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“Oh.” I chewed on my lip.
“You don’t like it?” She frowned.
“Oh no.” I stepped farther inside, smoothing my hand over the patterned comforter. “It’s very nice. But, well, what if Maddox wants his room back?” I asked, remembering that this used to be his, though the décor was different.
The crib was gone, and in its place was an upholstered daybed. There was no mobile. No sign that it had ever been the nursery, apart from a few framed pictures of the kids as infants. Seeing it now, it was hard to believe that I’d helped paint it before he was born.
Savannah shook her head. “Trust me. He won’t.”
“A desk. Perfect,” I said, trailing my finger along the top. I’d just need to get a mirror, and then I could set up my ring light and do my makeup there. Between the ring and the natural light, I had a feeling my tutorials and photos would turn out great.
There was a knock at the door, and I glanced up to find Tristan watching me curiously. “I see you found your room.”
I nodded and leaned my hip against the desk. “I did. Thank you. I really appreciate you doing this, Tristan.”
He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest. His wedding band flashed at me from his left hand, and a piece of me broke for him. For all of them. I’d been so lost in my own pain for too long. Tessa’s family was hurting.
“You’ll have to share a bathroom with the kids. There are towels in the hall closet.”
“Perfect.”
“Oh,” Tristan said, tucking his hair behind his ear. “I almost forgot. Some mail already arrived for you.”
“Great. Thanks.”
I followed him back downstairs to the kitchen. Maddox and Savannah went out back to play in the yard with Rex, leaving me alone with Tristan.
“Can I get you some coffee or something to drink?” he asked.
“A glass of water would be great.”
He handed me a few envelopes, and I riffled through them until I found the one I’d been hoping for. I grinned and tore it open, eagerly reading the contents.
He set the water on the counter in front of me. “Here you go.”
“Thanks,” I said, still focused on the letter.
I’d been selected as a finalist for JET. My placement was contingent on completing my degree. And fortunately—at the insistence of my adviser—I’d been able to convince Melbourne University to agree to let me finish my last few courses online.
Despite that major victory, my scholarship had been revoked. There was a clause requiring the student to reside in Australia while obtaining the degree. And so, I’d had to fork over all the money I’d been saving the past two years from various jobs and online gigs to cover the cost.
But I was still on track to achieve my goals. Assuming all other requirements were met, I’d move to Japan at the end of July.
“Good news?” he asked, resting his hip against the counter.
“Very.”
I hesitated a moment, then slid the letter across the counter, taking the opportunity to study his face as he read. Tristan’s eyelashes were dark, fanning out over his brown eyes. Scruff shadowed his jaw but did nothing to hide the hard angles and high cheekbones.
Gray lined his temples but didn’t detract from his appearance. His hair was long, almost long enough to pull back into a small ponytail. Even so, he was handsome. He’d always been handsome. I’d just never allowed myself to appreciate my sister’s husband before.
“Wow, Ellie.” He grinned, looking up at me. “I had no idea you wanted to go to Japan.”
I bit back a smile. “Yeah. Well, I want to be anywhere that’s not here,” I teased, though it really wasn’t a joke.
Moving away from the Alondra Valley had been one of the best decisions I’d ever made. It had given me a chance to explore, to find myself, without always living in Tessa’s shadow. Without having my mother constantly questioning my decisions or berating me for my life choices.
She still did it, of course. But it was much easier to ignore her from nearly 8,000 miles away.
