Chapter 20
Chapter twenty
Kate
Tristan cautiously followed as I, too, walked through the door without knocking.
“Where’s everyone hiding?” I called out.
A grunt came from the living room while my mom yelled, “In the kitchen. Where else would I be?”
I laughed. Growing up, my mom used to joke that she spent so much time in the kitchen, she didn’t even know what the rest of the house looked like. It was all good-hearted though.
Mom loved to cook and bake. Feeding her family was her love language. She even had the plaque to prove it.
That was why I wasn’t too surprised to find her with a potlid in one hand while carefully stirring her stew with the other.
“Hey, Mom.”
“I tried to call you last night.” She spoke without taking her eyes off her food.
Heat settled in my cheeks. Behind me, Tristan snorted, and I barely resisted the urge to elbow him in the gut.
“Yeah,” I said sheepishly. “My phone was kind of disposed. Sorry I missed your call.”
Mom waved a hand through the air and returned the lid to the pot. Still not facing us, she busied herself with washing her hands.
“That social worker who oversaw how well Millie adapted to living with you. I forgot her name now.” Snapping her fingers, she pulled random names from her head. “Crenshaw or was it Hubert?”
“Mrs. Humphreys,” I provided.
“Yes. Well, she came to see us yesterday. It’s the strangest thing, she seems to think you’re... Oh, hello.” Mom’s words died on her tongue when she spun around, and her gaze landed on the big man behind me. “And who might this be?”
I didn’t fight. I didn’t take flight.
I freaking froze.
Mouth gaping like a fish out of water, I blinked at my mom.
Thankfully, Tristan didn’t have the same problem. Stepping forward, he held out his hand. “Tristan Blake, nice to meet you, Mrs. Rivera.”
His sugary sweet tone made my mom blush.
Clutching one hand over her heart, she pressed the palm of the other against Tristan’s. “Oh, well, the pleasure is all mine, young man.”
Just my luck that my mom would swoon over Tristan. Or maybe she was swooning because I’d finally shown up for a family lunch with a man by my side?
Those eyes, the same color as my own, met mine, eyebrows slowly climbing up her forehead. She held my stare for a few long moments before she gave my left hand a pointed look.
“Am I to assume there’s any truth to what Mrs. Humphreys said?”
“Well.” Wringing my hands, I shifted from one foot to the other. “You see—”
“Blake?” My dad’s wary voice interrupted from somewhere behind me. “Isn’t that the fella you work for’s name?”
Tristan didn’t miss a beat. He simply turned and shook my dad’s hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like I wasn’t standing right there sweating freaking bullets.
Which only got ten times worse when the men were locked in a staring contest that lasted way longer than what was considered normal. After whatever wordless thing had passed between them, my dad faced me and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I thought you hated him.”
Tristan made a surprised noise while I impersonated a fish yet again. Rapidly opening and closing my mouth, I desperately tried to get my lungs to work.
“Yes, I...uhm...well…” Words. I needed words. But my damn brain wouldn’t work.
“Why didn’t you tell us you were seeing someone?”
I couldn’t stand the hurt in my mom’s voice. I’d put it there because I thought I needed to fight my battles alone. Maybe it’d be best to come clean and tell my parents what was really going on?
Or maybe not. If my mom was this hurt that I didn’t tell her I was seeing someone, I couldn’t imagine how much worse she’d feel when I confessed to them Tristan and I weren’t engaged.
We were freaking married.
Ugh. What a mess.
Sometime during my inner ramblings, Mom had joined Dad. She slipped her arm through his elbow then they leveled me with a concerned expression. My stomach flipped weightlessly, and guilt gnawed at my insides.
I opened my mouth to...explain...apologize... I didn’t even know what but before a single sound could escape, Tristan sidled in beside me. Snaking his arm around my waist, he yanked me to him.
“Mr. and Mrs. Rivera, our intention was never to hurt anyone.”
My mom swooned a little. No surprises there. My dad, however, wasn’t convinced. Narrowing his eyes at Tristan, he ground out, “And what exactly are your intentions with my daughter and granddaughter?”
Again, that knife in my heart twisted violently. They deserved to know about the battle we were fighting. They loved Millie just as much as I did, and if Taelyn won, their hearts would be shredded into a million pieces.
