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There had to be a way to push through. I had already disappointed my parents by becoming a doctor instead of taking over at the distillery. What was another disappointment? I just hoped they didn’t drag Shiloh into the middle of things and confuse her about the situation between me and Regina. They had to know that was over.
Complications aside, I couldn’t help but let my thoughts drift back to Arya. She was beautiful and fascinating, and I wanted to spend the rest of the summer with her. I knew Regina would visit soon, but I was confident she would be supportive of me.
Eventually, sleep took over but my dreams were filled with deep, chocolate brown eyes and Arya’s brilliant smile.
Chapter 5
Arya
Iusuallylookedforwardto seeing Tristan. But today, I was dreading it. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I pulled away from him and I was afraid things were going to be awkward between us now.
It was still unclear to me why I had pulled away. Was I afraid to let someone in? Maybe it felt too real. Maybe because Tristan's life is more complicated now with an ex-wife and daughter.
Resigned to a long, weird day, I walked into the house and heard noises coming from out back. I rushed to check on what the banging sound was, but heard Grace and Shiloh laughing. The door to the small shed was open and Grace and Shiloh were potting some plants on the table that had been dragged outside. Tristan was a few feet away, his back turned toward me, hosing down some pots that looked like they had been in the shed for decades.
William sat in his chair in the shade beneath a large oak tree. He was reading from the newspaper out loud and I realized they were laughing at whatever he had just said.
I couldn’t remember the last time Grace had been out here working with dirt and flowers. Seeing her like this, happy with her grandson and great-granddaughter, was incredibly heart-warming.
Shiloh noticed me approaching first.
“Arya!” she squealed in excitement. “Come help us! I think Daddy needs help with the pots.” She pointed to where Tristan had the hose. He looked up and when our eyes met, I felt a spark sizzle through my veins.
I quickly looked away. It was too early to deal with the lust and shame I felt. I’d have to mourn my poor decisions on my own time.
“I’d love to, but I have a ton of things to do in the house,” I said, focusing my attention on Shiloh. “But maybe I’ll join y’all after I’m done.”
“But I want you to play with us,” Shiloh pleaded, adding a pout for effectiveness.
There was nothing I wanted to do more. It was a beautiful morning out and it would be so fun to just hang out and have fun. But I couldn’t deal with Tristan just yet.
“Honey, Arya said she’ll join us later,” Tristan said, coming to my defense.
“Okay,” she said glumly.
After chatting with William and Grace for a few moments, I headed back inside to start the day.
Tristan seemed to be disengaged this morning, and I couldn’t blame him. We’d need to talk about last night sooner or later–I just didn’t know when the best time would be. There was no good time, really.
I was lost in thought in the laundry room, when Tristan walked in. My heart immediately started pounding violently against my chest, but I managed to keep my composure, at least on the outside.
“Hey,” I said, friendly and cool, and turned my attention back to the task at hand–laundry, definitely not my favorite.
“Hi,” he simply said, leaning against the door frame.
There was a brief, strained silence while we both tried to think of the right thing to say.
“About last night–,” he started to say.
“Listen,” I interrupted. “I really wanted to kiss you. I don’t know why I pulled away. All I can say is you really caught me off guard. But I really wanted to kiss you.”
My words were rushed as if they were escaping my lips on their own.
He chuckled, like it had been obvious just how much I wanted to kiss him.
“Did you get a chance to think about what we discussed yesterday?” I was relieved that he had changed the subject. Although this wasn’t exactly an easier subject.
“I’m still not sure,” I said honestly.
