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Tripp snorts. “I’ve never even left the country since you had my passport. Plus, it’s kind of hard to get another one without the proper identification.”
“Without… Why in the hell would you not have proper identification?” The judge’s voice rises an octave, drawing the attention of some of the guests.
“I only had my driver’s license on me when they kicked me out.”
“They kicked… And you didn’t come to me?” the judge asks.
Tripp looks at the man who apparently considers himself an uncle, a contrite look on his face. “They said you’d be obligated to put me in juvie for a drug offense they’d un-bury if I tried to reach out to you or come home. Sixteen-year-old me believed it.”
The judge wheels on Tripp’s parents, but I don’t hear his angry words. I’m too focused on my boyfriend.
My stomach roils at the thought of a young Tripp, cast out by the people who were supposed to love him. No wonder he’s so terrified of relationships. The one that’s supposed to be unconditional failed him, bringing him nothing but pain and disappointment. And rather than respect his fear, I’ve been pushing him to face it without ever understanding the magnitude of what I was asking.
I’m known for being level-headed, even on the ice. But right now, I’d like nothing more than to drive my fist into Charles’s face. Instead, I hold my hand out to Tripp, pulling him to my chest when he takes it.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper in his ear as I wrap my arms around his shoulders. “I never would’ve brought you here if I’d known.”
“It’s okay.” Tripp wraps his arms around my waist.
“No, it’s not. You have the same last name for God’s sake, and I didn’t think twice about it.”
“Cooper’s pretty common. And it’s not like I told you enough about my past to make you think there’d be a connection.”
Pulling back, I cup his face in my hands. “I knew you had a past though. Something you didn’t want to talk about. And because of me you had to face it without warning.”
“It was a long time coming.” He gives me a tight smile.
“Is this the first time you’ve stood up to him?”
“More or less. I was good at being a disrespectful shit, but I never challenged him outright over the way he treated me. Or Rose.”
I pull him to me and whisper in his ear. “I’m proud of you. And I’m so sorry I pushed you about the dating thing. I shouldn’t have done that without knowing where you were coming from.”
“If you hadn’t pushed me, I wouldn’t have a boyfriend right now.” I feel a tug on the lapel of my jacket.
“Yes, but do you want one?” I take a half-step back so I can see his face, letting my hands drop to his waist. “I’ll understand if it’s too soon for that.”
I’m vaguely aware there’s a murmur in the gathering crowd as I wait for his answer. Between the way I’m looking at Tripp and the tongue-lashing the judge is giving his parents, I’m sure they’re getting quite the show.
Tripp rises on his toes to give me a quick peck on the lips before taking my hands in his. “No take backs. You’re stuck with this hot mess.”
“Good answer.” I can’t stop the goofy grin from spreading across my face as a relieved warmth seeps through my chest. “Xander and Niko are waiting in the car. Let’s see if we can’t salvage the rest of this evening.”
“By salvage do you mean I get to spank you?” He bites his lip playfully.
“Are you claiming you won the bet?”
“I mean, people were clearly surprised to see me.”
“Fine, I’ll concede. But only because you’re sexy in a tux, not because I think you won.” I give him a quick kiss and keeping his left hand in my right, I step toward the door only to have him tug me back.
“Rose.” He casts a worried glance toward his parent’s housekeeper, still cowering by the far wall. “I couldn’t take her with me the first time, but I can’t leave her.”
The two of us approach the woman whose eyes are darting nervously around the room as the judge, fresh off his rant at Tripp’s parents, finds us. “Between the three of us we’re creating a bit of a scene. You two should get out of here before the gossip spreads to the rest of the guests and they come running to see the show.”
“We aren’t leaving without Rose,” Tripp says. “When the guests are gone and they don’t have to keep up the act anymore, my parents will lash out at her.”
“Are you saying they’ll get physical with her?” The judge pales, and I feel a twinge of sympathy for the man who clearly just learned he never really knew the people he thought were his friends.
