Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Two days later, Cree was sitting in her nephew’s dorm room, looking through an entertainment magazine while waiting for him to return. It was the first day of the university’s family weekend, and she, Tristan, Essence and Jackson had started the day with a tour of the campus.
As Cree roamed around taking in the buildings, the various programs offered, and the students, all she kept thinking was that Tray was actually in college. Seemed like yesterday he was just a baby, and now he was an adult, majoring in mass media and preparing for his future.
After their tour, the five of them participated in various activities around campus and had a blast. It was also good to see her sister having a good time.
Essence was missing Tray like crazy and had been fawning over him since arriving.
Watching her laughing and loosening up some was good to see, and it helped Tray not feel as guilty about going away for school.
Now everyone had split up and gone their separate ways.
Tristan, at the request of the athletic director, was hanging out with athletes at the school’s sports facility.
Jackson had talked Essence into going with him to visit some friends in town, and that left Cree to hang out with Tray.
He’d wanted to talk to her about something, and she was curious to find out what was on his mind.
Only he had left her a few minutes ago because he needed to pick up a book from a friend.
As Cree sat at his desk waiting, she couldn’t help but think about the argument she and Tristan had had earlier in the day.
She had begged Tristan to understand it wasn’t that she didn’t want anyone to know about them.
She just wanted to make sure that, with their announcement, the timing was right.
Though she wanted more than anything to share the news about their engagement, she didn’t think it was a good idea.
At least not yet. Tristan, as well as his retirement news, was still a hot topic in the sports world.
The media wanted to know what he’s been up to, his future plans, and any additional information they could get on him.
If she and Tristan happened to be photographed holding hands or stealing kisses, tongues would wag and speculations would soar. They had to be strategic about revealing their relationship. Which was why they’d been keeping their distance from each other while on campus, and they both hated it.
Still, she realized shortly after arriving on campus that not behaving like a couple right now was a good idea.
The moment Tristan stepped on campus, faculty, students, and a few parents recognized him.
Pictures were taken of him, autographs were signed, and an informal interview had taken place.
Cree stayed in the background, but people wanted to know what he was doing there.
He kept his responses vague, claiming he just happened to show up to see the campus during family weekend.
Despite their decision to not look as if they were together on campus, though, Tristan was wearing the wedding band she’d given him. If anyone had asked about it, she didn’t know, but the gesture made her heart sing. Wearing the ring showed her how excited he was for them to be back together again.
In hindsight, she should’ve worn the one he had given her. She could’ve worn it on her right hand temporarily, and that still would’ve been better than her leaving it in the hotel’s safe.
Cree shook her head in disgust. She had to do better. No way was she going to risk losing her man or causing any doubt in his mind of her love for him. She was excited about their reunion and couldn’t wait for them to take the next step into their future.
“I’m going to make it up to him,” she mumbled as an idea sparked in her mind. She was going to do whatever it took to show him that she was all in.
In the meantime, Cree had decisions to make regarding their professional relationship.
Now that they were engaged, she might have to hand his account off to one of the firm's associates or a partner. That way there’d be no questions brought up about her, at some point, dating a client.
Her relationship with her coworkers and her clients was important to her.
She never wanted to do anything that would question her integrity or professionalism.
Tristan insisted he only wanted her to oversee his account. Which Cree would also prefer. She could do it without any questions if she moved forward with branching out on her own.
Decisions. Decisions.
“Sorry, Aunt Cree. I didn’t think it would take me that long,” Tray said as he hurried into the room, closing the door behind him.
Her nephew was almost six feet tall and as thin as a rail.
Considering how much the kid ate, she had no idea how he managed to stay so skinny.
Though he shared similar features of the Priestly family, with his sepia skin tone and full lips, he looked a lot like his biological father who Cree hadn’t seen since high school.
“Tristan didn’t come back yet?” Tray asked. “I still can’t believe you know him. Mom said he might be your boyfriend, but you guys are keeping it quiet.”
Cree laughed at his attempt at whispering. “Can you keep a secret?” she asked, knowing he could.
He nodded enthusiastically, his eyes wide in anticipation.
“Tristan is my fiancé, but we’re not telling anyone yet,” she said quietly.
“Wait. I’m the only one who knows?” he whisper-shouted.
“Yup, so if anyone finds out before we announce it, I’ll know who leaked the news.”
A huge grin spread across his face. “I won’t say a word, but it is going to be so cool to finally tell people that Tristan Whitmore is my uncle. That’s crazy! He might be able to get me tickets to see the Eagles or the Packers,” he said of two of his favorite NFL teams.
Cree laughed at his excitement, and he was probably right.
If asked, Tristan would definitely work his magic to hook Tray up with tickets to a game, especially the Eagles.
As for the Packers, she knew for a fact that it wouldn’t be easy to get tickets for a game played at Lambeau Field.
Still, if anyone could get some, it would be Tristan.
“Did Dominic show up yet?”
“Nope, I haven’t seen him,” she said of his roommate.
“I hope you’re still here when he does. His stepmom used to be a stuntwoman. How cool is that?”
“Very cool,” she said and listened as he told her about his roommate and family.
“Aunt Cree, you have to talk to Mom because she’s not listening to me and Dad,” Tray said quietly, and Cree straightened at the mention of his dad. “She’s—”
“Wait. You’ve been in contact with your father?” she asked.
