Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Tristan
I t was taking everything in my power to keep from losing my shit, and with each passing second, the grip on my control slipped just a little more. The only thing keeping me in check was the realization that an outburst from me was the last thing Merritt needed.
We’d moved to a conference room for more privacy, and Harrison had taken Merritt’s and Blythe’s statements when it became obvious I wasn’t going to be able to. It was hard enough listening to them recount what had happened, how he’d tried to manipulate the situation with my sister and insinuated that Merritt wasn’t mentally sound.
I’d seen that behavior before. It was right out of the abuser’s handbook. As a cop, I’d dealt with my fair share of domestic situations. But this was the first time one had touched me so closely, and I wanted to find that prick and rip his spleen out.
Merritt had been working so hard to pick herself up and start over after finally getting away from him. With every day that passed, I saw a little more light in her eyes, a little more curve in her smile. She seemed happy, and she’d been so damn excited about getting that job. This should have been a day of celebration, and that asshole popped his head out and managed to ruin it for her.
The light that had been steadily getting brighter dulled once more. Where she’d been holding her shoulders straight and her head high, now she hunched over like she was trying to hide herself in plain sight. Her cheeks had lost their rosy glow, but what was worse than all of that was she was back to clenching her hands into fists. I’d seen her do that off and on whenever she got anxious, and more than once I’d spotted blood where she’d squeezed so tight her nails had broken the skin on the heels of her palms. That was how she was holding them right then, and the thought that she might be hurting herself made my stomach sour.
I wasn’t able to stay quiet any longer after seeing that. Leaning forward in my chair, I rested my forearms on the table and met her gaze. “Merritt, I think you need to file a temporary restraining order.”
Her eyes flashed with panic as her head whipped around in my direction. “No. No restraining order. That’ll only make things worse. He cares too much about public perception. After what happened today, he’ll probably back off. He can’t stand the idea of being embarrassed. He won’t want to go through that again.”
I could read her like a book, and I knew she was trying desperately to convince everyone in the room that was the most likely outcome. But she knew better.
I lowered my voice, reaching over to place my hand on hers. I slid my thumb between her fingers and her palm and gently coaxed her fingers to loosen. I let out a sigh of relief when she unclenched her fists, and I didn’t miss the way my sister watched the exchange, missing nothing. “Honey, you don’t really believe that, do you?”
She sniffled, those sage-green eyes going glassy as her lower lip began to tremble. I could see her fighting to keep tears from falling and applauded her strength when she succeeded. “No,” she admitted quietly.
“You know I’m not gonna let anything happen to you and Levi, not as long as you’re under my roof. But this is another layer of protection.”
“But it’ll make him so mad.”
“He can get as mad as he wants. He still won’t be allowed to get anywhere near you. And if he does, I’ll haul his ass to jail myself.”
“He’s right, honey,” Blythe spoke up. “I know you’re scared, but I really think you should do this. It’ll make a statement. Right now he thinks he can still manipulate you. This’ll show him how wrong he is. Don’t let him take more from you than he already has. You’re on your way to a great life; he doesn’t get to ruin that.”
I really had lucked out in the sibling department. Between my two step-siblings, my younger half-brother, and Blythe, I had it better than most. But it was situations like this that reminded me of how big a badass my big sister was. She took shit from no one and wouldn’t hesitate to go to bat for the people she cared about. It put me at ease that she’d clearly brought Merritt into that circle. She deserved a friend as fierce and loyal as Blythe.
“Okay,” Merritt finally said after giving it some thought.
My shoulders sagged with relief. I was going to do everything I could to make sure a judge granted her that TRO. I’d even include the pictures Rhodes had taken of that final assault as evidence to show exactly the kind of man Warren Bell was.
He wasn’t going to get away with hurting her. And I was going to make sure he never had another opportunity to scare her and force her back into that shell she’d worked so hard to climb out of.
“You’re making the right decision,” Harrison assured her.
She slowly straightened her spine, lifting her chin so she was no longer hiding. She was still shaken up after what had happened, but as we all sat there, I could see her fighting to find the version of herself that had come out of the shadows these past few months. Warren had seriously underestimated Merritt’s strength and courage.
It was a relief to see it hadn’t taken her long to find that backbone. I already knew it had been there all along. It just took her a second to realize that herself.
Merritt
Despite my insistence that I was fine and more than capable of taking care of myself, Tristan had insisted on cutting out of work early and driving me home, despite the fact I had driven myself into town earlier.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it,” was all he’d said when I mentioned that my car was still parked downtown, a couple blocks from Muffin Top, and it took me by surprise that my immediate reaction was to trust him.
