“So, um, a website? Char, what the hell are you thinking?”
She glanced over at Tristan, and he held her gaze, giving a slight nod. With a self-satisfied smile, she pointed at the chair next to her. “Sit. Exactly what you are, and Tristan agrees with me. You have the start of an actual business here.”
Sean burst out laughing. “What, singing for kids?”
“Yes. And don’t think I’m kidding. I’m serious. Set yourself up as a party entertainer, get a license or whatever you need to do, and boom.”
“Yeah, but out here…I live in the city.”
“Well, maybe you don’t have to. Rents are cheaper on the Island, and you already have a built-in client base.”
Ray came inside, rumpled and out of breath, carrying each little girl on one arm, with his son trailing behind. “Everyone’s gone, I hope?”
“Oh, you.” Charlotte swatted him and took the twins, putting each in their high chairs and giving them a snack of Cheerios. “Listen to what happened when they were all leaving.” She relayed all the info to Ray, who rubbed his chin.
“Huh. You know, it’s not a bad idea, Sean. The cost of living is less here, and you would have all of Char’s friends spreading the news. Free advertising.”
As Ray spoke, their son, Carlo, tugged on Sean’s shirt and held out his arms. Sean swung him up, and the little boy laughed and held on to him around his neck.
“And you get to live near us and see the kids more. They love you so much,” Charlotte interjected.
“I don’t know…moving out here? I don’t even know how to drive, and I couldn’t get anywhere without a car, and I sure as hell can’t afford that. And I like living in the city. But you are right that it would be cheaper. I’ll think about it, and at the very least I have the jobs with your friends now.”
The more Sean’s family talked to him, the more Tristan could see it all coming to fruition. All of which put him in a piss-poor mood that he carried with him on the train ride home to the city. He and Sean barely talked, but mainly because Sean was on his phone, likely figuring out how to make it work to live on the Island—or so Tristan assumed.
Grumpy at the thought, when they arrived home, Tristan tossed his keys on the side table and headed for the couch, where he flopped down and turned on the television. Sean approached him with trepidation.
“What’s wrong?”
“Not a thing. It was nice meeting your family. They love you very much.”
Sean sat at the far end of the couch. “Yeah, they’re great.” He fidgeted. “Can we talk now? Like you said earlier.”
“It’s okay. Are you excited about this new business venture?”
Those hazel eyes narrowed. “New business venture? Why would you assume I’m going to do what they say?”
“Because it solves all your problems. The apartments are cheaper, and you’ll be near your family. You’ll have your own built-in clientele. It’s obvious you connected with those people, and word-of-mouth is king in a freelance business.”
“All true, but solving those problems creates another, more important one.”
“What?”
Sean sat by his side, his gaze unflinching and honest. “I’ve already connected with you, and you’re here. Not there. And that’s a problem for me.”
Chapter Nineteen
“All day I wanted to do this,” Sean said, continuing to press soft kisses on Tristan’s rough cheek. He sensed resistance until Tristan splayed a big hand across his back.
“Same.” Tristan sighed, and Sean smiled into his mouth.
“I know I just said I wanted to talk. But I don’t wanna. Not now.” Sean tangled his fingers in all that silky hair to pull Tristan in for a kiss. “You know what I want. And you want it too.”
Even as Tristan’s eyes darkened with desire, he tensed. “Sex is the simple part.”
Sean wanted to tell him there was nothing simple about how Tristan made him feel. Never less than, as he had with other men. He had no reason to hide where he came from or who he was because Tristan didn’t judge him.
“I thought you didn’t like complications, and you wanted to keep things easy.”
