Page 30 of Perfectly Wrong
“A loft,” dad says. “You should see it. Sexy bachelor pad space. Perfectly matches Bishop.”
I swear to god my dad is some kind of Bishop fangirl.
Bishop chuckles. “Thanks, Rocco. I got a deal being the builder and all. I like it though. It’s close to everything I want and need.”
“But far from the suburbs,” dad adds.
“Well, I didn’t have a son to raise.”
“Do you want kids?” I elbow Trinity, rolling my eyes. “What? It’s just a question.”
Bishop smiles. “No, I don’t. I like my life like it is.”
“You don’t want to fall in love?”
My eyes immediately meet his, but he looks down at his plate of cake. “I don’t even think about it, Trinity. I don’t want it or not want it. I haven’t met anyone who challenged that. I guess if it happened, I’d deal with it, but if it doesn’t happen, then I’m good.” His eyes shift up to her, barely glancing over mine. “Do you?”
“Want to fall in love?” He nods. “Sure. I’m nineteen. I guess I still believe in love.” Trinity leans on my arm. “Like, Tristan here. He’s got almost every quality I would want in a man.”
“Except?” dad asks.
She leans in, whispering, “He likes dick.”
The four of us laugh. “A minor issue,” I say.
She nods, eating a bite of cake. “But other than that, Tristan is the perfect boyfriend. He’s passionate and kind, complimentary, romantic. He likes to stay home more than he likes to party. He’s read books I’ve never heard of. He’ll even watch a chick flick with me.” She puts her arm around my shoulder and kisses my cheek. “But I’ll have to take friendship instead.”
My eyes meet Bishop’s, watching the interaction intently, a questioning look in his eyes. Ask me. I’ll answer anything you want.
“And you?” He finally speaks. “Do you want to fall in love, Tristan?”
“Yes.” With you. “I guess I still believe in love too. No one’s broken my heart yet.”
“I hope it stays that way,” he says, softly, with more than a little sadness in his voice.
“Me too, but…” I glance at my dad, knowing he’s paying attention, but I don’t care. “That’s just part of it, isn’t it? It’s a risk you take to love someone. If it happens, if it all falls down, you just have to remember how awesome it was while it was. It’s part of it.”
“Sometimes you never get over it,” Bishop says. “The pain stays with you like a wound that won’t heal. It prevents you from opening your heart again. I’d hate to see that happen to you.”
“So would I,” dad says, noticing the innuendo between us.
I roll my eyes. “You can’t shelter me forever, dad. I might get hurt out in the world, but I might not. Maybe when I do fall in love, it’ll be amazing and last forever. You ever think of that?”
“Of course I do, and I hope that’s what happens for you. You’re still young. You have your whole life to fall in love.”
I exhale slowly. “Stop saying that. You already had a kid at my age. You were married and buying houses and shit. I’m not too young to be in love.”
An awkward silence falls between us until my dad speaks. “I’m sorry, Tristan. You’re right. You’re old enough to make your own romantic decisions, but I’m your father. It’s my job to try and impart what little knowledge I have. It’s always been my job to protect you. It’s a hard habit to break.”
I smile. “It’s okay, dad. I just think parents forget sometimes how much they wanted to live their own lives at this age. All the freedom you wanted, we want.”
He nods. “Yeah.” He nudges Bishop’s arm. “Can you believe what a man he’s become? Just in a year being gone from home, it’s like a whole new Tristan.”
“Independence can be powerful.”
“Definitely.” Dad walks over to me and pulls me into a big bear hug, then kisses the top of my head. “I’m proud of you, Tristan.”
“Thanks, dad.”
