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“Yeah,” I agreed, still smiling like a crazy person. I was anxious about this next chapter, but also excited. “It’s a great program that will teach me baking and business, so I can help take the bakery to the next level. I’ll be able to do the business classes online, but the baking instruction will have to be in New York.”
Mason gave me a high five, and I laughed.
“This does look expensive, though,” he said quietly.
“It is,” I agreed. “But Grace and William insisted on paying for my tuition.”
“What? Really?”
I told him what Grace told me about where the distillery’s money came from and we eventually ended up laughing and swapping more Grace stories.
“I’m starving,” I said. My appetite had started to come back in full force. “I’m going to heat up some lasagna. Want some?”
“Sure,” he said, as he stood up to grab plates and drinks for us.
As I was popping the dish into the microwave, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get that,” I said to Mason over my shoulder as I headed to the door.
I was still reeling from the high of having my brother back, that I forgot to check the window. When I opened the door, my heart stopped beating, and the breath caught painfully in the back of my throat.
Tristan stood there, bathed in the light of the porch. His mouth was set in a grim line and his eyes had bags and circles underneath. Despite that, he was still stunning.
“Hi, Arya,” he said. I couldn’t miss the sad note in his voice. “Can I come in for a minute?”
Tristan
Arya looked beautiful. All I wanted to do was pull her into a kiss and tell her how much I missed her. Show her how much I missed her.
But I needed to talk to Mason first.
I had looked for him at his place, but he wasn’t there. Coming home, I saw his car in the McKenna's drive and figured I’d take a chance.
After I asked to see him, I could see disappointment creep across Arya's face. She nodded and opened the door wider for me to enter, and we both walked back to the kitchen.
I couldn’t ignore the tempting swing of her hips as she walked in front of me. I can't touch her right now, but I could look.
Mason looked up, surprised to see me.
“You have a visitor,” Arya said, pointing back at me. She took her laptop, a few papers, and a plate of what looked like lasagna and left us to talk.
I stood there, suddenly unsure of how to even start this conversation.
“Beer?” Mason asked, gesturing to the fridge and breaking the awkward silence.
“Yeah, sure,” I said. Mason stood up and walked over to the fridge. He pulled out two bottles, and after popping the tops off, he handed one to me. He gestured to an empty chair at the kitchen table.
“Thank you,” I said as we sat down.
“Sure.” Mason eyed me suspiciously. “So, why are you here?”
“I just wanted to talk." I paused. I wanted to get this right. "I was out of line the other day and I’m sorry. I don't want to destroy our friendship. We've been friends through everything. I just happened to fall in love with Arya and just want to be with her.”
He didn’t respond for a minute, just looking at me curiously. But then he broke into a sigh.
“I need to apologize to you, too. I shouldn’t have been so hard on you, or her,” he said. “It wasn’t fair of me. She’s my little sister, and I just wanted to protect her. It’s what I’ve spent most of my life doing. But I should have realized there was no one I could trust more than you, Tristan. You’re my best friend.”
We kept our faces neutral, but this was an emotional moment for both of us.
