Words, big, big words of my own, crawled to the tip of my tongue. I pressed my lips into a thin, tight line to keep them from escaping. I didn’t even know why.
There was no hiding how I felt.
Nodenying it.
But somehow saying it out loud scared me to death.
Or maybe I was terrified of how fast these feelings snuck up on me. Of how without even realizing it, this man had taken down my walls so spectacularly, there wasn’t even a brick left to hide behind.
More kisses spread across my skin, giving me something other than my scrambled thoughts to focus on. Retracing his steps, his mouth moved from my jaw back to my neck, over my shoulder, and down my spine.
I shivered.
Only he could make me feel so desired and so freaking treasured. It was almost too much to take.
“Come on.” He gently flipped me over and tugged me up by the wrist. “Time to get up.”
“Nooo,” I groaned. My limbs were still mush. “I can’t move.”
His answering chuckle had the butterflies in my belly doing backflips. Goodness, had it always been like this? Had something as simple as his laugh always had this effect on me?
Unaware of my spiraling thoughts, he pushed off the bed and scooped me into his arms. He didn’t speak as he crossed the room into the bathroom. Neither did I. There were too many things to work through in my brain. Too many feelings. Too many fears.
“I can hear the gears turn inside that pretty head.” He put me down and got the water ready. “What’s going on?”
How did I even put the mess inside my mind to words.
“Does any of this”—I waved my hand between us—“seem sudden to you? It feels sudden. Too sudden maybe. I mean we’ve seen each other almost every day for so many years. Why now? Why—”
“Hey.” His hand found mine. Lacing our fingers, he squeezed. Funny how that one simple action always grounded me.
“It feels right.” He’d said it so calm and even, so matter-of-factly. “So fucking right.”
Sliding his palm along the back of my neck, he pulled my face to his. He didn’t kiss me. Instead, he pressed his lips against my forehead and held them there.
“I…” He paused and sucked in a sharp breath. “You mean a lot to me, Kate. I don’t think these kinds of feelings jump up out of nowhere. It was always there, simmering just below the surface, waiting to be noticed.” He paused again and drew back slightly. With one hand still anchored at the back of my neck, he lifted the other and brushed the tips of his fingers over my cheekbone. “Youwere always there.”
My heart flipped over inside my chest. The truth in his words stole the breath from my lungs. He’d always been there too. He had to be.
“Tristan, I—”
A loud noise filtered through the apartment before the rest of the sentence could tumble over my lips.
“I think our girl is up.” His mouth curved into a wry smile. “I’ll go check what the commotion is about. Take a shower, and when you’re ready, come find us.”
With another peck to my forehead, he slipped out of the bathroom while I got under the warm water and washed up.
Twenty minutes later, I was finally ready, dressed in my favorite T-shirt and denim shorts. I walked out of his room and straight into chaos. At least, that’s what it sounded like. Blaring music and the clang of pots and pans had me taking cautious steps toward the kitchen.
When I rounded the corner, my poor heart couldn’t take the scene in front of me.
Tristan and Millie were having a little dance party of their own. He manned the stove and what smelled like pancakes, while my Millie stood on a stool next to him, her little body moving in time with the beat.
I admired them for a few more seconds before the concerned part of my brain thought of my girl possibly falling and getting hurt. Tristan must’ve somehow picked up on the happenings inside my head because the thought had barely formed when he scooted closer and snaked an arm around her.
The sight of them like that was almost too much. Emotion crawled up my throat, bringing with it a familiar sting behind my eyes.
“Just gonna stand there and watch?” he asked without even looking at me.
