16. Historic Mischief
16
Historic Mischief
T he thunderstorm ceased in the next two days, but the rain lasted a week. Alexa kept her word and visited Tristan every day after school, staying there until it was time to leave for her shift. He gave her the promised tour of his paintings and of his entire house on the second day of her visit.
The following days, they spent time in his room, whether it was playing random games to get to know each other, or Tristan playing his guitar and her singing—at his imploring, or simply talking. Whenever there was lightning, Alexa would sing to keep him distracted from the pain.
Each day was better than the last, and with every day she spent with him, Alexa finally began asking herself how she had lived all these years without him .
With him, she felt alive like never before.
Her heart flared to life every time his lopsided grin and adoring blue eyes greeted her. He made her feel like she couldn’t survive without him anymore. And so it was.
The ceasing in the thunderstorm allowed Tristan to use his phone, but when he tried to leave the house, Alexa implored him to stay until it was sunny in Harmony Hills all over again.
Not to her surprise but much to his father’s astonishment, he obliged.
Each morning Alexa was greeted with a good morning text from Tristan, and in every waking moment, she reached for her phone with a girlish grin. She would also text him when she was at school whether she was free or in a boring class, and would tell him everything that she felt inclined to share happening around her.
With him, she felt like… Alexa, the girl she had believed to be dead when her dad died. Somehow that girl was resurrected, but with more life than before. She smiled more, laughed contagiously, danced and sang when she was alone, was more enthusiastic, cracked jokes that made even John drop his jaw in astonishment.
Everyone was surprised at the change in her, but no one was as surprised as she was. Alexa knew that love changed people, and while she couldn’t say she loved Tristan yet, she couldn’t deny that he affected her.
So much for planning a romance-free future.
“You’re daydreaming—again.”
Alexa composed herself and blinked at her best friend who sat cross-legged on the bed, across from her. “I’m not,” she lied.
“Don’t lie to me,” Daphne retorted with narrowed eyes. “You have this mushy, faraway look in your eyes. I can tell your mind is floating, or rather it’s already in Tristan’s house.”
Alexa’s cheeks betrayed her, and all that took was one mention of his name. Oh, had he turned her into a blushing fool already? “Oh, shush.”
Daphne shot her a knowing smirk. “I don’t blame you; from your photos, he looks like a dark, morally gray hero. Super hot.” She wiggled her perfect dark eyebrows funnily.
Alexa grabbed her nearest pillow and hit Daphne on the head with it. “You’re not welcome to think of my Tristan like that!” She narrowed her eyes, barely containing a smile.
Daphne looked at her, her jaw dropping. “ Your Tristan? Are you claiming him already?”
Alexa released her smile, and it came out as a shy one. “He is mine—but don’t you dare think of telling him that.”
“How can I, when I have not met him yet?” Daphne faked a pout, just before her expression lit up. “Or, why don’t you call him over today so you can introduce your best friend to your boyfriend?”
Alexa’s eyes widened. “He’s not my boyfriend yet.” There was a difference between saying he was hers and calling him her boyfriend. Surely there was.
“Is he not?” Daphne’s eyebrows rose in challenge.
“I told you we’re…” Alexa trailed off, pondering for a moment what exactly was her relationship with Tristan. They were friends, but there was more than friendship between them; he loved her. Though they hadn’t been on a date yet, it was obvious that their relation was something special if not official. “We’re friends, but we’re also aware of our feelings for each other. He knows my hesitancy about romance and I think he doesn’t want to rush us but give me time.”
Daphne’s face softened at her confession. “He’s really a good man, isn’t he?”
“Yes.” Alexa’s smile was fond. “Yes, he is.”
“So I deserve to meet him and get an introduction.” Daphne declared. “What are you waiting for, call him over.”
Alexa worried her bottom lip and glanced toward the window. Today was a sunny day, the first in the entire last week, but what if it’d turn stormy all too soon? She didn’t want to put Tristan at a risk.
“He’s feeling rather unwell today, he texted me this morning,” she lied, again, and hated doing so. But she had no other choice. Perhaps, there will come a day Tristan would let her tell Daphne about his secret. Her best friend was the most trustworthy person in her life besides her sister.
“Who feels unwell on a Saturday?” Daphne huffed and hovered over her notebook and continued copying down the notes from Alexa’s that she had missed during her absence in the last two days. A moment later, she asked, “So… Tristan is your prom date, right?”
