31. Tripp
Chapter 31
Tripp
I ’m about to stir up a hornet’s nest. But I don’t care anymore. I turn down the long, winding drive of Cliff House, spotting my best friend’s car right where I thought it would be. Parking, I stroll up to the front door and let myself into the grand foyer.
“Wes,” I yell, my voice echoing off all the marble surrounding me. It’s just Hayden I would be disturbing here, and it’s a safe bet he’s down in the surf right now. “Wes!”
He comes strolling out from the direction of the kitchen, a scowl on his face. “What do you want?”
“Are you fucking with me? Do you really not know?”
“What?”
“Maybe check your phone and you’d know that your family has been trying to get ahold of you.”
“I don’t want to talk to them. Or you,” he says plainly.
“So, you’re just going to hide from everyone at Hayden’s forever? Or are you going to run off to South America again? Get your head out of your ass and check your phone. You’ll see some messages about the fact that your sister was taken hostage at gunpoint last night.” I don’t sugarcoat it. I deliver the blow bluntly, so it wakes him up.
And it works, I watch his face fall. “She… what? Is she okay?”
“Yeah. I was there, and I would have done anything it took to make sure she walked away unharmed. And this morning your parents have come by, and her friends. Yet she asks about you . So do what you want, but I think it’s bullshit that you’re tossing aside the rare bond you all have. I would kill to have a family like yours. Anyway, she’s at my house, if you were interested.”
I don’t wait for a response. Turning on my heels, I head right back out the front door. I just want to get back to my girl.
Ivy
“Are we sure we should go to this?” I ask, turning towards Tripp inside his SUV.
“You don’t want to? But it’s Fall Fest, I thought you were looking forward to eating caramel apples and getting lost in a hay maze with me?”
“I would love to get lost in a hay maze with you! So long as we don’t have to explain last night to everyone. I hate the idea of the whole town knowing and bombarding us with questions.”
He takes my waist in his hands and tugs me closer. For a moment, I think he’s about to pull me onto his lap while we are parked right here in the center of town. And when I look into his eyes, I’m considering climbing right up. But when a family walks across the street before us, he stops tugging me closer and instead leans in to brush a hand down my hair.
“We don’t have to go. But if you do want to, we won’t have to explain anything to anyone. It’s you and me, enjoying your favorite time of year. That’s what today is about.”
“You and me,” I nod, imagining walking hand in hand with him between booths. “And caramel apples and kettle corn?”
“Of course,” he smiles.
“I guess it can’t hurt to stop by the festivities,” I concede. “But if people talk?—”
“I’ll handle them.” From the look on Tripp’s face, I would not want to be those people. Climbing out, he comes around to my door and pulls it open. “Deal?”
“Deal.” I accept his hand and climb out to the aged brick street. The sound of children playing mingles with Halloween themed music as we head towards town square. Orange, gold, and rust-colored flags hang from the lamp posts, and corn stalks and pumpkins adorn the stop signs at the street corners. The roads around the square are blockaded by hay bales and people freely mill about between stands.
The smell of fresh kettle corn fills the air, and I inhale deeply until it chases the doubt from my soul. Tripp is right, Fall Fest is my favorite. And we are going to enjoy our first town event together.
I look over at him to find his eyes already studying my face. “What do you think, Sherlock? Find the baking contest and do some tasting? Or are we cutting and running from this crowd?”
Linking my pinky with his, I turn towards the townspeople casting us curious glances. “I believe you promised me a caramel apple and a hay maze, Sheriff.”
A grin spreads across his face. “I certainly did.”
We step into the fray, together. Making our way through the square, I’m spurred on by the amount of people who nod and smile at Tripp. They don’t ask questions, they’re simply happy to see him. A few even murmur hello and thank him.
“Sheriff Forester!” Barney—the attendant from the harbor calls—bounding down the gazebo stairs towards us. “I wanted to let you know how much we all appreciate you wrapping up this vandalism. I mean, Chuck, damn.”
“Yeah, it was a big surprise,” Tripp replies calmly. His face gives no emotion away, while beside him my stomach is beginning to turn at the mention of Chuck.
“Well thanks again, it’s a relief for us all.”
As I watch Barney walk away, I’m anything but calm. I break apart our pinkies and clasp my hand around his bicep. “I hate hearing his name,” I admit. “But at least everyone is finally seeing you the way they should,” I smile up at him, determined to focus on the good.
Turning to face me, he wraps his arms around my waist. “The way they should, huh?”
“Yes,” I nod decidedly, laying my palms flat on his chest.
“And how is that?”
“The way I see you. Smart, brave, selfless. There’s no way they can recall you now.”
