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Mom gave me a sad smile and before I got sucked in by her manipulation, I walked out of the kitchen to pack up.
Chapter 4
Arya
WilliamandGracehadinvited me to stay over for dinner since they knew I was home alone tonight. Mom was busy at the bakery preparing for a large wedding. I wanted to just head home and relax after a long day, but Shiloh seemed excited for me to stay for dinner. I also hoped to see Tristan, who had been gone all day.
He hadn’t shown up for dinner, so I was giving up and going home. Shiloh was asleep and William and Grace were outside enjoying the twilight.
I was just walking out the door when Tristan walked up, pulling a suitcase with him.
“Hey,” I said, surprised to see him.
“You’re still here?” He walked up the few stairs to the front porch.
“Shiloh insisted I stay for dinner. She’s out cold now.”
I carefully studied him and noticed that he was tired and there were bags under his beautiful dark eyes. There was something about him that was off and from the suitcase he was carrying, I could tell it probably had something to do with his parents. Probably his mom.
“You're really great with her, you know,” he said, sounding impressed. Tristan folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the railing of the porch, accentuating his broad chest and shoulders. Even when he was tired, he was still the most gorgeous man I had ever seen.
“She’s pretty easy to get along with,” I responded, readjusting the straps of my tote bag on my shoulder.
“Either way, thank you for taking the time. She sometimes has a hard time missing her mom, but having you around has been a good change of pace and another person to look up to. She really needs that.”
What I saw in his eyes was more than gratitude. I saw a glimmer of longing. I just wished I knew what or who he was longing for.
“I’m happy to help.” Behind him, I saw a truck packed with more boxes. “Speaking of which, do you need help bringing anything into the house?”
He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.
“Actually, I really could use a hand. I’ll need to put some stuff in the basement for the time being.”
“I’m free to help.” The idea of being alone with him overcame my exhaustion.
“I was hoping you were,” he confessed with a smile. We walked to the truck, which looked familiar as we got closer. I saw the distillery logo on the side of the truck and realized it was the one Mason used for work.
“Mason was kind enough to lend me his truck,” he explained, noticing me looking at the car. “My car is supposed to arrive tomorrow. It’ll be a nice change. I even get to drive it.”
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, sorry," he suddenly looked embarrassed. "I usually have a driver take me places. I haven't actually driven around by myself for a long time. I guess this is one of the benefits of coming here for the summer."
“Well, I'm glad Mason could help you out. Honestly, he doesn't even need a truck. He could just walk anywhere in this town.” I said with a laugh. I grabbed a box from the back and started carrying it into the house. It took three trips to bring in all the boxes. Some we took down to the basement to unpack later, and a few we took to Tristan’s bedroom.
As I watched him work, I felt tingly and warm. The way his muscles bunched as he moved boxes was a sight to behold. A few times the sweat-slicked skin of his arm brushed against mine and it sent goosebumps rushing across my body.
“This is the last one,” he said, setting a box down next to his closet. “I know you must be exhausted, and I feel so bad asking, but would you be able to help me unpack these quickly? I just really want to get this done tonight before Shiloh wakes up.”
He gestured to the small stack of boxes in his room.
“It’s not a problem at all,” I said with a smile.
“Thank you so much. One second, I’ll be right back.”
He left the room, and I took the opportunity to look around. I had been in this room plenty of times, but it was different now that Tristan was staying in here. The room smelled of him, a little woodsy and salty.
Tristan returned with the two baskets from the laundry room.
