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I laughed and shook my head. “Nah. You’re not my type.”
“Is Sydney?” he asked, careful to keep his voice low.
I shifted uncomfortably. “Tessawas my type.”
He clapped a hand on my shoulder when the photographer dismissed us; the group dispersed. “Maybe you should think about it.”
“Think about what?”
“Sex. With Sydney.”
I stared at him. “You’re joking, right?”
“If you’re not interested, do you mind if…” He trailed off.
I scoffed. I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved that he was letting me off the hook or pissed he’d suggested I sleep with someone other than my wife in the first place. Either way, it wasn’t happening. “Be my guest.”
“Thanks.” He grinned and took off to follow Sydney, while I turned toward the bar.
My parents had offered to keep an eye on Savannah and Maddox, telling me to “have a good time.” What a joke. I was under so much stress I thought I might crack.
I wasstillstruggling to find a new investor for Lockwood Industries. I’d taken out a second mortgage on the house last year just to keep the company going. The business was viable, but we needed cash andsoon. We needed investors who had faith that our good ideas could be turned into a successful, money-making enterprise.
And I needed another drink.
I headed for the bar and nearly turned around when I spotted my mother-in-law, Gloria Curran.
Gloria saw me before I could escape, calling my name as she waved. As always, she looked impeccable. Her blond hair twisted at the nape of her neck. Her dress perfectly tailored. Disdain dripping from her along with all the diamonds she wore.
“Tristan, dear.” Gloria placed her hand on my shoulder, and I prepared myself for a lecture. She wasn’t just my mother-in-law; she was the mayor.
I could practically see Tessa standing off to the side, just out of view. She’d always had this uncanny ability to mimic her mother’s mannerisms and gestures. A smile ghosted my lips at the reminder of my beautiful wife who was nothing like her mother.
“I’m surprised you came.”
I scanned the room, praying for an out. “Bennett’s one of my best friends. I wouldn’t miss his wedding.”
“But it’s okay to miss family dinner?” She tsked. “Allowing traditions to lapse is unacceptable. They’re important. The children need family and continuity, perhaps now more than ever.”
I just wanted to be done with this conversation. This evening. This life.
God, that was a terrible thing to think. Tessa would’ve done anything to live another day, and here I was squandering the gift I’d been given. Though it felt more like a curse at the moment.
“It’s not just traditions,” Gloria droned on. “There are other things we can’t let…slide. I know you’ve been through a lot, but try a little harder. For the children.”
Iamtrying.
I gnashed my teeth but said nothing. It wasn’t worth it. Gloria wouldn’t listen anyway. It was easier to let her speak her mind and then do what I thought was best. Tessa had always told me that. But Tessa wasn’t here anymore, and I wasn’t sure I cared what Gloria thought.
“Do you have a specific complaint, or is this a general critique?” If she noticed the snark in my tone, she ignored it. Maybe I needed to lay off the alcohol.
“Tristan,” she sighed, as if I were a petulant child not a thirty-four-year-old man. “Your children look like street urchins.”
Street urchins? I wanted to laugh at her phrasing. What was this, Aladdin’s Agrabah?
But apparently, she wasn’t done. “They need haircuts—you too, for that matter. How do you expect investors to take you seriously?”
I ignored her dig at me and glanced over to where the kids were playing, ready to refute her accusation. They seemed happy. And yeah…maybe Maddox’s pants were a few inches too short. And—true—I didn’t know the last time Savannah had gotten a haircut, but in the grand scheme of things, those seemed so trivial compared to losing their mom.
