“Dreaming is good for the soul.”
“Not really concerned about my soul.” I move a pawn to the center.
“The heart, then.” Her queen’s knight comes out.
“Don’t have one.”
She throws a chess piece at my head, but I dodge nimbly, and she growls. “You are emotionally deficient.”
“Finally, you start listening to me. Only took you threeyears and two weeks.” I scoop up the pawn she tossed. “You think women are into that?”
“Fuck, Tristan,” she mutters.
“Besides, Iamhappy.” I point my knight at her. “I have the company, I have Crownhaven, I have my family, and I have you.”
“We might not always have this.” Her words are quiet.
My heart stutters. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Her hand stills on her piece before she meets my gaze. “Things are changing, Tristan. I thought we had a year. We have—months.”
“I don’t want to think about it. I want to play chess with you until I’m eighty, okay?”
“Okay.” She blows out a breath.
We keep playing, but inside, there’s a tendril of doubt. What if I can’t stop things from changing?
4
KATIE
Tristan
Date night tonight.
Katie
Who’s the lucky winner?
Tristan
Sarah Hawthorne
Katie
Antarctica?
Tristan
The very one.
Katie
She got here quickly.
Tristan
What can I say? I’m a catch.
