Page 52 of Who We Love

The doorbell rings, interrupting the conversation and pushing away our doubts. I only want to know the why. I don’t care about her past. There’s nothing that can make me love her less.

We both head to the main door, and I see Arthur Bradley on the monitor.

“You know, Mason can set up a better system and the monitor will be in the kitchen.” I shrug. “Just for future reference.” He ignores me, opening the door.

“My man, Arthur, how’s it going?” Fuck, Thea is going to freak out when she realizes we need an extra place.

Arthur looks around and takes a step in giving me a tight handshake. What did I do to him? “Matthew. Chris had invited me to dinner tonight and called me earlier to give me the change of address. Hope that’s okay with you, Tristan.”

“Of course, please come on in,” Tristan tilts his head toward the house.

“The wife, Arthur?”

“At home, with her children, Matt.” He looks around. “I didn’t think it was appropriate to bring them all.”

Then his attention goes to Tristan, and his eyes harden. “Mr. Cooperson, anyone can break into your house. I recommend you upgrade your security system.” Arthur gives him his business card. “We can do it for free. We can’t take chances with your guests.”

Are Papa and Gabe concerned about the level of security? It’s not as if I have much security in Seattle. But this is California and psychos trespassing to steal a used tissue are common.

“With all due respect, Mr. Bradley, back off,” Tristan responds. “If I decide to upgrade the system, I’ll search for my own people.”

Arthur Bradley has looked after the security of my dads for so long, this behavior is understandable to me. But not so much for Tristan. Arthur’s jaw twitches, but he doesn’t say a thing. When we approach the patio, Thea’s shoulders drop and she heads to the kitchen. I can’t help but laugh.

I walk over to Mason, who is holding the little princess while he too scans the area.

“Arthur is here,” I announce.

He nods, as if he was expecting him. “How long are you three staying here?”

I tell him our plans. He explains the few issues he has about the residence, the security, and advises me to upgrade the system. As I thought, California isn’t Seattle, and the Bradleys are passionate about safety.

“This relationship is a little crazy, Matthew.” He gives me a concerned look. “Be careful because I don’t want to see anyone hurt,” he says, but I feel as if he’s warning me about something.

“No worries, Bradley, I have this down.”

He exhales harshly but doesn’t say anything. I scratch my head. What am I missing?

ChapterThirty-Three

Tristan

AmI ready for this step?

I’m not sure, but there’s a saying about life happening while you make plans. This is me taking the next step and also, trusting my love for Thea and Matt. We’re at the lots he bought to build his dream house with an architect and an engineer.

“So, we’re building it?” Thea looks from left to right. “We… Are we sure about it?”

“Yes, we want to build our forever home.” I scratch my chin, searching for the right words. “It’s a big project since we have to plan in at least six rooms and our en suite.”

Matt, who is staring at the properties, suddenly turns to look at me. “Six? That’s only six children.”

Thea blinks a couple of times and switches her gaze toward the lake. What did we say wrong? I step closer to her. “What happened?”

She doesn’t say anything, but I sense the sadness. Something isn’t right, and I don’t know what to say. “Is it the children? You don’t want any?”

“We don’t need to build a house,” Matt joins us. “In fact, we can just move in with Coop. He has a big ass house.”

Thea hugs herself. “It’s hard to think about the future when I had to abandon my past.”

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