Page 61 of Sinful Storms

“He was moping around all week before you agreed to be his girlfriend.”

“Our sad boy. He was miserable without you.”

Tristan threw up his middle finger at his two best friends. “Don’t you have anything better to do than to take the piss out of me?”

“Nah. You told us you wanted to stay single. Repeatedly. This is fucking momentous, mate. We need a burial ceremony or something for the old manwhore Tristan Smith-Chamberlain.”

“Yeah. There’s that big tomb in the crypts?—”

“Fuck. Off.”

They finally wandered away, laughing to themselves, and Tristan pulled me into him, burying his face in my hair. “I guess they have the right to take the piss. I did insist I’d never end up like them. But you and me…it feels like we were inevitable, doesn’t it?”

I nodded. “Yes. I think we were always inevitable.”

32

ARIA

Tristan slid his fingers between mine as he led me towards the entrance door of the Nottswood Golf & Country Club. “Okay. We have to get through this one luncheon, and then we’re free. If they say anything bad, we leave, okay? I won’t let them put you down. You’re mine, and I’m not letting you go.”

“Yeah, I know.” I really did. Tristan wasn’t someone to make false promises, and I trusted that he meant what he said. It was impossible to misinterpret the way he acted around me, anyway. Somehow, he was just as into me as I was to him. Whether his parents approved of our relationship or not, we were in this together.

We headed through the foyer and into the restaurant. My godparents hadn’t booked a private dining space, which I hoped was a good sign and meant they weren’t planning for anyone to cause a scene, although the table they were seated at was set well away from the other diners.

When we drew nearer to the table, which was set for six people for some reason, Tristan lifted our joined hands. He kissed the back of my hand, raising his brows at Gregory and Jane before releasing me. My godparents exchanged glancesas they rose to their feet to greet us, but neither of them commented.

After greetings had been exchanged and we were seated at the table, I busied myself with spreading my napkin over my lap to hide my shaking hands. I shouldn’t be nervous, but part of me was. I didn’t want Tristan’s parents to be upset with him, and I didn’t want them to blame me, either.

Focus, Aria. You’re strong. You can deal with whatever shit life throws at you.

Straightening my shoulders, I placed my hands on the table and met my godmother’s gaze. She stared back at me, unflinching, and it had the weird effect of relaxing me slightly.

“Let’s talk about the elephant in the room,” Gregory began. “Tristan, we’ve spoken to your grandfather, and I want you to know that we do not condone any of his actions. We’ve made it clear to him that he’s on his own as far as the whole…Brotherhood situation goes.” He turned to me. “Aria. I don’t think I can express just how sorry we are. If we’d had any inkling at all?—”

“I know.” I could never be completely sure, but if they had suspicions, I believed they would have at least investigated them.

“Rest assured, he’s been dealt with,” my godfather said firmly, his mouth thinning. “Family or not, we made our position crystal clear.”

“Your mother and father were true friends. I want you to know that. Your mother…well, we were due around the same time, and we bonded over our shared circumstances. We shared our hopes and dreams for our children together, wondering how the future would look for the two of you.” Jane reached out, clasping my hand. “When you were born, you were such a beautiful baby. Like a little doll. Not…that’s irrelevant, really. I wanted to let you know that we were so proud to be entrustedwith the privilege of becoming your godparents, and we still are. Your parents would have been proud of you, too.”

I nodded, a lump forming in my throat that made it too difficult to speak.

Tristan shifted his chair close to mine and then lifted his arm, curling it around my shoulders. “Baby,” he murmured, too low for his parents to hear. His thumb stroked across the top of my shoulder in soothing, repetitive movement.

You know what? I didn’t need anyone in my corner. I was capable of fighting my own battles.

But sometimes, it felt really, really good to have someone to lean on.

Swallowing around the lump in my throat, I found my voice. “What about our relationship?”

Tristan’s parents glanced at each other.The silence seemed to last forever.

Then, Gregory spoke. “Everything that has happened…it led us to reevaluate some things.” He coughed, glancing over at his wife before a slow smile spread across his face. “It forced us to face some truths that perhaps we hadn’t been aware of previously. Yes. You have our blessing.”

“Aria!”

I spun in my seat to be faced with the unexpected sight of my grandparents making their way over to our table. Suddenly, it all made sense—the fact the table was set for six people, and we hadn’t ordered any food yet.

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