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When his green eyes find me, they’re filled with fear and anguish.
“You’re lucky to have a supportive family. Not all of us can say that. Our physical relationship will continue as long as you understand that I have—hard limits. This isn’t me trying to be an asshole but trying not to become unhinged. Remaining sane. The question is, can you respect me?”
My heart thunders inside my chest. What happened to him?
I want to know everything and hold him while I assure him that he’s safe with me, but I can’t.
He set up a boundary, and I hate it, but… “I respect you, but I hope that someday something or someone can help you.” I brush my lips against his.
Tristan’s eyes close, and his forehead rests on my shoulder. Man, what exactly happened to him? I wish he’d trust me.
Fuck, we both need to chill. He needs someone to be with him. Checking the time, I realize we have time for a hike.
“We’re cool, Coop. Let’s change and head to the trails.”
“A miracle?” I cock an eyebrow at his question. “A miracle is what will snap me from the fucking shit ingrained inside my head.”
“Maybe love.” I shrug, and we both head to our rooms to change.
Sunday dinner is at my sister’s this weekend. My parents are getting ready to leave for Albany this upcoming week. My grandparents are moving to Seattle. Dad convinced Grandma Janine to go to the best cardiologist in this city. We promised to help them take care of her. If all goes according to plan, she might last another eighty-some years. At least, that’s what Ainsley and I want.
My sister wants her kids to get to know their Gigi. That’s what she’s teaching Grace to call our grandmother. I think it’s adorable.
“So, how are things with Tristan?” Ainsley asks as we set the table.
I rotate my neck enough for her to think I’m paying attention, but I avoid her eyes. Her intuition is better than Sherlock Holmes’s. Any misstep, and she’s going to know something is going on.
“Is he still an asshat?”
“Asshat? Man, having a child really transformed you into a bizarre character, little sister,” I say, evading the Tristan subject. “This no-cussing thing is taking a toll on you, isn’t it?”
“Shut up,” she growls at me while flipping me the finger. Her brown curls bounce when she drags her feet along the floor to get in my face.
“Where is Gracie?” Yep, I found the best way to divert her attention from the asshole I’m fucking at the moment.
I shouldn’t be calling Tristan names, but we had a fight right before I left the house.
Was it my fault? Maybe? I kissed him while we were in the underground parking garage—theemptyparking garage. He blew a gasket. We had just set one simple rule: I would respect his hard limits.
Tristan wouldn’t shut up about my lack of restraint and respect toward him. The motherfucker threatened to terminate the partnership with my brother and whatever was happening between us.
Through my constricted lungs, I also felt some kind of release. Maybe we should stop fucking.
Eight weeks pretending we are a couple of friends sharing the same space was starting to irritate me. I don’t want a title, but I do want to kiss him whenever and wherever it pleases me. As of today, not even my family knows about my current situation. I can’t stand omitting that part of my life anymore, but I’ve been doing itfor him.
“What’s wrong, babe?” Ainsley caresses my cheek.
I try to relax, but the moment her green eyes get that red rim of doom around them, I know she caught me thinking about him.
“What did he do to you?”
“Who?” I try my best to fake ignorance, but I know it’s futile to even try.
This is Ainsley.
“You’re sleeping with Tristan, aren’t you?”
My chin hits my chest. There’s no way I can deny it. She reads me like an open book.