“Uh…” At Alexa’s hesitation, Daphne looked up at her. She was not going to like the answer. “I haven’t asked him yet.”
Of all the things they talked that whole week, she lacked the courage to ask him for prom. And it was so unlike her; Alexa Ford never lacked courage before boys. But then again, Tristan wasn’t just any boy. He was the boy, the one who made her feel like she was living in one of her romance books.
“ What? ”
Alexa gave her a guilty smile.
“You’re unbelievable. Really? ” Daphne cocked her head and stared in disbelief. “You two haven’t kissed, haven’t been on a proper date, and you haven’t told him about the prom dance? What have you two been doing all these days together?”
“You sound like we’re some boring old types.” Alexa hit her with the pillow again. This time Daphne grabbed it from her and hit her back. “Seriously?” Alexa grabbed another pillow, and with a devious grin, launched into a pillow fight. Just like they used to when they were kids.
Alexa’s pillow flew out of her grasp and fell to the floor. She had always been the loser. “Fine, fine, fine. I surrender!” She laughed breathlessly with raised hands and scrambled out of the bed before Daphne could attack her again. “I’ve been a little nervous to ask him, okay?”
“Nervous?” Daphne shot her a disbelieving smile, settling back comfortably on the bed. “Goodness, Alexa, what happened to you girl?”
Alexa shrugged, biting back a smile. Tristan happened, that’s what.
“Don’t you want him to go with you?”
“Of course, I do. You know that.” Alexa placed her hands on her hips. “Why else would I be turning down every other boy who asked me?”
After getting wind of her breakup with Jude, several boys asked her out for prom last week. Alexa turned down every one of them as politely as she could, even the ones who annoyed her with the pathetic offer of helping her make her ex jealous.
The audacity of them!
“Then what is delaying you?” Daphne asked her, running her fingers through her short, blue-streaked, icy-blonde hair exasperatedly.
“I told you I’m nervous.” Alexa bit the tip of her forefinger.
“I don’t care!” Daphne threw her arms in the air. “Because this is not so like you and is because of Tristan, so you are going to ask him. As in, today. No more excuses. Since he’s not a student and is older than us, we’ll need to get permission from the school to invite him. He’ll go with you, won’t he?”
Alexa opened her mouth to respond—
“Of course I will.”
She gasped at the third voice and whirled around to see Tristan leaning against her door frame, hands in his pockets and smiling her favorite crooked grin.
“Tristan!” Her heart escalated at his sight. “What are you doing here?” Her voice came out as a squeak and she immediately composed herself from the surprise. “Never mind.”
She strode to him, and Tristan pushed himself off the doorframe to greet her. He received her into his arms. Alexa hugged him tight, breathing in his vanilla scent.
“How are you feeling?” she asked quietly, although if Daphne heard it, she’d only assume Alexa was inquiring about his ill situation .
“Much better now,” Tristan said and pulled back to look down at her, adding in an undertone, “The weather is back to normal.”
“You received the reports? ”
He nodded.
Relief flooded through her veins and she gave him a squeeze. “I’m glad.”
Tristan smiled crookedly. “Me too.” He looked to where Daphne stood, and his smile turned into a welcoming one. “You must be Daphne.”
Alexa stepped back from him and made the introductions. “Daphne, this is Tristan. Tristan, this is my best friend.”
“Nice to meet you, Daphne.” Tristan nodded in acknowledgement. “Alexa has told me about you.”
“Not as much as she has told me about you , I’m willing to bet.” Daphne returned the smile. “It’s nice to meet the guy who has resurrected my old Alexa, finally.”
Alexa gaped at her, feeling betrayed and flustered at the same time. She gave her a withering glare before turning to Tristan, blushing as she found him watching her with an amused but affectionate smile.
“My best friend’s got a strong sense of humor.”
“I noticed.” He winked.
“I crave a drink,” Daphne blurted out, looking like someone trying to wriggle out of a suffocating room. “I’ll be in the kitchen.” She walked past them, piercing Alexa with a meaningful look—to ask him for prom—on the way, and paused at the doorway. “Would you fancy a drink, Tristan?”
Tristan’s eyes remained on Alexa as he refused politely. “No, thank you.”
The moment Daphne left, Alexa felt the full impact of the charge in the air between them.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” she broke the silence.
