Page 10 of Mr. Swoony

“Tristan comes from a wealthy family. I’m unsure what would be on his list because he’s experienced everything.”

He places his water on the table. “So, he’s made a cake from scratch before?”

My shoulders slump. To explain Tristan to someone like Conor makes me feel a little ashamed for some reason. “Tristan would think it’s a waste of time because he’d say, ‘Let’s just find the best bakery and buy one.’”

He nods, and I see judgment on his face. His hand moves toward the paper I set on the couch. “Do you mind?”

At this point, who the hell cares? At least it wasn’t my other secret list that fell out, the embarrassing one with the sexual experiences I’d hoped to have. Thank God for small favors.

“Go ahead.”

He scans the paper, and the wider his smile gets, the more my stomach flutters, as if he’s approving of some of the things he’s reading. “Tristan’s not a hot air balloon kind of guy? No trips?”

“More like jumping out of the airplane type.”

He nods as if he’s starting to understand the type of guy Tristan is. “Not a guy for tattoos?”

I shake my head. “And mar his beautiful skin?”

He chuckles and sets the paper down, surprising me by not asking me the obvious question about why I haven’t crossed fall in love off my list. It’s not like I could give him an answer. I’m not even sure myself.

“Can I ask another question?”

Here it comes.

When I don’t say anything, he says, “What is it about Tristan that made you want to marry him?”

I get up from the couch and take a jar of nuts out of the mini fridge, holding up another candy bar for him.

“Nah, but I’ll take a bag of chips.”

I toss him a bag and return to my spot on the couch. “It’s a long story.”

He opens his bag and tosses a chip into his mouth. “Good thing I have time.”

I sigh, but talking to someone on the outside of my life feels nice. I’ve been drowning in Tristan’s world, becoming who I feel I need to be. “I am the product of a one-night stand.”

He eats another chip, not saying anything.

“My parents were from very different worlds, and they never got married. My dad was from Tristan’s world—wealthy, entitled, and never accepted the answer no. My mom wasn’t poor but didn’t come from my dad’s world. Anyway, they somehow made it work for me. I saw my dad maybe once a month when he’d pick me up and take me to my grandparents’ house—or more like a mansion. Sometimes there was more time in between.”

“I’m sorry,” he says, and I feel as if he understands the frustration of my parents not getting along.

“I knew no different. My mom married Sam, who’s a great guy and was more of a father to me than my own.” I stop for a second. “My dad would get jealous of that and take me on shopping sprees or throw me a huge sixteenth birthday party, things like that. Throwing money at me was his way of showing me love. He was always going to some country or another, and he’d return and introduce me to girlfriends I’d never see more than a handful of times at most.

“Three years ago, he returned to Chicago, bought a condo in the city, and said he wanted to reconnect with me. I think a small part of me always wanted to know him better, to find out why I wasn’t enough for him to stick around and be a constant part of my life, so it started as monthly dinners but turned into weekly ones after a few months. Then he asked me to go to my grandparents’ country club for Sunday dinner with them. That’s where I met Tristan. I guess you didn’t need to know all that, but it ties into why I’m with Tristan.”

Conor crumples the chip bag and waits patiently. He’s a great listener.

“My dad loved Tristan. He always said he wanted me to find a place in his world. That it would give me financial security. So, although Tristan wasn’t my type, I agreed to go on a date with him. You said you were a fixer. Well, I’m a people-pleaser.” I run my hand over my chest like he did as if I’m wearing a T-shirt that has the moniker on it.

“It’s got to be tough fighting that.”

“I’m not sure I do, which is the problem.” I eat a nut and take my time to chew and swallow.

“Anyway, we just kept dating, and in the beginning, he was really attentive. Surprising me with gifts and flowers. Amazing trips.”

“Then?”

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