Page 115 of Starstruck

Tristan’s defeated eyes bolted towards my dad. “No, sir.”

I dared a step closer towards them. “Dad, that’s not what ishappening here.”

Tristan looked over to me, checking me over, before staring back atmy Dad. “Sir, she’s right. I swear to you—”

“Then explain this.” Dad said with a soft anger, as he crowded Tristan, and for a second, it waslike the man he promised us all he’d be from now on had never once seen the light of day.

Addy walked past me and placed a hand on dad’s shoulder. “Dad,please, just calm down and leave them alone.”

“Are you all insane?” He turned around and asked us, devoting asecond to stare at us all individually, before he locked our eyes and stayed there. “I thought you’d know better than this, Marigold. Why the hell have you allowed someone this toxic to take over your life and ruin your future—”

“Because it’s my life!”

It felt like the eyes of the world were on me in that moment, butthe only ones I cared about were Tristan’s.

I glanced at him before I carried on, my heart sinking to the beautiful oblivionin my body when I saw the corners of his mouth peak for the first time, and the glisten in his eyes start to glow.

“It’s my life, okay?” I looked back at my dad. “I stopped being your businesswhat I did with it along time ago, Dad. Who I spend my time, who I let into my life, and who I fall for, will never, ever be your business.”

I couldn’t help but glance back at him, and I felt my heart start tosoar again when I saw his smile, how it was the only thing I noticed about him.

My dad stepped towards me, stealing my attention. “Marigold, I getthat. I do but...” he looked back at Tristan, his eyes darkening before they fell back onto me. “You’ve got to wake up here. What do you think is going to happen? You think if you carry on down this road offalling for himthat he’ll suddenly change? People don’t do that—”

“You did.” My dad’s face whitened. “Well, I thought you did,” Ishook my head slightly as I took a step away from him. “But now I’m not so sure.”

“Goldie, we changed. Okay? We let you go and chase your dreamsbut this?” Dad titled his head at me as he placed his hands on my shoulders. “You’ve got to see where I’m coming from.”

I shook myself free of my dad’s hold. “Well, I don’t! Because youhaven’t been there with me. You don’t know the things that I know about this boy. Things that he never lets anyone but me and our friends see.”

Dad opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off, my voice shaking but strong. “You think you know Tristan from a headline? From a mistake? He’s not that person, Dad. He’s kind. He listens. He’s been through hell and back, but he still chooses to be good. He’s there for people—more than anyone’s ever been for him. And I don’t care what the world says about him. I know who he is. He’s a good person.”

I could see the surprise in Dad’s eyes, but I wasn’t backing down. Not this time.

Without thinking, I walked over to Tristan, swerving around Nate until Tristan’s hand was in mine. “And I’m not going to let you take this from me too, not when you’ve already taken so much.”

It was then that I felt all my energy return, enough so I could pullmyself and Tristan away from everyone and out of the front door. We escaped out onto the porch and I closed the heavy door behind us, my heart beat skipping like it never had before as I turned around to face him.

It was an easy decision for me to cup his face and pull his mouth down ontomine, even if it was only for a second, but it was a second we both needed. A distraction from what had just happened, reminding us that there was still some good left in this night.

The kiss was probably my favourite one we’d ever shared.

After a few more moments of ignoring the world and kissing under theMontana stars, we pulled away, and I let my arms drape down his until his warm hands were back in mine.

But his mouth remained parted. “Goldie, I don’t even know how to—”

“I don’t want to know anything, Tristan.” His starlit eyes were stuckon mine. “I don’t want to know anything until you’re ready to tell me.”

He huffed a laugh, one that I could still trace the pain in. “You knowwhat happened.”

I shook my head at him, my hand back resting along his jaw as mythumb skated across his skin. “I’m not going to pay attention to someone else’s version of your past. But just know that when you do want to talk about it, whenyou’reready... know that no matter what you tell me, I won’t be going anywhere.”

Tristan shook his head before crashing his mouth against mine again, and thistime I was kissing him because I wanted to, not to distract us, not to prove to other people that we were serious.

No, this kiss was for us and the stars.

He pulled away a moment later, resting his forehead along mine as a smilespread across his lips. “I’ve been keeping this from everyone since the moment I landed Gold’s, and part of me is just happy not to have this weighing down on me anymore, regardless of what happened and how it got out.” He held my head in his hands. “I didn’t want to lie to you anymore, and I want to be honest with you about why I’m here.”

I felt the corners of my smile touch his thumbs that were skimming my cheeks.“What kept you? From telling me?”

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