“I was planning it to be a surprise, and it looks like I surprised you.” Tristan cocked his head to the side as he watched her, in the adorable way that made her heart soar. “So… the prom dance?”
“You said you’d go with me?” She slipped her hands into the pockets of her shorts, having nothing else to do with them than fiddling.
“If you want me to.” His dark eyebrows rose, eyes searching hers expectantly.
“Yes.” Alexa grinned.
“Yes to you too.” He grinned back, but it faltered as he asked, “Were you nervous to ask me? I met Cassie on the porch. She told me about prom and that you were nervous to ask me, and then I came up here and heard you say it. Why?”
Thanks a lot, Cass.
“I don’t know. I—” She stopped short as Tristan reached for one of her wrists and pulled it from the pocket. He cradled her hand in both of his own, his fingers caressing her palm. “I…” She tried to compose herself, but the thrill of his touch fogged her senses.
Tristan waited for her answer, oblivious to the raging emotions he evoked in her.
“You’re distracting me,” she blurted out, dropping her eyes to their hands.
Tristan’s caressing stopped. She felt his eyes on her but refused to look up. She was overwhelmed, but in a way that filled her with pleasure. He took a step closer and hooked his forefinger under her chin. Her breath hitched, but she allowed him to make her look at him.
His eyes smoldered. “I came here to ask you something actually,” he said, his voice husky that did strange things to her heart. “I was saving it for later but, I couldn’t help my curiosity now.”
“What is it?” she breathed out as he waited for her answer.
“Do you feel something for me?”
Alexa gaped at him. He was looking at her with openness again, with so much vulnerability as he let her see into him. He loved her. She was everything to him. Now he wanted to know if she felt for him, too.
She had decided to risk her heart for this one time, to give herself a chance to know what it’d be like being with him, so why not dive deeper and discover more about this beautiful feeling.
Tristan watched her with sweet patience, his eyes heartbreakingly hopeful. To make him wait another second felt cruel.
“I do,” she whispered, euphoria exploding in her heart at her admission.
Tristan cradled her hand to his chest, where his heart pounded wildly. His face split into the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. Her own smile bloomed, and she pulled her other hand from the pocket to clasp it over his, stepping closer until only their joined hands were between them.
Tristan’s eyes dropped to her lips, his smile dropping slowly. He stared hungrily, and Alexa’s own eyes trailed to his lips that he had just licked. Desire rose in her, but before she could lean up to him, she heard him swallow, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
She realized he was hesitant if she were ready. Alexa decided to show him her readiness when Tristan cleared his throat.
“So, the prom,” he began. “When is it? ”
“Uh… coming Saturday,” she said distractedly, ignoring the disappointment sinking into her stomach. They had nearly kissed, and even that, brimming with frustration since she wanted their kiss to happen, was a beautiful feeling. Just like when almost-kisses happened in her books. And this was her first real-life experience. “We need to acquire special permission for your attendance.”
“And when they ask what your relationship with me is…?” he asked with a curious quirk of his eyebrow.
Alexa opened and closed her mouth, considering the only option she had. She lowered her eyes from him to their hands. “I could tell them you’re my boyfriend, but that would be a lie.”
She stole a glance at him in time to see his lips twitch, and dropped her gaze, her own lips twitching without permission.
“Not if you’d like to be my girlfriend.”
Her eyes snapped to him. “Are you asking me?”
Tristan lifted a shoulder, barely fighting his smile. “I’d love to be your boyfriend if you’d love to be my girlfriend.”
“How poetic.” She teased with a smile, butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
“Is that a yes?”
“Honestly,” she began with a sigh, her smile faltering. “I didn’t anticipate entering a new relationship this soon, or ever again. I didn’t want to, I wasn’t ready—”
“Then tell me when you’re ready,” Tristan cut in, his hands tightening around hers. “I’ll wait for you, until you are. Till then—”
“I am ready,” Alexa interjected hastily. “I am ready now. I was just saying that I hadn’t been before—before you told me how you felt for me. I didn’t think I would ever be ready, that I would be up for the risk of caring for someone and them breaking me in the end. But I… I want to know this with you.”
“Alexa,” Tristan called softly, letting go of her hand to hold her face. His eyes held a fire as they stared into hers, one that burned with his feelings for her. They flared in determination and sincerity. “I will never hurt you. I would gladly receive a hundred lightning strikes than hurt you intentionally. I can treat you better than your ex-boyfriend did—I will treat you better than the ones who set their love life as a tragic example in front of you. I can prove to you my intentions, my love, and myself.”