In my own way I’d tried to protect them, especially with Dad’s health still so fragile. But I never bargained on Mrs. Humphreys. If she asked them about the engagement, she could’ve just as easily told them about the custody battle we were facing.
“The truth is,” I said, making eye contact with both my parents. Tristan’s fingers pushed into my side, silently warning me not to do this. But he didn’t have to worry. I held the shovel now, and I’d never be able to climb out of the hole I was digging.
“Taelyn wants Millie. She wants to take her away from me. From us.” My voice cracked a bit, but I kept going. “Tristan and I have been seeing each other for a while now.” Craning my neck, I made a show of staring deep into his eyes. The way he stared back was more than a little unnerving.
“We were in that selfish phase where we didn’t want to let the outside world into our bubble.”
Those long fingers dug deeper into my skin, stealing the breath straight from my lungs. “Mrs. Humphreys caught us after a business dinner one night, and we kind of spilled the beans.”
“Right.” My dad’s icy tone forced my gaze away from Tristan’s.
I knew him. He wasn’t buying this. My mom though, she practically had hearts in her eyes. Confused little hearts but hearts, nonetheless.
“She said you were engaged,” my dad gritted out.
I shook my head. “We’re not.”
“Not yet,” Tristan added way too smoothly.
I wanted to knock his damn teeth out.
“I’m not following.” Mom’s gaze traveled between me and Tristan. “Why would she think you’re getting married then?”
A loaded breath escaped me. There was no getting out of this. “Because we told her we were, Mom.”
“You lied to the social worker?”
And I’m lying to you too.
Shame coated my insides. “Yes.” Slowly lifting my chin, I added, “I did what I had to, to strengthen my chances of keeping Millie.”
For a few tense moments, it seemed as if my dad had more questions, but then my mom sighed her swoony sigh. He gave her the look—the one I always believed meant I adore you so much I forgot what I was doing— and whatever he was about to ask dissolved on his tongue.
“I’m so happy for you.” More joyous sounds came from my mom as she rushed forward and kissed my cheek. “And you.” Tristan’s body went ramrod straight when she kissed him too. “I’ll set an extra plate.” Then she was gone, calling out to Millie to help her in the dining room.
What a blessing when your mom was a hopeless romantic who didn’t ask too many questions.
My dad though…he was not.
Nibbling on my lip, I looked at him in the same way Millie looked at me when she wanted something. He didn’t even notice. Too busy staring daggers at my husband. And when the staring wasn’t enough, he stepped straight into Tristan’s space.
My dad was shorter and not as wide, but he didn’t look the tiniest bit intimidated.
“Exactly how long have you been dating my daughter?”
Tristan, freaking smooth operator he was, didn’t even flinch. “I might be off by a day or two, but I reckon it’s been about six months.” His attention was on me. “Am I right, baby?”
Either he was a brilliant liar, or he’d given this cover story way more thought than I had. I didn’t want to know which one it was.
“Ri-right,” I stammered. “Six months.”
“That so,” Dad drawled. “How come Millie hasn’t mentioned him before?”
Well shit. How the heck was I supposed to navigate this particular plot hole? No doubt, Mrs. Humphreys and whoever else interviewed us would ask the same questions.
“Because she didn’t meet me until now.” Tristan came to my rescue. “We wanted to wait until things were serious. No use in confusing a little girl while we were still figuring things out.”
He’d meant well, I knew he did. But damn if those words didn’t cut me to the very center of my being. I was confusing her. I’d brought this man into our lives with the purest intentions, and in the end, when he moved on, she’d be hurt.
Didn’t all this just prove I wasn’t the right person to raise her?
“So, it’s serious now?” My dad’s low and gruff voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Yes, sir.”
With a harrumph, Dad poked his finger in Tristan’s chest. “Now you listen here. These two girls are the most precious things you’ll ever have in your life.
You treat them with the respect they deserve.
.. You and I, we’ll be good. You don’t?” He leaned closer.
“I’ll kill you with my bare hands. Got it? ”
“Dad,” I hissed.
Tristan’s hold tightened. His attention hadn’t drifted from my dad, and I honestly didn’t think he even realized he’d done it.
