In three long strides, I was in front of Tristan, stopping so there was a small gap between us.“Bug.”I swallowed, suddenly nervous nowthathe was there. When the image of him in the hospital bed flashed in my head, I couldn’t help but cup hischeek.“I’m so fucking sorry. What I said yesterday, I didn’t mean any of it.”
Regret flashed in his eyes before they briefly dropped to the ground. When he lifted his head again, he visibly swallowed.“Baby, I’m so proud of you for accepting your sexuality. But I need to be a little bit selfish. I’ve been through this before, being with a guy who wasn’t ready to come out, and it resulted in me getting hurt. I can’t put my heart through it again.”
I closed the gap to rest my forehead against his, determined to prove how damn sorry I was, and how much I loved him.“I cared too much what people would think of me for being gay, butthenI realizedthatthere was something far scarier than people judging me.”A tear slid down his cheek, and I brushed it away with my thumb.“Losing you, Bug. Losing the man I am so undeniably fucking in love with terrifies the hell out of me.”His hands came up to rest on my hips as more tears slid down his face. I brushed them away again, unable to bear seeing him cry.“I’m so sorry for hurting you, Bug,”I whispered, peering deep into his eyes and needing him to knowjusthow sorry I was.“I know it might take time to repair the damage I’ve caused, but I’m begging you to give me a chance to make it up to you. I promise, I will spend every day of my life telling you and the world what you mean to me. Please, forgive me.”
He raised a hand, covering minethatstill clutched his cheek.“I forgive you, baby.”
My own tears spilled from my eyes, and I lightly brushed my lips over his.“I love you, Tristan Crutchens. I love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
Euphoria flowed through my veins at hearing those words from his mouth. Not giving a damnthatwe had an audience, I pressed my mouth to his, parting his lips with mine so our tongues could meet. Taking my hand from his cheek, I grabbedthe back of his neck, as he grasped my hips, pulling me closer against him.
‘Oohs’and‘ahhs’surrounded us from both Holly and Ivy, and a bunch of neighbors who were watching the show. Reluctantly, I broke the kiss, knowingthatif we continued kissing likethat, it wouldn’t be long until we were ripping each other’s clothes off.
I kept my forehead against his, and for several seconds we stared at each other, the world around us forgotten until a soft voice said,“You know you have to put about five dollars in the swear jar, right? You used a lot of bad wordsthen.”
Keeping an arm wrapped around Tristan, we pulled apart, the two of us grinning down at Holly.“I think I owe a lot more than five dollars.”She laughed when I winked at her.
“Can we go in now? It’s cold out here, and Mom said I can have chocolate for breakfast,”Ivy whined.
Mom.
Shit.
I may have won Tristan back, but I still needed to face his mom.
Somewhat hesitantly, I released Tristan and spun back to the house, finding Rob and Emma watching us from the front door. I straightened my back as I walked to them, relieved to see the affectionate smile on Rob’s face as he watched his son. To my surprise, Emma had tears in her eyes.
“Mrs. Crutchens, you asked me if I was the man your son deserved, and the answerthenwas no.”I paused to suck in a breath when her brows lifted expectantly.“And the answer is still no. But I love your son, and I will spend the rest of my life, or as long as he will have me, proving to him and youthatI can be the man he deserves.”
Tristan sidled up beside me, lacing his fingers through mine.“What did you say to him, Mom?”
Hearing the bite in his tone, I glanced at him and brought our joined hands up to my mouth so I could kiss the back of his.“It doesn’t matter, Bug. Your mom loves you and was looking out for you.”A sad smile lifted my lips.“Don’t be mad at her forthat. I wish I hadthat.”
Tristan’s features softened, and his gaze dropped to the floor.
“Bug? Why do you call himthat?”Emma asked.
My cheeks heated, but before I could reply, Ivy barged past her parents, answering for me.“‘Cos Tris is annoying, like a bug.”
“I think it’s cute,”Holly added, giving me a shy smile as she followed her sister inside.
“So do I,”Tristan added, grinning at me.
Emma delicately wiped her eye, and when she met my gaze, I braced myself for her to tell methatshe refused to accept me in Tristan’s life. Instead of the snarl I expected, though, she smiled softly.“Would you like to join us for Christmas dinner, Mr. McScroodge? We have plenty of food, and we’d love to have you.”
There wasn’t a hint of animosity in her tone, and the last bit of tension I was holding oozed from my body at the olive branch she was offering.“Only if you call me Ben. I would love to join you. Thank you.”
Her smile widened as she reached out and squeezed my arm before turning to head inside. Before Tristan or I could follow, Rob blocked the door, attempting to scowl at me.
“At the risk of losing my job,”he started, the nerves returning to his voice.“My son wasveryupset by you, and I won’t stand to see him hurt again.”
Next to me, Tristan gulped. I reached a hand out to squeeze Rob’s shoulder.“I give you my word. If I ever hurt Tristan again, I’ll buy the gun so you can shoot me.”Rob attempted to hide his chuckle but failed.“And let me assure you, your job is safe,”I continued, deciding to tell him now about the decision I’d cometo on my drive over here.“In fact, I’d like to talk to you at some point about you becoming an equal partner in the company.”
Rob’s jaw dropped open as he gaped at me.“Oh…I…uh.”
His eyes lit up in a way I’d never seen before, and the feeling of euphoria coursed through me again. Rob had been nothing but loyal to me and the company, he deserved a promotion, and onethatwould see him and his family financially stable for the rest of their lives.