Alexa leaned into his touch and closed her eyes. His words were beautiful, the most beautiful ones ever spoken to her. But…
“Brandon used to say things like this to Cassie.” She opened her eyes and met his. Tristan waited patiently for her to continue, rather than admonishing her for her words. She composed herself. “I know you and Brandon cannot be compared in any way; he couldn’t hold a candle to you. I just…” She trailed off.
Tristan sighed, understanding filling his eyes. “I know, Alexa. I will never let you down. You mean so much to me, more than I can tell you or you can understand. But in time, I believe, you will realize it.”
Alexa nodded. She understood, at least, almost .
He hadn’t cared about his exposure when he jumped in to save her that day. While she knew anyone would jump in to save people attempting to kill themselves, Tristan had not only saved her but he helped her survive that night. He made sure she was distracted, made her smile, and looked after her…
So far, he had proven that she meant something to him.
Her desires stirred. She wanted to know how much she meant to him.
Alexa met his gaze with the fierce determination that flared in racing her heart. “I want to be your girlfriend.” Then she paused, her lips twitching slightly, and quoted back his words, “if you want to be my boyfriend.”
Tristan’s eyes smiled even as the emotions he kept in check tightened the muscles on his face, sharpening his features. “Nothing would make me happier.” He leaned down and pressed a long kiss to her forehead, before winding his arms around her and pulling her into him.
Alexa snuggled against him without resistance, her heart rate escalating. She smiled into his shoulder, inhaling his wonderful scent. Boyfriend. He was her boyfriend.
As though he read what she thought, Tristan combed his finger through her hair and murmured into it, “My girlfriend.”
* * *
Cassie and Daphne were delighted when Alexa told them she and Tristan were official. Daphne squealed, and Cassie embraced Tristan with her welcoming big sister smile, but she did warn him that if he were to hurt Alexa’s feelings she would make him pay for it. They dined together that day, and watching Tristan interact with her family made Alexa’s heart soar to the clouds.
Now, as she sat in her history class, all she had in her mind was Tristan, far from the lesson the history teacher was fervently delivering. The sincere expressions on his face, the warmth in his eyes, his lopsided grin, it all played on a loop in her mind.
She remained lost in her musings until the teacher directed a question at her, his voice piercing through her daydream that snapped reality back into focus.
Alexa fumbled for an appropriate response, caught off guard. Sensing the gazes of her classmates on her, her cheeks turned a shade of crimson.
“Um, well…” she began, but her mind drew a blank, unable to recall the details of the lesson.
Mr. Highsmith, the teacher, fixed his stern gaze on her with annoyance and disappointment. “Miss Ford, I allowed some leeway considering the circumstances you’ve faced recently, but that leniency can only extend so far. Your situation cannot become an excuse for perpetual distraction. It’s time to refocus on your studies and show the diligence I know you’re capable of.”
Alexa stared at him wide-eyed. She hadn’t been thinking about her dad, but his words stung all the same. While she had zoned out in classes before, did Mr. Highsmith really have to admonish her in front of the whole class? Why not wait until it was dismissed?
She clenched her jaw to keep her emotions in check.
“Now, let this be a turning point. I expect your undivided attention from now on, Miss Ford. No more excuses. Is that understood?” Mr. Highsmith continued, his sharp tone grating on her nerves .
She groaned inwardly and forced herself to nod at the teacher’s piercing stare.
Aggravating man. She hated this very subject because of him. Oh, how she couldn’t wait for the bell and go back home. Unfortunately, the class had only begun ten minutes ago.
Mr. Highsmith turned to the board behind him and continued the class. Alexa tried her best to give him her undivided attention. Her eyes darted to the row on her right as she caught Jude casting her concerned glances from two seats ahead. She glared at him to stop it, and turned back to the teacher before he’d catch her distracted again.
Almost fifteen minutes passed.
Mr. Highsmith was reading from the thick textbook on the desk in front of him, explaining each part, hovering over it with his hands bracing the table. When he straightened and turned to the board, Alexa let out a sharp gasp.
From the collective gasps that followed, she realized her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her.