He tilts his head down to whisper in my ear, “I hate hearing his name too.”
“Is this bothering you too? We could go.”
“I just keep thinking about how I failed you, I didn’t keep you safe.”
“You did!”
“I wasn’t there when he… when he was holding a gun to you.” Tripp’s voice cracks on his reply and I press tighter against him, reminding him that I’m here, everything turned out fine.
“You weren’t there because I did something unsafe,” I remind him.
He quirks his eyebrow at me, “Yeah actually let’s talk about that.”
“Can we talk about it in the maze at least?”
He concedes, taking my hand once again and leading me towards the towering rows of hay. After the first few turns, he picks the conversation back up. “Please explain to me why you didn’t call me when you got to the store and saw it unlocked.”
“If you recall, I actually do have a reason for that,” I tell him as we come to our first split in the maze.
Looking up at him, I wait for Tripp to pick which direction we take. He doesn’t seem concerned with getting through the maze though. Instead, he stays planted in place and asks, “And you didn’t go find someone else to call me from their phone?”
“Well in hindsight, sure. That would have made more sense.” I tug him to follow me down the path on the left and he happily obliges. We weave through the hay, moving deeper into it until we hit a dead end. I turn to go back the opposite way when he pulls me back to a stop.
“When in doubt, you call me. For anything. I don’t care how silly it feels. A ride for girls’ night, someone looks at you the wrong way, anything.”
“Anything?”
“Box of books too heavy, someone put olives on your pizza, I want to be there.”
I lift up on my toes and snake my hands around his neck. “I love you,” I tell him before our lips meet. His kiss is tender at first, modest for the public setting. But I don’t feel like being modest. I open so his tongue can slip in and taste me.
“Is this how it’s going to be now? You two making out in the streets? Because I approve.”
We break apart as Poppy approaches, heat searing my face. I lay my head against Tripp’s chest and smile sheepishly. “What brings you to our corner of the maze?”
“You’re right next to the exit,” she points around the other side of the hay wall, and when I turn to look past it, I’m greeted by the crowded brick streets and vendor booths once again. “I designed the maze, so it’s actually faster for me to cut through the festival this way. Come on, visit the wreath station before you get too preoccupied for us,” she teases.
Stepping under the cornstalk arch at the mouth of the maze, we cross through the crowd to a long wooden table littered with fall foliage. Stevie and Wren look up from the wreaths they’re constructing and smile as we approach.
“Seriously, I love this,” Wren waves her hand at the way Tripp’s arm falls over my shoulder, a delighted grin on her face.
“Me too,” he agrees, leaning in and kissing my temple. I wonder if I’ll ever grow accustomed to having him in all the ways I always dreamed. It doesn’t seem likely, based on the way my heart is fluttering from the simple act.
“Have you heard from Wes?” Stevie asks.
My good spirits skid to a grinding halt. My brother has either been so mad at our family that he refuses to check his phone, or he simply doesn’t care about the fact that I was staring down the barrel of a gun last night. Either way, I have not heard from him.
“Not a word,” I frown.
“Well then don’t look now, but he’s coming over,” she says, pointing down the street. Tripp and I turn in unison to see Hayden nearing us, and none other than a stoic looking Wes at his side.
Butterflies erupt in my stomach. Is he here as a worried brother, or as a betrayed friend? But Hayden wouldn’t bring him if he had any concerns about what Wes might do.
Just steps away, Wes doesn’t break stride. Instead, he keeps moving through our friends until he reaches me, pulling me into a hug. “Can we talk?” he asks in a low voice.
“Sure, want to sit?” I guide him over to a bench at the hardware shop behind the wreath making stand. We drop down onto the weather wood seat, not speaking for a moment as we watch townspeople and tourists moving about the festival.
“Hey,” he starts, tapping his knee against mine. “Are you okay?”
“I am.” My eyes shift over to focus on my brother’s face. “Why didn’t you check on me?”
“That’s what I’m doing here. I know you’ve been at Tripp’s since it happened. I’m not ready to see you playing house.”
“Seriously—”
He holds up a hand to stop me. “But I’m working on it. I really want to be okay with you two. Plus, Dad told me about the heart attack. That really hit me, I’m sorry I spent so much energy feeling like you all went behind my back. Because you can’t go behind a back that isn’t here. This is on me.”
“Wes, we love you. The secrets aren’t about punishing you for being gone.” I nudge his knee in return, hoping he’ll lift his gaze from where it’s glued to the sidewalk. And I’m successful. His eyes meet mine, guilt swirling in them. “It’s just hard with how much time passes where you aren’t available. Life has to go on here.”
