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“My turn?”
“You haven’t told me what you do for work.”
His hand dropped to his side. “Right. Well, I do computer coding for the company where I work. It’s nothing special. They tell me what they want and I make it happen.”
Her brows lifted. “That’s impressive.”
Tristan shrugged. “It’s a job. I can do it without much thought and usually when Mathew is otherwise entertained. It works with my availability, and they give me a lot of flexibility when it comes to projects coming due. I wouldn’t have been able to come out here with Mathew if I didn’t have the job I do.”
“It sounds amazing.” She’d never considered doing anything related to computers, mostly because of the family business that needed her. “When I was younger, I thought working with math and numbers might be fun.”
“Fun?” He chuckled. “You must havereallybeen a nerd.”
She gasped and gave him a little shove. “If I’m a nerd, then you’re a geek.”
He nodded with a smile on his face. “That’s fair. I guess we’re a match made in heaven then, don’t you think?”
Dianna stilled. This wasn’t where she had anticipated this conversation going. But now that it was here, she didn’t know what to say.
Tristan held up a hand. “Don’t worry. I’m not expecting anything. We’re just here to have fun.” Then he grimaced. “Oh, and Mathew wants you to visit so you can read him a bedtime story.”
It was funny. Mathew’s request was all it took to make Dianna relax. That sweet little boy’s face flooded her mind. Maybe it was how much she admired him for thriving in this world the way he already had. Or it could be that little voice in her head telling her that he only got this far because of the man in front of her.
If there was anyone who could accept her quirks for what they were, it would be a guy like Tristan.
“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.”
By now the majority of the guests had arrived. The refreshments were served on a large buffet table, but there were also several servers bringing out small snacks on trays. Brielle hadn’t left Shane’s side, and there were more than a few women who eyed her with jealousy.
The DJ put on “I’ll be Home for Christmas” and Tristan held out his hand toward Dianna. “Would you like to dance with me?”
She stared at his offering. “I don’t really dance.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” He gave her a crooked grin and there was no way she’d be able to decline his offer.
Dianna placed her hand in his and let him lead her toward the dance floor. He took one hand in his and placed the other on the small of her back, pulling her gently against him. His scent wrapped around them like a warm wool blanket on a snowy morning. He smelled like peppermint and coffee, and up until this point she hadn’t realized just how much she liked that combination.
She rested her chin on his shoulder, swaying to the music, her pulse thundering in her ears as if dancing to the beat.
For all her pushing against finding love, she couldn’t help but let her thoughts linger on the man who held her in his arms. Had she been fighting a relationship because she truly didn’t want one? Or was it more than that? Was she fighting it because she was scared that she wasn’t meant to have one?
With her father’s rule no longer being held over her head, she had the opportunity to make that choice without worrying how it would affect her younger sisters.
The longer she thought about it, the closer she came to one single realization.
She didn’t want a relationship.
Dianna wanted a future.
A future with Tristan.
She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the emotion that threatened to burst from inside her. It wasn’t a sadness she tried to hold in. It was something different. Something foreign. There was a possibility that she could end up just as happy as every couple currently dancing tonight.
Even Brielle seemed to be enjoying herself, allowing Shane to spin her around the dance floor. Maybe her sister had finally found the person who had eluded her all these years.
Dianna grinned at the thought. All it had taken was getting set up with a man who Brielle had insisted wasn’t worth it.
The music came to an end and the DJ switched the music to something more upbeat. “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” blared through the room. Tristan still held her close, his mouth right next to her ear so his whisper only served to refresh the goosebumps that had settled down. “Would you like to go for a walk?”