On the back of Mr. Highsmith’s powder-blue button down was painted, ‘Pardon me, I’m a psychopath’ in mischievous and colorful letters. It hadn’t been there before, and it looked like a fresh artful display.
And there was only one explanation for it.
Tristan.
Her classmates began to snigger and chuckle behind their hands as Alexa sat in astonishing disbelief, trying to process what had happened.
He was here. He had been here when Mr. Highsmith admonished her. And now, he was exacting his revenge .
Oh. Goodness.
Suddenly, Alexa couldn’t hold herself in the stupor any longer. She pressed her fingers to her lips to stifle a laugh.
The sound of the entire class’ restrained laughter must’ve fallen on the teacher’s ears. He paused and looked over his shoulder. “Is something funny?”
Poor man. Alexa tried not to let her giggles burst at the stern look on his face.
“Sir, there’s—” Jude started, but stopped short, trying and failing to control his amusement. He pointed to the man’s back. “There’s something—on your back.”
Mr. Highsmith’s eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment as he turned around, hiding his back from their view and trying to glance behind him. “What is it?” he stammered, obviously failing to see what the whole class was laughing about. He glanced over at Jude and asked again, his expression puzzled, “What is it?”
Niles, Jude’s best friend, grabbed his phone and approached the teacher, offering to take a picture. He bit his lip hard as he turned the phone to Mr. Highsmith.
Mr. Highsmith’s eyes bulged out of their sockets as he stared at Niles’ phone screen. His cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson and he snapped his gaze to Niles, who withdrew his phone and held up his hands in surrender as he walked backward to his seat.
Alexa tried to keep her expression neutral and her eyes from darting all around the room, searching for a sign of Tristan’s presence to know where he was standing.
“Which of you is responsible for this mischief?” Mr. Highsmith demanded, his face twisting into a grave expression .
“None of us, sir,” Niles choked out, failing to control the twitch of his lips.
Mr. Highsmith glared at him. “None? Are you expecting me to believe there’s someone invisible in this room?” Alexa’s heart gave a jolt. “Namely, a ghost?”
“No, sir, but—”
“You!” Mr. Highsmith’s eyes sapped to Alexa and she stiffened in her seat. But unlike the previous time, she felt strangely brave to face the dragon. Her knight was in the room, to defend her honor and to keep the dragon in line.
“None of us have moved from our seats since you began the class, sir,” Jude cut in before Mr. Highsmith could open his mouth again. He spared Alexa a brief glance. “She has nothing to do with it.”
Mr. Highsmith turned his glaring eyes to Jude, advancing toward him. “You think I’m insane?”
“No, sir, but I’m more willing to believe there’s a ghost in this room.”
More restrained laughs, and even Alexa cracked a tiny smile.
“Or perhaps it was you , Mr. White, because you think I embarrassed your girlfriend in front of the whole class— what the —” Mr. Highsmith swore and jumped out of his skin, whirling around.
Something tumbled to the floor after hitting the teacher on the back. A pink bottle of paint. Alexa’s eyes widened in astonishment again. Her amusement knew no bounds.
Tristan was bent on payback.
She looked back at Mr. Highsmith and saw that the pink paint had stained where it hit him, just above the mischievous writing. Mr. Highsmith stared wildly at where the bottle supposedly flew from, where he had been standing in front of the board moments ago, his accusation on Jude or Alexa or anyone else in the classroom now lost.
Mr. Highsmith swiveled around to look about the room, and Alexa switched her expression into one of shock. She exchanged glances with the girls sitting nearest to her, matching the horrified expressions on their faces. If Melissa were here, she would’ve immediately realized it was the Lightning Knight. Alexa was thankful they didn’t have history together.
“Class dismissed!” Mr. Highsmith snapped at no one in particular and snatched his things from the desk before stomping out of the room, grumbling something like he was going to check the cameras.
“What. Was. That?” Niles swiveled in his seat to face the class, his eyes lingering on Alexa with amusement before moving on.
Everyone broke into murmurs, betting and arguing about the possibility. Most of them concluded that the mischief-maker was a ghost, and one of them suggested that the ghost had something to do with Alexa, that it was defending her. Alexa burst out laughing, thinking how close to the truth it was.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She put her books into the bag and stood.
“Well, do you have any other suggestions?” the boy asked teasingly, just in time the bell rang, announcing the end of the day.
Alexa ignored him and moved toward the exit with a few others. Jude stood from his seat as she passed him, nearly stepping in her way. Niles glanced between them with an amused smile.
