Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Cree snuggled into Tristan, who had his strong arms wrapped around her.
They were sitting in a booth at the back of Nyla’s club, enjoying a moment together.
Months ago, she had started planning her birthday party, never thinking it would be as special as it turned out.
That had everything to do with the man who was currently holding her.
Giddiness bubbled inside of Cree as she thought about how he had announced to their friends and family that they were married. They had talked about sharing the news with their siblings tonight, but they hadn’t discussed what that would look like.
When Tristan had taken it upon himself to cleverly let the secret out of the bag, then share a little of their story, Cree had fallen harder for him.
So used to being the one in charge, coming up with plans and executing them, it felt great not to have to.
She loved that she married a man who could take the lead and be in charge, and Tristan had done just that tonight.
She twisted slightly and glanced over her shoulder at him. “You were amazing tonight.”
He smirked, flashing those sexy dimples at her.
Then he nuzzled her neck while saying, “I think that’s what you said to me in bed last night,” he cracked, and Cree burst out laughing.
What made it even funnier was that she was pretty sure she had said those exact words.
Except it was regarding his masterful skills in the bedroom.
“Okay, I can admit you’re outstanding in everything you do, but seriously, thank you for playing for me tonight.
The song choices you picked were spot on, and I love how you play the piano.
I’m thinking you, Nyla, and Harrison can take that act on the road, and I can represent you guys. We could all get paid.”
Tristan chuckled and held her closer, and Cree’s eyes drifted closed.
She basked in his embrace and soaked up the love she could feel pouring from him.
Though she was having a good time, and it was great seeing friends and family she hadn’t seen in a while, she wouldn’t mind cutting her party short.
What she really wanted to do was head home and make love with her husband.
My husband.
It was still mind-blowing that she and Tristan had actually gotten married.
Again. Just when she thought she’d had her life figured out, the universe threw her a curve ball.
And in this case, it was a good one. She felt so blessed and thrilled that Tristan was back and right where he belonged—with her.
Every day, she thanked God for his divine intervention because she never saw this coming. Never imagined she’d be snuggled against the man who she knew was made divinely for her.
As they sat in the booth quietly, they listened to the music pouring through the speakers and the chatter as well as laughter from her guests. She might’ve been ready to leave, but the party was still going strong. Which meant she needed to get back to mingling with everyone.
Sighing, she said, “I should probably go back and rejoin the party.”
“Yeah, considering you’re the guest of honor that probably is a good idea,” Tristan said as he nibbled on her ear, then placed a gentle kiss against the spot on her neck that always sent tingles through her body. “I’ll let you go, but I can’t wait to get you home and naked.”
Cree laughed as she slowly pulled out of his hold. “I can’t wait either. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with something to think about.”
She kissed him, pouring all the love and admiration she felt for him into the kiss. Tonight felt like the beginning of an amazing life together, and after she finished celebrating her birthday here, she planned on them continuing the celebration at home.
A short while later, as she roamed around the club, greeting and thanking people for attending her party, she spotted Milton watching her. He was near the bar, standing just off to the side, where he could’ve been easily missed. Knowing the private investigator, she was sure that was intentional.
Cree had sent out invites to the party months ago, and Milton had been on the guest list. Though he had RSVP’d that he’d be there, she hadn’t thought about him, especially since she hadn’t had any work for him in a while.
She wasn’t sure how long he’d been at the party, but she had a feeling he’d been there long enough to know she and Tristan were married.
“Happy birthday, Cree!” two of her college friends said in unison, and they all laughed.
Cree hugged them, thanked them for coming, and when they walked away, she returned her attention to Milton who hadn’t moved. He was still watching her, and with a jerk of his head, he nodded toward a hallway. The only thing back there was an entrance to the stage, Nyla’s office, and a back exit.
She hoped he wasn’t trying to get her to go outside because, as cold as it was out there, that wasn’t happening.
She lifted her finger, silently asking for a minute. Since he didn’t approach her, Cree could only assume he wanted to talk in private. If that was the case, she wanted to be prepared and went in search of Nyla for the key to her office.
Once that was done, Cree found Milton in the back hallway, leaning against a wall.
“Hey there,” she said. “Thanks for coming to the party. Did you get something to eat and drink?”
“I did, and I am enjoying the celebration. It’s been… enlightening. I do have a question, though. What happened to your rule of not mixing business with pleasure? Tristan Whitmore? Seriously? I’m a little surprised you hooked up with a client.”
Cree didn’t like his tone or the disapproving scowl marring his face, but if he had a problem with her and Tristan being together, that was his problem.