“I know. I’m sorry you had to come home and do it all alone after Dad’s heart attack. I know you couldn’t even tell your friends because he was worried about breaking the news to me. And I don’t want that to be the case anymore.”
A shadow drifts across us and I look up to see Tripp stepping up onto the curb. He comes to a stop in front of the sun, outlined in a warm glow. “I’m glad you’re here,” he tells Wes.
“It’s only because you came over to get my head out of my ass,” my brother laughs.
I look between them, confusion clouding my features. “He did what?”
“A few hours ago, he came by Hayden’s and told me what happened last night.”
“You mean when you left this morning…” I blink at him in surprise. The errand he had to run was to find Wes. Warmth spreads through my chest as I stare up at his stunning, albeit black and blue, face.
Wes must be paying attention to the bruise as well, because he stands and clasps Tripp on the shoulder. “Hey, I’m sorry about your face, man.”
“You know Wes, girls love a man that takes a punch for them. Ivy probably made it worth Tripp’s while,” Poppy smirks as our friends all join us.
“Violence would get you going,” Hayden taunts, leaning in close over her shoulder. She doesn’t miss a beat, whirling on her heels and shoving him away. And when he clutches at where her hand had just been on his chest and smiles broadly at her, Poppy’s face shifts into a deep scowl.
Taking a step near her once again, Hayden turns to Wes and asks, “You haven’t told them the best part?”
“Not yet,” Wes replies, grinning that familiar crooked smile. “I’m staying.”
“Staying? As in…”
“No more traveling doctor. I’m going to be the medic for Hayden’s rescue team.”
I wrap my arms around his shoulders and squeal in delight. For the first time in years, our family will be whole in the same physical place. “I can’t believe you were holding onto that news!”
“There were a few other things to cover first,” he laughs, hugging me back.
“Speaking of things to cover,” a resounding voice cuts through the crowd. Coming down the walk, Mayor Fitzgerald struts over in his khakis and fresh-pressed button down, his version of dressing down.
Poppy tries to shrink back away from the mayor only to slam against Hayden’s chest. “Would you move?” she snaps.
“Wait, I need to talk to you!” Fitzy tells her, coming to a stop before us. “About your bakery. Hayden, do you want to do it?”
“I’m not talking to him about anything bakery related,” Poppy replies firmly.
Hayden opens his mouth and then presses his lips together once again in a tight line. His eyes boring into Poppy, he holds his hands up in the air. But she is steadfast in her refusal to look his way.
“I’ll go,” he growls. Then turning to my brother, “Want to grab a coffee?”
“Yeah, sure,” Wes says, looking between them.
Fitzy watches them go, then turns to Poppy and asks, “Do you have time to talk?”
“Today?” she frowns. “Do you really have to bring me down during Fall Fest?”
“Yes dear, preferably today. But, before we go—Tripp, I am excited to say that I spoke with the county commissioner and the recall has completely stalled. You should receive the official word that it’s called off in the next few days. People are frantically asking if they can rescind their signatures.”
My heart stutters at the news, people truly are seeing Tripp as they should. I place my hands on his shoulders, a giddy smile stretching across my face. “No more recall, Sheriff Forester!”
The corner of his lip tilts up as his warm eyes lock onto me. “It does feel good,” he admits in a whisper, only loud enough for my ears.
“You deserve to be sheriff, there’s a reason Winston endorsed you instead of Chuck, his chief deputy,” Fitzy adds.
“Yeah, Chuck is murderous,” Wren points out. “But also, because you are so good at your job,” she adds quickly.
“Well, this has taken a fun turn,” Tripp mutters sarcastically. “But I think I’d like to celebrate over a caramel apple with my Sherlock.” Taking my hand, he nods to the mayor and guides me back into the festival crowd.
“You do deserve to be the sheriff,” I tell him as we cross by the pumpkin bowling and stop in line for the apples.
“It’s only your opinion that matters,” he reminds me. But I don’t miss the way his shoulders have relaxed, and his jaw loosens.
“Pops would be proud,” I add, leaning my head against Tripp. Looking around, I catch sight of Hayden watching Poppy and Fitzy walk towards town hall. I swear I see a smile on his face. Beside him, my brother chats with Stevie and Wren. Sighing contently, I think this might be the best Fall Fest to date.
Tripp wraps an arm around me, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Happy?”
I am happy, taking in the moment. But more importantly, I’m happy with who I am and what choices I’ve made for myself. I may have come home for my father, but staying was all for me. It took almost losing everything, to realize all I had. And I won’t forget again.
“More than you know,” I reply, settling into his embrace. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.