insurance is probably worth more than…”

An ice cold cocktail of sour relief and searing shock swished through my gut. “You didn’t buy it?” His jaw hardened. “I tried, but I got outbid while I was out of town.”

Violet was now most definitely in full caretaker mode. But she needed taking care of, too.