Page 21 of Keeping Caroline

Turning her gaze back to mine, she wiggled her eyebrows, sending a flush of heat across my face.

I bumped into her again but laughed. “So, he’s cute. Sue me for noticing.”

Grinning from ear to ear, Scarlett bumped me back, making me drop the tomato in the sink. “Hey, you. Watch it.”

She shook her head, but her smile told me I was never going to hear the end of this conversation. “You know I’m not fussing you, Cara. Yes, your brother does trust Tristan, so that tells me that he’s a good guy.” When her eyes flicked up to meet mine again, there was something deeply genuine in them that set me a little more at ease. “You’ve gone without for a long time, Cara. I fully support your quest to find love again. But hey if all you’re trying to do is get laid... Well, I support you doing that too.”

“Who’s getting laid?” I nearly hit the floor when Tristan’s voice interrupted our conversation.

More embarrassed than I’d ever been in my entire life, I looked up to find his tall frame leaning against the door frame, a mischievous smirk on his face.

“Well, you see—”

Before Scarlett could finish her statement, I bumped her with my shoulder again. One of us was definitely going to end up with a bruise.

“No one is getting laid,” I said, my voice a little higher pitched than I’d intended.

Tristan’s eyebrows shot up, his hands sliding into his pockets as he chuckled.

“Speak for yourself,” Scarlett said, stirring the chicken in the pan. “I’m definitely getting laid.”

Unable to handle the intense embarrassment that was turning me the color of a firetruck, I threw my head back and groaned. “You guys are insufferable.”

Tristan chuckled again as he crossed the room to grab a bottle of water. “It smells great in here. Are we eating soon?”

Scarlett shrugged. “You’ll have to ask Caroline, because she said—”

Breath or not, I pressed my hand across Scarlett’s mouth, the next embarrassing line silenced, but then they both started laughing.

So, when my brother walked in a moment later, he walked in to see both Scarlett and Tristan laughing at me, and me red as a crawfish, holding my hand over Scarlett’s mouth. No wonder his face was a mask confusion, but it didn’t take him long to laugh at me too.

Once the teasing died down, we all sat at the dining room table to eat, but every time I glanced up at Tristan, I found him looking at me. It was as though he had something he wanted to say, but wasn’t ready yet, or maybe he didn’t want to say it in front of the others.

“Caroline, Scarlett, there’s something I need to discuss with you both,” Tristan said, his voice cutting through the domestic hum. The conversation ceased, giving way to a palpable tension that seemed to curl around us like smoke.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out two small objects that looked like hairpins, placing them on the table. “GPS trackers,” he said matter-of-factly, his gaze meeting mine. “You’ll keep them on you. It’s a safety precaution.”

Scarlett picked one up, her brow furrowing as she examined the device. “Is this necessary?”

“Given our history, Little Red, yes,” Ethan interjected. “With the baby coming and all the unknowns, we can’t be too careful.”

Remaining silent, I held my own tracker, its cold metal casing sending a chill through my palm. Tristan leaned in closer, his breath ghosting over my skin as he pointed toward the barely visible button on the side. “That’s what you press to send a signal of where you are. It’ll notify Ethan and me. I wanted to make sure it was small and lightweight, so you could keep it on you. If anything happens... If you need help, we’ll know where you are.”

I nodded, slipping the device onto the band of my watch. “Thank you, Tristan,” I managed to say, my voice a mere whisper. Appreciation for his vigilance warred with the gnawing fear that such precautions were not unfounded.

“Anything to keep you safe.” Reaching out, he touched my hand, but it was the tenderness in his words that stirred something deep within me. “That’s what’s most important.”

Once dinner was finished and the kitchen cleaned, the sun was already making its descent toward the horizon, darkening the spaces between the trees. I made my way through the house, picking up the toys that Evie had strewn all over the place while Tristan finished with Ethan downstairs. When I headed back to the kitchen to say my goodbyes, Scarlett’s hands brushed mine as she reached for Eve’s bag. “Caroline, why don’t you let Evie stay over tonight? She can have a slumber party with us and you... Well, you can have some adult time.”

Although Ethan and Scarlett lived nearby, it was rare that Evie stayed at their house for the night. Not that she didn’t want to, or that they didn’t want her to, but more because after everything she’d been through, I never wanted to leave her out of my sight. But I had to admit, the thought of an evening untethered from motherly duties—a night alone with Tristan—was as tempting as it was terrifying. Plus, if that SUV came back, maybe it would be safer for her to not be home.

I hesitated, a tangle of reluctance and yearning knotting in my chest. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” she said, her deep brown eyes crinkling. “You deserve it. Plus, it’s not a school night. Go have yourself a little fun for once.”

I nodded, the weight of gratitude anchoring my smile and overriding my hesitation as I peered into the living room where Evie lay sprawled among her toys, completely consumed by the cartoon on the television. “Okay,” I murmured, finally allowing the possibility of time alone with Tristan to seep into my consciousness like rain through parched soil. “I…um…but you’ll call me if she wants to come home? If she needs anything?”

“Of course, I will.” Scarlett beamed at me, unaware of the internal storm she’d unleashed. “You worry too much, Caroline. Tonight, focus on yourself. Even if it’s to watch a movie and drink a glass of wine. Evie will be fine.”

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