With the ball game on TV as a ruse, Tristan pretended not to notice Sean as he strode out of the bathroom and shut the bedroom door behind him. Five minutes later, Sean stepped out, fully dressed in a pair of ass-hugging dark jeans and a loose, green, short-sleeved shirt that brought out the golden flecks in his eyes. Those same eyes that sparked with anger when they met his.
“Bye.”
“Where’re you going?”
Hand on the doorknob, Sean glanced over his shoulder. “Out.”
Tristan huffed. “I know, but where?”
“You’re kidding, right? Since when do I report to you?”
“I just think it’s smart for someone to know where you’re going. That’s all. I mean, this is New York City. Anything can happen.”
Sean bared his teeth in a grin. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”
“Don’t be stupid. I’m doing this for your safety.”
Red-faced, Sean stormed over to him and pointed a finger in his face. “Don’t call me stupid. And I don’t need your protection. I’ve been on my own my whole life, so don’t play me and pretend to care. I’m going out. Period. Maybe to look for a job or maybe to the goddamn corner bar to have a beer.”
The door closed behind him.
“Fuck.” Tristan punched the sofa cushion. Why was he so angry? Sean wasn’t his responsibility. He was a young, good-looking guy, and if he wanted to go out and hook up, it was none of his business. Sean shouldn’t be sitting at home with a washed-up ex-cop who could barely put one foot in front of the other from the weight of guilt he carried on his shoulders. Which reminded him…he took out his phone, dreading the call he was about to make.
“Tristan? Oh my God, is that really you?”
“Hey, Monique.”
“Mommy, Mommy.”
He heard a little girl’s voice, and a rush of tears burned his eyes. “Is that Nadine?”
“Yes. Where are you? Are you home? In New York?”
“Yeah. Living in the city and back for good.” He swallowed hard. “How’re you doing?”
“Better now. Why don’t you meet us? We’re at the Central Park Zoo. You haven’t seen Nadine since she was nine months old.”
He couldn’t imagine anything worse at the moment than tons of screaming kids and harried parents, but he had no willpower to say no to Monique. “Okay, sounds great. Where are you, exactly? I can be there in less than twenty minutes.”
“We’re just finishing a snack and about to go to the penguin exhibit. Meet us at the zoo entrance. I’m wearing a red T-shirt.”
“You got it. See you soon.”
A children’s zoo. He could handle it for a couple of hours. It was the least he could do for Monique. Plus, it would keep him from sitting around wondering where the hell Sean was and if he was with some random guy.
Ignoring the sour taste in his mouth, he went to get dressed.
* * *
“Tristan?” Monique waved. “Over here.”
He spotted her, smiling bright, her beautiful brown eyes wide with shock, a flush highlighting her amber skin. “Give me a hug. I can’t believe it’s you.”
He held her slim body close. “Monique. How are you, sweetheart?”
“So much better now that I’ve seen you again.” As tall as she was, she still had to tip her head back to meet his eyes. “I can’t believe it’s been almost two years.”
He hung his head. “Yeah. I’m a crappy godfather.” He couldn’t help smiling at the little girl in the stroller, dressed to the nines, with her hair done perfectly in braids with a bow at the end of each one. “I can’t believe how big she is. She’s beautiful.”