“I know what they mean to you, sir, and I can assure you I feel the same way. I’d much rather die than cause them hurt of any kind.”
He sounded so serious, so sincere, my entire body went haywire. I couldn’t ignore the wild thrashing of my heart or the butterflies going berserk inside my belly. Nor could I deny the powerful, all-consuming need to push onto my toes and press my mouth against his.
Thank goodness for my dad’s low hum, reminding me where we were. And who the hell I was with.
“In that case,” he said holding out his hand. “It’s good to meet you, son.”
I wasn’t entirely sure why but instead of watching my dad, my attention shifted to the man beside me. Jaw tight, eyes clouded with some unnamed emotion, he slapped his palm against my dad’s. They did that staring thing again, and thankfully, the tension wasn’t nearly as thick as it’d been earlier.
“Let me get back to Millie.”
After he too kissed my cheek, my dad ambled away. I waited until I couldn’t see him anymore before I tried to get out of Tristan’s hold. But apparently the man had a thing for keeping me tethered to him because his freaking arm snaked tighter around my waist.
The only move he made was when his hand slid down to rest on my hip.
“You didn’t tell them we’re married.”
Ignoring his annoyed tone, I faced him and pressed my finger to my lips.
“Would you keep your voice down?” I whisper-shouted.
I glanced over my shoulder a couple of times then stepped closer to him.
“You saw how they reacted when they thought we were just dating. It’ll be so much worse if they know the truth. ”
He hummed. “That was quite the speech your dad gave me. Is it always like this when you bring boyfriends home?”
There was a slight edge to his voice. One that made my insides weak and sent my last brain cell packing
“The only other guy I ever brought home didn’t get the third degree. You must be special.”
The guy had been Bryce.
My dad hadn’t gone all caveman on him, but then again, that’d been before I’d had my heart broken and a tiny human to take care of.
“What?” Tristan barked incredulously. Widening his legs, he lowered his head to stare into my eyes. The intensity in those dark irises melted me down to my freaking core. “Explain? Either you date guys you don’t want to introduce to your parents, or you don’t date at all.”
I felt very exposed, very naked under his scrutinizing gaze. “The only real relationship I had was a giant train smash. I wasn’t too keen on repeating past mistakes.”
“He hurt you.” Tristan’s gaze bounced between mine. “What happened?”
“He...uh...” I licked my lips. I didn’t have feelings for Bryce anymore, but it was still difficult to admit what a fool he’d made of me. “He married my sister.”
“The fuck?” The look Tristan gave me was one of utter disbelief. “He left you for the scary one?”
It was hard not to laugh. I could practically see Izzy’s smug smile at Tristan calling her the scary one.
“He didn’t leave me. I left him when I caught him in bed with my sister.” I leaned forward and winked. “Not the scary one.”
His eyes widened. “How many of you are there?”
“We’re three.” I smiled. “I’m the middle one. Izzy is the youngest, then there’s—”
“Me. The oldest and most fabulous.”
At the sound of Eleanor’s voice, I squeezed my eyes shut. I’d hoped she and Bryce would skip lunch like they’d done for the past two Sundays.
When I opened my eyes again, she stood in front of us. There was an eerie familiarity in the way her gaze tracked over Tristan. It was the same way she’d eyed Bryce when I’d introduced them all those years ago.
Tension coiled tight around my spine.
I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t stop the comparison inside my head. Eleanor was everything I wasn’t. Her makeup was magazine cover worthy: bold eyeshadow, fake lashes, and merlot matte lipstick.
I’d stuck to my bronzer and a few coats of mascara.
With her sleek maroon pantsuit, she’d be at home in a boardroom while I’d fit right in at a BTS concert with my boyfriend jeans and Suga tee.
We were so different.
“You sure know how to pick ’em, Katie.” Her voice was overly sweet and breathy.
I had a hard time not rolling my eyes. “If I’d known you were hiding this one, I might’ve held out a bit longer.
” She stepped back and her attention finally shifted to me.
“Let me know if that little law firm you work at has any good divorce lawyers.” With a wink she threw her head back and laughed. “Juuuust kidding.”
She wasn’t. That cackling sound slithering over my skin warned me she’d take everything I wanted just because she could.