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There was that name, Tess. I felt Trey stiffen beside me. I continued to observe. The older gentleman with Claudia greeted Susan, both of them hugging Clive as well. His name was Nelson. The younger man, very handsome, also greeted Trey’s parents.
Finally, Susan turned to Trey and me, still holding Claudia’s hand as she led her over. Trey stepped forward immediately, taking Claudia’s hand and raising it to his mouth, brushing his lips against her knuckles.
“Claudia,” he said, in his smooth and silky voice, “it’s so nice to see you again after all this time. May I introduce you to a close friend of mine? This is Tylar Preston. Tylar, this is Claudia Andrews.”
I was numb as I held my hand out to this woman. Trey continued with the introduction of her husband and evidently Tess’s father, Nelson Andrews. I was still in a hazy fog. Finally the younger man approached. He was evidently their son, Tess’s brother, and he was introduced to me as Landon Andrews. He raised my hand to his lips, softly brushing them across my knuckles. Trey’s expression darkened once again.
“What a pleasure it is to meet you, Ms. Preston,” he smiled and charmingly gave me a wink as he turned to greet Trey’s parents. Trey grabbed my hand, pulling me with him as we made our way to the formal dining room.
I'd quickly put two and two together. How'd Trey possibly think that we were going to get through Thanksgiving dinner with me not figuring out that his parents’ long-time friends were in fact Tess’s parents? Did he think I was an idiot? Trey was extremely fidgety. He didn’t leave my side as we headed toward the bar that had been set up. He ordered himself a Maker’s Mark and soda and a straight sparkling water for me.
As we mingled within the formal dining room, the staff was putting fresh appetizers out on the sideboard. Trey continued to hold my hand as if he feared I'd sprint off. Landon approached us as we mingled; I felt Trey stiffen.
“So Trey,” he said, “wherever did you meet such a perfect specimen of beauty?” Landon eyes flickered over me, his bold gaze rested on my generous cleavage. This infuriated Trey all the more. His hold on my hand tightened.
“Fuck you, Landon,” he snapped quietly. I was totally taken aback by Trey’s conduct, particularly in his parents’ home on Thanksgiving. The shock must have shown on my face. Landon smiled and patted my arm that was locked in Trey’s hold.
“You’ll have to forgive us, dear Tylar,” he said, soothingly. “It appears that Trey is still not comfortable being around his ex-fiancée’s brother. My parents may have forgiven his callous and self-serving behavior; however, Trey knows that I've not.”
Trey was enraged and I did not want to be caught in the crossfire. “If you'll excuse us Landon,” I said sweetly, “I’m famished. Trey, could you please help me find some of those crab cake appetizers?”
As soon as we were out of earshot, I pulled my arm away from his. My sudden change in demeanor startled him.
“What was that all about?” I whispered. “Why didn’t you tell me that the old friends coming for Thanksgiving dinner just happened to be your ex-fiancée’s parents?” I was pissed, and this wasn’t a small detail he'd forgotten. I moved to the appetizer buffet, grabbing a small plate and filling it quickly with various delicacies. I spotted Landon observing us from the corner of the room.
Trey was at my side, trying to appear as if everything was normal. Nothing in this situation was normal. I wouldn’t give Landon the benefit of thinking that he'd created a rift between us, even though he had. One thing I knew for sure, before the night was over; I'd have plenty more information about the whole Tess situation.
Just then the servants entered the formal dining room with platters of turkey and roast beef to set out on the sideboards. The side dishes were soon to follow. Trey and I took our seats with the rest of the group. I was famished and ate until I was uncomfortable.
Everyone stood up to mingle before the dessert course. I was feeling full and tired and in desperate need of a walk. I retrieved my coat from the guest closet. Just as I was ready to open the front door, Trey spied me and hurried to my side.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, his eyes blazing.
“Trey, I need some exercise and some air.”
“You’re not going out alone. It’s dark out.” He pulled his jacket from the closet and took my arm, leading me out into the crisp, starry evening. I instantly felt lighter in the fresh night air.
“Can we visit Derringer?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said, smiling now. “Tylar, about Landon…”
“Trey, not now,” I said, too weary from the day to start a long and complex discussion. “Please, let’s just go and visit Derringer, okay?”
We entered the stable and I rushed to Derringer’s stall. He was beautiful and congenial as I rubbed his neck and smoothed his mane. He was fit and healthy. I wondered who'd been taking care of him. As if reading my mind, Trey spoke up.
“Mark's still here,” he said, “he continues to work with Derringer and in fact is training another rider.”
My heart sank even though I knew that it had no right to. Derringer was born for dressage; I should be grateful that Mark continued to work with him and train a new rider so that this horse could meet his full potential. Trey guessed that I was feeling downcast about the situation.
“I’m sorry,” he said gently, “it was insensitive of me not to realize how that would affect you. It seems like I’m always saying the wrong thing, Tylar.” He pulled me into a hug.
“It’s okay,” I replied, “what a waste it would be not to utilize Derringer’s talents. It’s always been the horse, Trey. A rider's only as good as the horse he or she rides. I’ve known that since I took my first riding lesson.”
“You’re amazing, Tylar,” he said, “you intrigue me daily, it seems.” He pulled me closer, tightening his strong arms around me. I could feel his heartbeat against my chest. His fingers lifted my chin, tilting my face up to his. He leaned forward, kissing my lips sensually, lingering on them as if he didn’t want us to part. Finally, he drew back, his eyes searched mine.
“I know I haven’t told you this, and I should’ve long ago. Tylar, I never thought that I wanted children. I'm a selfish, controlling bastard at times and I felt I had no business being a father. But please know this, from the moment I knew that you were having our baby, my world's become magical and promising. I know in my heart that whatever I lack as a father, you'll make up for as a mother. I’ll depend on you to show me the way. Will you do that?”
At that moment I'd never loved Trey more. He'd recognized and admitted his shortcomings, but the important thing was that he wanted to be a great father. There was nothing more he could've said that would've have made me any happier. I lunged into his arms once again, hugging him tightly. Our lips met and we kissed long and passionately. A noise interrupted us. Footsteps in the stable, then someone cleared his throat. Trey and I broke apart, turning as Landon approached us.
