Page 38 of Cut Off from Sky and Earth
“Something like that.”
“What do you know about his family?” I probe.
It’s her turn to frown. She draws her pretty eyebrows together and shakes her head. “Not much. His stepfather died before we got married. I only met him a few times, but he was a nice man, a good man. He always treated Tristan like his son. Jon adopted him. It was what Tristan wanted for his twelfth birthday.”
“And his mom?”
“Tara’s quiet. Kind of like me, I guess. She always seems a bit sad, subdued. But she’s been lovely to me. I don’t know much about what happened between her and Tristan’s dad. He doesn’t talk about it. He doesn’t talk about Windy Rock at all, really.”
I hesitate, take a breath, then steel myself. “How close is he with his brother?”
She blinks. “Tristan doesn’t have a brother.”
I feel my eyes widen. “Yes, he does. Tate. Tate Weakes.”
She’s shaking her head. “No, I don’t think so. Tristan’s never mentioned a brother. Neither has his mom. There’s no pictures of a brother. Maybe you have him mixed up with someone else.”
“No,” I insist, surprised by the force in my voice. “Your husband has a brother.”
Twenty-Two
Emily
* * *
My head buzzes, and it’s not from the wine. I can’t believe Tristan has a brother he never told me about.
I sense Alex’s eyes on me as I stare into the fire, playing back every conversation I’ve ever had with Tristan or his mom. Could one of them have mentioned this brother and I somehow missed it or forgot? This feels impossible, but I’m desperate for an explanation other than the obvious one, which is that Tristan hid the fact that he has a sibling from me. I can’t wrap my mind around it.
“Tristan has a brother,” I say softly. “And his dad’s last name was Weakes?” I look at her for confirmation.
She barks out a laugh. “Are you kidding me? You didn’t even know his name? Do you know anything about your husband?”
I bristle, defensive. Probably because what she’s saying has a kernel of truth to it. “It’s not like that. I know all the things that matter. His legal last name is Rose. It was Rose when I met him. Why would I ask?”
“Why would you have to ask?” she shoots back. “Why wouldn’t he just tell you?”
I consider this for a moment. Why wouldn’t he?
Finally, I shrug. “He doesn’t like to talk about Maine. When he does mention it, it’s only in passing. He told me his dad died there when he was young, and he and his mom moved away soon after. She remarried pretty quickly, and his stepdad adopted him. He’s told me plenty of stories about Arizona.”
“But not Windy Rock.”
“Right, not Windy Rock. I always assumed it’s a difficult subject for him to talk about.”
“Oh, I’m sure it is,” she agrees, “but you’re his wife. You must talk about difficult things.” A pause. “Don’t you?”
I bristle. “That’s not fair. We started dating when I was grieving my best friend’s murder. I mean, I’m still grieving, I probably always will be. But it was fresh then. It had only been a year.”
She gives me a thoughtful look. “I’ll bet Tristan was so supportive, helping you through that dark period, wasn’t he?”
My stomach twists. I really, really do not want to tell this prickly, judgmental woman the truth. But some part of me knows I need to.
“He doesn’t know about Cassie.”
She blinks, and it takes a moment for what I’m telling her to register.
“Tristan doesn’t know your roommate was murdered?” she asks slowly.
