Page 118 of Breaking Free

“That’s Josie now. I’ll let her in.”

She rose, started for the door, then turned back. Leaning down, she cupped his bearded jaw and softly touched her lips to his. “Thank you for everything, Tristan.”

He wound his fingers in her hair when she tried to pull away, keeping her there as he deepened the kiss.

“I’ll see you at dinner,” he murmured against her lips, reluctantly releasing her when Josie knocked again, more insistent.

Piper hurried to the door, staggering a little.

Although she seemed much better today, he was relieved she wouldn’t be alone while he took care of business—personal, not Rossi, like she assumed. Tristan hurriedly climbed the stairs, taking two steps at a time, quickly showered, and got dressed. He grabbed his keys and headed back down, pausing briefly at the kitchen doorway, looking in on the two women sipping their coffee.

“I’m heading out,” he announced.

“Have a good day,” she told him, her smile as bright as the sunshine streaming in from behind her.

“Don’t worry, Tris,” Josie assured him. “I’ll take care of our girl.”

His eyes didn’t leave Piper when he replied, “I’m holding you to it.”

Within minutes, he was on the road, heading north toward Santa Barbara. He hoped Lydia, who knew what he was dealing with and had been through her share of grief, could help him get his head on straight. Every other thought was of Piper, smiling at him one moment, with a knife at her throat the next. As he saw it, he had two choices—claim her or let her go. If he chose option A, and the worst should happen, how did he endure the agony of losing someone he loved once again? Yes, he silently acknowledged, he was in love with sweet, caring, funny, resilient, beautiful Piper. Option B meant suppressing his feelings, reverting to his old stubborn ways, and withdrawing from life. Either option was unacceptable.

“Yeah, but only one includes Piper,” he reasoned, staring at the winding road ahead. Whether it was for a day, a week, a decade, or beyond, the question remained: Was the gamble worth it?

He had his answer by the time he took the Santa Barbara exit. He still planned to run it by Lydia, whose wisdom and insight could very well keep him from changing his mind and completely fucking things up.

AJ GREETED HIM IN THEyard, launching himself at him and wrapping his skinny arms around him in a big, squeezing hug like he always did. It never got old, and Tristan drank it in. He loved him like a son, but more and more lately, each time he sawhim, he wondered what could have been, and what might still be, if he wasn’t such a chickenshit.

“Is that for me?” he asked as they walked onto the porch together.

Tristan looked down at the gift in his hand. “You mean this box withHappy Birthdayin giant letters all over it? Is it someone’s birthday?”

“Uncle Tris!”

“Okay. I’ll stop torturing you,” he said, handing it over.

AJ ripped a corner of the wrapping before asking, “Can I open it now?”

The screen door creaked, and Lydia joined them. “I’m here now, so yes, tear into it,” she urged.

He didn’t have to be told twice and shredded the paper. “Cool! A Nintendo Switch,” he squealed with excitement. “I’ve been saving my allowance all summer for one. And look, Mom! The Super Mario game pack I wanted!”

“I see. What do you say to your uncle?”

“Crap. I mean, darn. I mean, sorry, Mom, and thanks, Uncle Tristan.”

AJ gave him another hug while Tristan struggled to smother his laughter. He tried harder when Lydia gave him a don’t-encourage-him glare.

“Can I go play?” he asked his mother, who had strict limits on screen time. She always said she refused to have a kid who never saw daylight or breathed fresh air.

“Yes, but only for a little while,” she allowed. “Derek’s mom is picking you up at noon for practice.”

Lydia could have saved her breath because he’d run flat-out toward the door as soon as she said yes.

“It’s as if I’m talking to a wall sometimes,” she said, shaking her head. Having learned to pick her battles, evidently, she decided this one wasn’t worth fighting and offered him a halfsmile. “I was just about to have a cup of coffee and this amazing cinnamon roll coffee cake I baked this morning.”

“Count me in.”

Seated at her kitchen table, they caught up since his last visit—mostly about AJ. Tristan was just about to dive into his second piece of amazing-didn’t-do-it-justice coffee cake when she placed her left hand flat on the table. Immediately, he noticed the sparkling diamond on her ring finger.

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