Essence hadn’t mentioned her ex in years. As far as Cree knew, she hadn’t talked to the loser since high school. She had gotten pregnant with Tray toward the end of her senior year, and her ex, Kyle, hadn’t wanted anything to do with Tray.
Before Kyle learned he was going to be a father, he had received a basketball scholarship from Marquette University.
He was good enough to go pro and wasn’t letting anything or anyone stand in his way.
Though he hadn’t asked Essence to have an abortion, he had asked her to give the baby up for adoption.
Not surprisingly, Essence told him adoption wasn’t an option, and she’d raise their child on her own. After Tray was born, Kyle had signed his rights away, and Cree assumed that was the end of it.
“You’ve met your father?”
“Yeah, I met him once, but we don’t have a relationship. I’m not talking about him. I’m talking about Jackson.”
“When did you start calling him Dad?”
Jackson and Essence had been friends for as long as Cree could remember, and he’d always been active in Tray’s life.
Cree just wished her sister could see what they all saw—that Jackson was crazy in love with her and Tray.
He treated them like they belonged to him, and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for either of them.
“This summer, a little bit before I moved to Atlanta, I started calling him Dad. He’s more of a father than that sperm donor who—” As if catching himself from saying too much, he backpedaled.
“I mean Kyle. My biological dad will never be my father. That would be Jackson, and before you ask, he’s cool with it, and I’m thinking about changing my last name to his, even if Mom doesn’t marry him. ”
Cree just stared at her nephew. He had grown up so fast. She still remembered when Essence brought him home from the hospital. She and her sister used to share a bedroom, and their parents had put a baby bed in there for Tray.
It seemed like a lifetime ago, and now here she was visiting her nephew in college. He had grown up to be thoughtful, funny, and an intelligent young man, who she was so proud of. Which was what she told him.
“But anyway,” he said, interrupting her thoughts, “I wanted to talk to you because I need you to talk to Mom. She’s threatening to move to Atlanta, and I don’t want her to. I’m not a little kid where I need my mommy all the time, but she’s not listening to me and Dad. I know she’ll listen to you.”
Cree held back a groan. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she had already tried talking his mother out of moving to Atlanta. Essence was seriously considering it, but maybe Cree could give it one more shot.
The dorm room door flew open.
“Come on, Dee. Why do I have to attend? Uncle Laz won’t mind if I skip the awards banquet,” Tray’s roommate, Dominic, said as he and who Cree assumed were his parents filled the doorway.
Tray had already told her about them and how Dominic’s stepmother, Dakota, used to be a stuntwoman.
Tray had even shown her videos of the woman doing stunts on motorcycles, leaping from one rooftop to another, and he’d even found a YouTube video of her in a fight.
Not only did the woman have a black belt in some martial art, but she also owned a dojo there in Atlanta.
As Cree watched them enter, her first thought was—what a beautiful couple.
The man, tall and extremely good-looking had an authoritative presence, like he might’ve been former military or law enforcement.
And she never would’ve guessed the woman was a daredevil.
She was a little shorter than Cree and looked…
normal. Like just another woman. Albeit a gorgeous supermodel-like woman, but still, just a woman.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know anyone was here,” Dominic said.
“That’s okay. We were just hanging out,” Tray said. “This is my Aunt Cree. She’s the one who knows Tristan Whitmore, and he’s on campus.”
Dominic’s eyes lit up. “For real? Do you think I could get his autograph?”
Dominic’s father shook his head. “Forgive my son’s manners. I’m Hamilton Crosby, and this is my wife, Dakota. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Oh, yeah, Aunt Cree. Ms. Dakota is the stuntwoman I was telling you about. Cool, right?”
All the adults laughed.
“Very cool,” Cree said as they greeted each other.
Conversation flowed easily, and Cree learned that Dominic’s father was part owner of Supreme Security—Atlanta.
Which was the same agency her brother Zion worked for, except he was located in Chicago.
Her brother often talked about Atlanta’s Finest, which was the nickname given to the security specialists at the agency in Atlanta.
Like the one in Chicago, the group was made up of former military and law enforcement personnel.
A knock sounded on the open door, and everyone glanced that way. The moment Cree saw Tristan standing there, butterflies took flight in her stomach and she swooned. The man was gorgeous, and he was hers.
“Whoa! Tristan Whitmore!” Dominic said and he and Tray rushed to the door, talking a mile a minute, and Cree laughed.
Tristan didn’t miss a beat. He jumped right into conversation with the boys, as well as Dominic’s parents, and her heart swelled. Even with a celebrity status, she loved how approachable Tristan was, and she fell more in love with him every day.
So why was she still willing to keep their relationship a secret?
It’s time to quit hiding. Time to go public with their relationship. She’d figured out everything else later, but for now, she was determined to show her man how in love she was with him.
Once the conversation settled some, Cree walked toward him. He glanced over everyone’s head and looked at her, giving her a sexy smile as she got closer. But his eyes searched hers as if wondering what she was up to.
He could read her so good. She did have a little something on her mind.
“Hey, baby,” she said and kissed him sweetly, not caring who was watching. “I hope you’re ready to go because I came up with some other plans for us while we’re in town.”
Cree had no doubt he was going to enjoy what she was cooking up.