20. Chapter 20
TRISTAN
Taking a deep breath, Tristan smiled fondly at Jax, who had burrowed into his side during the night. Tristan didn’t mind one bit; in fact, his arm had unconsciously drifted around Jax’s shoulders, holding him close, and he resisted the urge to lean down and kiss his head.
Instead, he reached for his phone, settling back and watching his favorite hiking vlogger on mute as Jax slept in.
Somewhere along the line, Tristan had lost the fierce longing to thru-hike again.
Sure, he still wanted to breathe the fresh forest air and sleep under the stars, but he’d be sticking to day hikes or a quick overnight for now.
Shorter trails or section hikes were for later, because he’d only just found Jax in this lifetime.
And their relationship continued to develop before his eyes, their harmony increasing from the work they did on themselves both in and out of therapy.
While Jax had liked his first therapist off the bat, Tristan had needed to try three before he’d found Shirley, an older woman whose aura said that she’d never people-pleased in her life. Being a doormat had almost cost Tristan the ones he loved, so he wanted to build on his budding fortitude.
And Shirley had already delivered. The first two sessions had been eye-opening, showing Tristan some of his ingrained patterns and giving him things to work on, including his guilt over Rain and Jax.
At least Jax seemed to be thriving, which helped ease some of that guilt.
He’d dived into creating The Pointe’s menus, completely in his element, and his inspiration and joy warmed Tristan’s heart.
They’d only been living together for a short time, but Jax was already smiling more, and he’d had a slight reduction in pain.
Tristan liked to think it was due to him and the regular doses of oxytocin.
“Mmm…” Jax stirred, and Tristan quickly placed his phone on the nightstand.
“Good morning.” He kissed Jax’s temple as Jax gave him a long sniff.
“You always smell so nice,” he mumbled.
“Thank you. But you smell better.” Taking his arm back, Tristan slid down until they faced each other, pressing his nose to Jax’s neck and inhaling. “Like minty clove.”
“Really?” Laughing in disbelief, Jax tilted his head up, his eyes tantalizing as always, and all of a sudden, they were making out like teenagers.
Within seconds, Tristan had the lube out and their cocks pressed together, and he jerked them off to the delicious sounds of Jax’s moans and clipped cries.
Tristan tried to hold back, but Jax let out a sharp gasp, spilling over Tristan’s fist. Following without hesitation, Tristan shook, his vision going white, and their heavy breaths filled the room as he slowly fell back into himself.
“Want to,” he sucked in air, “order some breakfast?”
“Hell yeah,” Jax declared, looking down at the gorgeous mess they’d made. “I just worked up an appetite.”
Getting up, Tristan grabbed a couple of towels, tossing one to Jax, who easily caught it.
“What are you in the mood for?” Tristan asked, wiping down.
“How about the new Turkish place across town? I hear it’s sick.” Jax lit up, always eager to try new restaurants and dishes, which fed nicely into Tristan’s adventurous nature.
“Sounds good.” Taking clean pants out of the drawer, Tristan changed into them. “Pick whatever you want, I’m sure I’ll like it.”
“You always do.” Carefully rising from the bed, Jax grabbed his phone, opening the lock screen, but something hijacked his attention, and he grinned at the screen.
“What’s making you happy?” Tristan asked, putting both towels in the hamper .
“My sibling group chat, it’s me, Finn, and Megan.” Jax flipped the phone around, and a little girl danced across the screen in flip-flops and a tilted tutu. “That’s my niece, Olivia.”
Tristan chuckled at how adorable she was. “I forgot that you have an older sister too.”
“Yeah, Megan. She and Finn really look alike. She’s a kickass single mom, like my Ma, but she lives four hours away and I’ve only seen her a few times. I’d go visit her, but…” He gestured at his lower back. “Airplane seats are not friendly to me.”
“I could drive.” Tristan stroked his beard. “How long can you sit in the car?”
“Two hours, maybe two and a half a day.” Thoughtful, Jax bit his lip.
“Then we could stop overnight, test out some hotel beds. I’m sure I can call and find out if the mattresses are firm before we book.”
Once again, the soft joy that washed across Jax’s features had Tristan’s heart pounding in his chest.
“Yeah, I’d love that.”
“And I’d love to take you and meet them.” Standing, Tristan gathered Jax close, loving how he instantly relaxed. “Why don’t you order breakfast and take a shower while I make some tea?”
“You read my mind,” Jax said into his chest.
Half an hour later, they stood at the breakfast bar, and Tristan stared at all the plates of food.
“I didn’t think you were going to order this much! Not that I’m complaining.” He tried a piece of flatbread filled with vegetables, and his eyes widened. “This is ridiculously good.”
“It’s pide. Here, try this.” Jax scooped up some lightly-scrambled eggs, and when Tristan took the offered bite, he hummed. The peppers, oil, and tomatoes that swirled through it came together perfectly.
“What’s this called?”
“Menemen.” Jax shoveled down a few bites of his own. “And I’m getting it again tomorrow.”
Tristan sampled from the dozen dishes scattered before him. “This sausage is amazing. It’s almost like salami?”
“That’s sujuk, and it’s made with beef instead of pork.” Also tasting it, Jax thought for a second, and Tristan could see his brain and palate whirring. “I’m going to have to talk to the owner because this is incredible.”
“It is!” Tristan agreed.
Silence reigned as they dug in, and Tristan was back to the sujuk again when Jax took a long breath.
“Have you ever thought about getting married?” he asked nonchalantly, dabbing at his face with a napkin, and Tristan started coughing. Jax thumped him on the back as he heaved for air and then drank some water.
“Y-You,” Tristan coughed again. “You can’t ask me that when I have half a sausage in my mouth.”
“Sorry,” Jax laughed, not looking sorry in the least, but vulnerability lurked in his gaze, along with a little surprise, as if he’d shocked himself with the question too.
“Yes,” Tristan said once he found his breath, keeping his promise to never hide anything from Jax again. “I’ve thought about getting married.”
“To me?” Jax bit his lip, pointing at himself.
“No, to Mouse.” Piercing an olive with his fork, Tristan held it out for Jax. “Of course, to you , silly.”
Jax’s eyes went liquid, and he wrapped his lips around the fork in such a sensual way that Tristan wanted to drag them back to the bedroom.
Picking up more pide, Jax stared at it, and then his deep-brown gaze flicked to Tristan. “What do you think about kids?”
“Kids…” Tristan let out a long breath. After growing up alone in the middle of nowhere, he’d always wanted at least two. “I’m probably too old for kids.”
“You think so?” Jax asked in a way that told Tristan he was wrong. “You’re already a great dad, why not do it again?”
Tristan smiled, loving how Jax consistently cheered him on. “I never thought I’d be able to.”
“I never thought I’d get rid of my anger, and it’s not completely gone, but I’m working on it.
” He held the slice out, and Tristan leaned forward, taking a bite.
The texture hit perfectly, the warm dough highlighting the spiced vegetables, and it all blended together with Jax’s sweet smile, making Tristan’s head spin because he was forever in love. “So, never say never.”