And he was standing in her way. On purpose.
Normally she’d be annoyed. But not today. Not even Jude could wipe off the smile Tristan put on her face. “What?”
“You laughed,” he marveled, like he couldn’t believe it. He stared at her like he was seeing her for the first time.
Alexa smiled a real smile at him for the first time in months. “I know.”
She left him behind in wonder and walked out of the room. The hallways began to crowd. Alexa walked to her locker to keep the books before fishing out her phone and texting Tristan.
Alexa: Where are you?
Tristan: Come to the parking lot.
She went to the parking lot that was bustling with students and vehicles, and searched until her eyes hooked on a breathtaking sight that made the rest of the world a blur.
Tristan leaned against his car wearing a button-down, arms crossed across his chest. His eyes were already on her, watching her with a lopsided grin. He didn’t look like someone who had just caused the biggest mischief in the school’s history.
Alexa’s heart flared to life. She climbed down the steps and walked toward him hurriedly. Her grin grew with each step that ceased the distance between them, her restrained giddiness bubbling to burst forth .
Tristan pushed himself off the car and opened his arms for her. She threw herself into him and hid her smiling face in his chest. “Oh, you mischievous, brilliant, daring man!”
Tristan’s chest vibrated as he chuckled. “You think I’m brilliant?”
“Honestly?” She craned her neck to meet his gaze. “I think you’re unbelievable.”
Tristan’s grin was unrepentant. “ Vengeful would’ve been appreciated.” He leaned close and dropped his voice into a husky murmur. “Admit it, angel, it was wonderful.”
“It was wonderful,” Alexa repeated breathlessly, her eyes briefly dropping to his plump lips.
“And he deserved it.”
“He… deserved it,” she said distractedly.
“That’s what I thought.” He leaned back with a satisfied smirk. “And the look on your face was rewarding.”
She shoved at his chest playfully. “I immediately knew it was you. But of course, it was rather a shocking surprise, quite the unexpected attack.”
Amusement drained from Tristan’s face all of a sudden. He sobered. “No one who insults you gets away with it; he’s the second one in that case. What he did was not fair, humiliating you in front of the whole class. So I wanted to teach him a lesson that his abundance of knowledge in history can’t.”
“And you did,” Alexa said with a soft smile.
“I couldn’t stand the hurt on your face, so I acted on my impulse,” he continued soberly. “I was bored and thought I should come and pick you up. I arrived early, so I thought, why not go and check on you. And I did. That’s when the old man opened his stupid mouth. I teleported to my house immediately; I had the perfect scheme in my mind and grabbed my brush and paint bottles. When he hovered on the table to read, I seized my chance,” Tristan paused, and a smirk cracked into his serious face. “It might be the most mischievous art I’ve painted yet.”
Alexa laughed. “I bet it is. Goodness, I love your art even more now.”
Tristan’s face rested into a grin. He brought a hand to her face and brushed his knuckles down her cheek and jaw. Alexa closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, heaving a contented sigh.
“No one makes my angel frown intentionally and gets away with it. No one.”
She opened her eyes and gave him a smile. “Honestly, I’ve been zoning out in class a lot these months. I guess he was finally annoyed with me.”
“He could’ve waited until the class was over and talked with you alone, not harassing you in front of the whole class.” Tristan’s eyes narrowed as he likely recalled the moments. Alexa’s smile only widened at his sweet protectiveness. “So I gave him what he deserved, tenfold of the humiliation you endured. What’s so funny?”
Alexa stifled her giggle and shook her head. “Nothing’s funny, although ironically it is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen with my two eyes.” She lifted a shoulder. “I’m just… smiling because of you, my gallant knight.”
Tristan’s face softened immediately, the adoring look filling his eyes. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. When he drew back to look at her, amusement gleamed in his eyes.
“Your ex is glaring at me.” He spoke of it like it was a big credit, his grin boyish.
“And you seem to enjoy it,” she teased.
“Immensely.”
Alexa laughed. “Is he still glaring?”
“Glaring and muttering something to a dark-haired boy.”
“That’s Niles, his best friend,” she said. “What are they talking about?”
Tristan’s eyebrows went up. “You want me to eavesdrop on them?”
“Why not?” Alexa shrugged with an innocent smile as his eyes squinted at her playfully. “You’ve caused one historic mischief already, so why not a little more?”
