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“But she left it to me.”
“She was going to leave it to anyone who wanted it. Ruth had a huge family, and you were the one who she thought could use it, but so could your cousins, or your friends. The point of that house was to be loved, and if there is ever a day when you can’t do that anymore, then it’s okay to let go.”
Charlie blinked. “But I do love the house, I…”
“It’s a house, Charlie. It’s not a person, and in my experience, people mean more. If the house was burning, would you save it or Violet?”
“Violet,” he said immediately.
“Exactly,” she said. “And I’d feel the same way about you, or your cousins, or my girlfriend. Would I be wrong?”
“No,” he said.
“Ruth would be happy knowing it’s with someone in the family. Even your chosen one. You’ve got amazing friends. Maybe they could use it. The point is, you don’t have to be tied down to it if it means you’re alone.”
Could he leave his house for Violet? He tried to imagine going back to it being empty, but he couldn’t. That life wasn’t his anymore.
The one with Violet was.
“My job could probably be remote,” he said.
“Probably. But I do have to ask something important. The only way this works is if you do with no conditions. Could you do it with without resenting her?”
Charlie thought about it. Would he resent Violet?
First off, she had never asked this of him. She would never. She fully expected him to stay, but without her, his life would be empty. Even when they hated each other, they always had each other. Sure, moving would be odd. He’d never lived anywhere else, but he would have her. He could call Lewis, and she could call Liv. They could fly in whenever they wanted to.
But they would be together, and how could he ever resent that?
He didn’t want to think about moving. But he chose to. And he chose her.
“Yeah, I could,” he answered. “I really could. It would be hard, but I know we would have each other’s backs.”
His mother smiled. “That’s love, kiddo. You do especially when it’s hard.”
That sounded a lot like other advice he had heard on love - like what Violet had said.
“Oh honey,” his mother said. “I am so happy you finally found love. This is all I wanted for you.”
“Even if I move? Even if it’s with someone I argued with for six years?”
“Love doesn’t have to be logical Charlie. It just has to be. I support you when you’re happy, and … I saw the way you looked at her. I knew it even then.”
“I … I think I need to go,” he said. “I need to talk to her. I need to see if she if okay with this too.”
His mother pulled him into a quick hug before letting him go.
“Go get her, kiddo. You’ve got this.”
