Dangerous Fling (Dangerous Noise 4)

This is how it usually goes, but this isn't our usual thing.

He's up to something.

His smile is giddy as he looks out at the crowd. "I hope you'll entertain me for a minute, but I have to do something special here." He looks up to the guy running the board and shoots him a thumbs-up.

A spotlight goes to the VIP area.

To Piper and Violet.

Violet's jaw is already halfway to the floor.

Piper too.

"Violet, I don't have a lot of fancy words for you. But fuck, I love you. You're the highlight of every single one of my days. I'd rather cut off my left arm than lose you. Fuck, I'd rather cut off both my arms than lose you." He looks to the crowd. "Don't worry, I'm keeping the arms."

The crowd cheers.

Violet stares back at him, surprise in her green eyes.

Ethan drops to one knee. "Violet Valentine, will you marry me?"

Her hand goes to her mouth. She takes a moment to compose herself then she nods. Her nods get faster, more dramatic. She yells, but there's no way for her voice to carry from the second floor.

Ethan is staring at her like she's holding his heart. She is. She glued him back together. Of course, she's the one who broke him apart in the first place.

I love Violet like a sister. I know she was going through a lot of bad shit when she and Ethan broke up.

But the way he spiraled into this miserable shell of himself, this guy who could only be happy when he was playing…

It concerns me.

He pushes himself to his feet. "Really? You're really saying yes?"

She nods and yells something else we can't hear.

Then she's hugging Piper. And Bella too. And other friends up there with them.

She's like a sister to Piper too.

This is good. For all of us.

This is exactly what Ethan wants.

It's a surprise, but that doesn't explain the tightening in my chest.

I lean forward to my mic. "We better get through this song quickly so you two can celebrate."

She hides behind her hands.

He smiles wide. "We better." He looks to the crowd. "You forgive me for the interruption?"

Everyone screams.

Everyone in the fucking theater is happy for them.

But bile is still threatening to rise into my throat.

An hour of congratulations and one long drive later, we're crammed into Ethan and Violet's two-bedroom Newport Beach apartment.