As I sat in the passenger seat of his suburban, surrounded by the scent of cloves and spice that was so distinctly Tristan, I realized I trusted him with more than my car. That was why I’d agreed to the restraining order in the end. Because if he thought filing one was for the best, I trusted that he was right.
“What’s goin’ through your head over there, Dandelion?”
My head whipped around in his direction, my brows pinching in curiosity. That was the first time he’d ever called me that. “Dandelion?” I questioned, unsure what the nickname symbolized. “Like the weed ?” My top lip curled up.
His chuckle filled the cab of the car. “I can see by the look on your face you think that was an insult, but did you know the dandelion is actually a symbol of resilience?”
My chest stuttered as the meaning of what he said sank in, leaving me momentarily speechless. “What?”
Tristan glanced my way for a brief moment before looking out the windshield and explaining. “Dandelions represent hope, healing, and resilience. Most people might look at one and see a weed that needs to be pulled out. But I see this small, delicate thing that looks like it should be fragile, but is actually so much stronger than it’s given credit for.” He lifted a shoulder in a shrug, unaware that his words had taken root inside me and were spreading, filling spaces that I hadn’t realized were empty.
“When I look at you, I see all those things, so it seems like a fitting nickname, if you ask me.”
The car fell into silence as I tried to sift through all the emotions stirring around inside me and picked out the strongest one. Gratitude. That was the one that stood out most. I was grateful to Tristan and everything he’d done for me. I was grateful he believed I had that in me. And I was grateful he was helping me to believe it as well.
“You asked what was going through my head a second ago.”
He cast a curious glance my way and nodded. “I did.”
“Well, I was thinking I’m beginning to trust you more than I’ve trusted anyone in a very long time.”
His chest rose on a sharp breath, and I didn’t miss the way his fingers flexed around the steering wheel. “Christ, Merritt,” he ground out, his voice going low and raspy. “Can’t begin to tell you what a gift it is to hear that from you.”
A smile tugged at my lips as I sat back in my seat and took in all the beauty of Hope Valley as it passed by. A minute later, Tristan took a turn that would lead us in the opposite direction of his house.
“Where are we going?”
He tapped the clock on the dashboard. “Schools about to let out. We gotta pick up the little man.”
I sucked in a sharp gasp, my eyes going wide. So much had already happened today that I’d completely lost track of time. But leave it to Tristan to be on top of things. I was beginning to see he wasn’t just trustworthy, he was dependable too.
“Shit,” I hissed. “The booster’s back in my car. I totally spaced on grabbing it.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve got it covered,” he said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder.
I twisted around and spotted a brand new, stain-free booster seat on the back bench on the passenger side.
“You bought your own booster?” I asked in astonishment. “When? Why?”
“Day after you guys moved in,” he answered casually, like it was nothing, when in reality, that small act of thoughtfulness was everything . “Thought it would be smart to be prepared in case you ever needed me to pick Levi up for you or somethin’. Speaking of... we should probably add my name to the pick-up list for the school. Now that you have that job, I’m sure I’ll need to carry some of the load.”
I sniffled, that burn in my eyes returning in the face of all Tristan’s kindness. “You better stop being sweet or you’re going to make me cry.”
He let out a laugh that made my belly fizzy and warm like I’d just swallowed a bottle of champagne. “We wouldn’t want that.”
“No, we wouldn’t,” I said with mock grumpiness. “Because I’m a seriously ugly crier.”
He guided the Suburban into the parking lot and joined the line of cars waiting for school to end. “I seriously doubt you could look ugly doing anything.”
I let out a snort and crossed my arms over my chest. “You have no idea. There’s snot and blotches and swollen noses. It’s a whole thing.”
“Well it would be a shame for you to have to walk into Momma Gianna’s blotchy and snotty and swollen.”
“Momma Gianna’s?”
He shifted into park and twisted in his seat to face me. “Yeah, Dandelion. I told you, we’re celebrating your new job tonight.”
“Oh,” I breathed, that fizzy warmth growing more intense by the second. “I didn’t realize we were still doing that.”
He reached out then, the pads of his fingers brushing against my temple and sending a tremor through my body as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Of course we are. Something great happened to you today, and there’s no way that piece of shit is going to tarnish it for you. From here on out, the three of us are celebrating the good because it’s the very least you guys deserve. And it’s about damn time you and that little guy start getting what you deserve.”
My guard was so low I was beginning to wonder if there was any point in keeping it up any longer. Because something told me it never stood a chance against Tristan Fanning.