“Rules are meant to be broken, and that’s one I broke.
Any other questions? Comments?” Her tone was hard and unyielding, and Cree’s invisible claws came out at his mention of Tristan.
It wasn’t her fault if Milton couldn’t attract her attention.
If he was mad because she never wanted him, oh well. That was his problem too.
Milton didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds, and then he chuckled. “You’re something else, Cree, but I’m not here to give you shit about your… choices. I’m here because there’s something you need to know.” He lifted his cell phone. “Is there somewhere private we can talk?”
“That depends. What are we planning to discuss because discussing my husband is off limits?”
“Well, let’s just say I have information and photos you’re going to want to see.”
After studying him for a minute, curiosity got the best of Cree, and she led him to Nyla’s office. When they entered, she was reminded that her sister’s compact workspace was smaller than Cree’s walk-in closet, but it didn’t matter. She didn’t intend on being in there long.
She propped herself on the edge of the desk and folded her arms across her chest. She didn’t miss the way Milton’s gaze traveled to her breasts, lingered, and then returned to her face.
Struggling not to roll her eyes, she said, “Okay talk. What’s so important that you had to bring it to my attention tonight of all nights?”
Milton cleared his throat. “A couple of hours ago, a friend of mine, another private investigator, told me someone at your firm hired him to follow you.”
Unease crept through Cree, and she slowly pushed away from the desk. “What are you talking about?”
“The only reason I’m even bringing this to your attention is because I consider us friends,” he said as he pulled something up on his phone. “I don’t know what’s going on at the firm, but someone is digging into your life.”
“Who?”
“My contact wouldn’t say who, but he knows I’ve done a lot of work for you, and he gave me a courtesy call. When he turns in his report to his client, it will include photos, as well as information that he’s found on you.”
Milton handed her his phone, and Cree glanced at the screen.
As she sifted through photos of her and Tristan, confusion and anger battled within her.
Some pictures were from as early as the day she met Tristan at the condo near the lakefront.
Others included them leaving the grocery store, kissing outside of a restaurant, and there was even a picture of them as recent as yesterday, standing in front of the commercial building Tristan had just purchased.
What Cree didn’t see were any photos of her and Tristan in Atlanta. That didn’t mean they didn’t exist. The more photos she viewed, cataloging her and her husband’s relationship, the madder she got.
Whoever the PI was, he’d been following her for a while without her knowing, which was disturbing. But why? Why would someone at the firm hire a private investigator to follow her?
As she pondered the question, she thought about her conversations with Warren. Of course, he was the first person to come to mind. She got along well with Felicia Watts, the other partner of the firm, as well as their associate lawyers.
But Warren? From the moment he had questioned the contract she had signed with Tristan, curious about why it was only for six months, he’d been acting strangely around her.
Then again, if she was honest, he’d been treating her differently for longer than that.
They used to work well together. Yet for the last few months, she felt he was in competition with her.
After she’d signed Tristan, the tension between them grew, and he questioned almost everything she did. But why?
As she paced in a small circle, one question after another bombarded her mind. Was Warren planning to use the photos against her somehow? He might know she and Tristan were married. Did he intend to put her on blast with her other clients? Have them questioning her integrity and ethics?
She stopped and looked at Milton. “Why are you giving me a heads-up on this?” she asked as she handed him his phone.
“I told you because we’re friends.”
Cree studied him for a few minutes, searching his eyes, questioning if he was being honest. At first, she wondered why he hadn’t been the one hired to follow her, but she knew why.
The people she worked with knew she and Milton were friendly.
They wouldn’t have hired him to do their dirty work, knowing there was a chance he’d tell her what was going on.
“I’m serious, Cree. Just because you’ve turned down my advances doesn’t mean I don’t still consider you a friend. There are no hard feelings, and I only brought this to you with good intentions. Oh, and congratulations on your marriage. I’m not sure if I mentioned that.”
“Everything okay in here?”
Cree jerked her head to the open door to find Tristan standing there looking fierce and intimidating. She had momentarily forgotten about the party, even though she could still hear the music and her guests in the distance.
Her husband’s gaze moved from her to Milton and then back to her again before he entered the room like he owned the space. Her heart rate increased. Her pulse pounded in her ear. And her girlie parts sparked with awareness.
He’d always had a visceral effect on her, and now that they were married, her body lit up from the inside out whenever she was in his presence.
When he stopped in front of her, and slid his arm around her waist, Cree didn’t miss the concern in his eyes.
“What’s going on in here? You okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah, baby, I’m fine, but we have a situation.”