Page 119 of Breaking Free

Setting his fork down, he leaned back. “This just got serious.”

“Yeah,” she replied.

Curious, he inquired, “How did AJ react?”

“He’s fine with it, but he asked the same about you.”

Puzzled, Tristan asked, “Why?” as he reached for his cup.

Smiling, she explained, “He always thought you and I would get married one day.”

Startled, Tristan sputtered and almost choked on his coffee.

Laughing, Lydia admitted, “That was my exact reaction. I had to clarify that we call you his uncle because you were like a brother to his dad, and since we lost him, to me.”

He grasped her hand and squeezed it gently. “I wish you and Jerome the best, Lydia. Truly,” he said with heartfelt sincerity. After all she’d been through, she deserved another chance at happiness.

“That means a lot to me, Tris. Thanks,” she replied, covering their joined hands with her free one. “Now let’s talk about you. Something has changed. You seem...happy, and you’ve smiled more this morning than you have in eight years.”

“That can’t be true. At least, I hope not.” Regrettably, she was probably right.

“You’ve always been here for us. Let me be here for you for once.”

“I’ve met someone, too,” he admitted.

“That’s great. Isn’t it? Are you afraid she won’t understand about us? I can talk to her.”

“No, it’s not that.” He sat back and rubbed his face, both hands going over his head to his neck to squeeze and rub away the tension.

“Oh no. The face and head rub, neck squeeze combination mean trouble.”

He froze midway through a second face rub and asked, “What?”

“You, my dear friend, have a tell. Spill.”

“You know me well, sweetheart, but maybe not everything. Did Nolan ever talk about me and growing up in Nebraska?”

“Just that you were best friends and practically inseparable since grade school.”

“I lost my father when I was eight. It was unbelievably rough. I thought the world of him and wanted to be a farmer like him when I grew up. After he was gone, the farm lost its luster. His parents passed not long after, which left my mom to run the farm. It was too much for her, so my granddad, her dad, moved in and helped. Having him around, not taking my dad’s place but filling a hole in my life, really helped. He and my mom both died the year I graduated from high school, both from cancer.”

“Oh my god, Tris. How awful.”

“Yeah. The one constant I had all that time was Nolan. He was the only family I had left. Eight years ago, his death nearly killed me. Mostly because it was my fault.”

“Stop saying that. You were cleared of wrongdoing. It was war.”

“I know that, but I was in command. I felt responsible, and still do. Nothing will change that. I watched what you went through. The heartache and grief, having to raise AJ alone. Your loss as a wife differed from mine as a best friend, but I took it hard.”

“Different doesn’t mean less.”

“I can’t forget the pain. I’ve lived it over and over. After Nolan, I vowed never to go through it again.”

“So, like me, you walled off your heart so you wouldn’t have to.”

He nodded. “Then I met this amazing woman who is beautiful, funny, and kind—like sunshine in human form. I resisted and acted like a complete ass trying to drive her away. But she gave as good as she got and broke through when I thought no one could.” Memories of Perry with a knife at Piper’s throat slammed into him. He swallowed hard before going on. “I came close to losing her to a psychopath two days ago. The pain and need to retreat behind those walls resurfaced with a vengeance.”

Lydia leaned forward and reached across the table to grip his forearms. “I felt something similar when I started dating Jerry. Less the psychopath, which sounds like a story for another time. I broke things off with him twice.”

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