Tristan’s lips twitched. “You’re tempting me, angel.”
“I’m actually asking you to give into that temptation.” She rolled her eyes sarcastically and flashed him a sweet smile in hopes of convincing him. “Besides, they’re obviously talking about us. Don’t we deserve to know what that is?” She dipped her chin slightly and peeked at him through her lashes. “Pretty please?”
Tristan shook his head with a smile. “You’re going to be the end of me.”
He tilted his head and stared into her eyes—or she supposed he was pretending to do so as he listened to Jude and Niles. All too soon, his face softened. Alexa almost thought he hadn’t been eavesdropping but merely staring at her, when he spoke.
“He’s saying—grunting, rather—that your mother will be happy to hear that you have a new boyfriend.”
Alexa stilled. “My mother?”
Tristan nodded with a soft smile. “He doesn’t sound so enthusiastic about it, which means he won’t be telling her, but he sounds sure that she would be happy if she learned about us.”
The old scar in her heart began to throb and she composed herself against its reawakened pain. “And why would she be happy for me? Surely she’s still disappointed that I hurt her dear stepson.”
“Alexa.” Tristan frowned. “There’s something I want to tell you. I didn’t get the chance before because I knew bringing up your mother will upset you. Now that we’re on this subject…”
“What is it?” she pressed gently as he trailed off.
Tristan inhaled deeply. His eyes showed his hesitance, but he pressed on before she could encourage him to. “That day you broke up with him, I was there.” His eyes turned remorseful.
“Oh, Tristan.” She touched a hand to his face and sighed. “Don’t frown. I’m not upset about it, if that’s why you’re hesitant to share this. You were watching over me all those times. Our story wouldn’t have been the same if you hadn’t . And I like it the way it is.”
“Really?” Hope shone in his eyes.
She nodded with a smile. “Yes, so don’t ever feel hesitant about sharing anything with me.”
“I promise.” Tristan clasped a hand over hers on his cheek. “So, what I was saying is that, after your mom and Jude left your house, I followed them after making sure you’d be alright. And what I heard, it’s gonna shock you as it did me.”
That tickled her curiosity. “What did you hear?”
Tristan watched her silent anticipation for a moment before he said, his voice soft, “Your mother lied to you about why Jude never told you the truth; that it had been her idea.” His face grew serious. “Frankly, your mother opposed the idea of Jude deceiving you, from the very start, but he took a fancy to you and knew that the truth would jeopardize his chance with you. So he rebelled against her and went on with his deceit. Sure, your mother loves him, but she had no part in his deceit. The reason she defended him in front of you was that telling you the truth had been her idea, and he had threatened not to forgive her if his relationship with you fell apart. And since then, he hasn’t talked to her again. I heard her talking with her assistant about it when I checked in on her a few days later.”
Alexa didn’t know what to say. It sounded like a fantasy, and she didn’t want to believe it. But this was Tristan. She trusted him. He wouldn’t lie to her, of that she was certain. So, as much as she didn’t want to accept it, she knew it was the truth. A truth that stung.
Her mother still cared for her.
Longing stirred in her heart. The old Alexa who yearned for her mother’s love slowly rose, but the new Alexa beat it down. No, she couldn’t feel this.
“Alexa?” Tristan’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t lie to me. I can see you’re not.”
She forced a smile and looked into his eyes. “It stuns me how well you can read me sometimes.”
Tristan tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “And I’m reading your longing toward your mother.”
Alexa clenched her jaw and looked away. “I don’t wanna feel it. ”
“But you can’t stop it either, love.”
Love. Immense warmth washed over her and she closed her eyes to the pleasant feeling. She pondered his words. He was right, she couldn’t.
Alexa didn’t hate her mother, as much as she told herself she did. She was wounded, and the scar throbbed every time she saw the display of a mother’s affection or simply at the mention of her own mother.
Deep inside, she’d hoped for a second chance with her. But her heart had been too bitter to admit it, especially after seeing her at the funeral and that day at their front porch. Until now. Hearing this from Tristan thawed something in her.
Alexa buried her face back in Tristan’s chest as tears burned beneath her closed lids. He didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her. He saw her vulnerability through her defiance, and there was no hiding from him.
“What do I do?” she mumbled against him.
Tristan’s fingers stroked her hair. “How about you and Cassie pay her a visit?”