“I actually tried some at Out of the Ashes one night. I think Paula told me it was a sangria. It was really good.”
Dad chuckles. “It’s probably one of our most popular bottles.”
“I can see why.” Tristan replies.
Well, it appears he’s won over the parents. That’s amiracle. I figured they’d dislike him on sight because I didn’t tell anyone about him.
Okay, time to stop eavesdropping. I can definitely use some coffee after tossing and turning last night from being cold.
I make my steps louder so they won’t realize I was listening in. When I come around the corner, Tristan chokes as soon as he sees me. He’ll have to get better about acting natural to me being in my jammies. Otherwise, they’ll never buy we’ve been together for a bit.
“Is everything okay, Tristan?” Mom asks as she pulls a carton of eggs out of the fridge.
“Yes, ma’am. Went down the wrong pipe is all.”
“How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Abigail, please.” She catches sight of me. “Good morning, sweetheart. There’s coffee in the pot.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I move around her to get to the coffee pot. There are a row of mugs already lined up on the counter. Six of them which means Piper hasn’t made her appearance in here yet. I wonder why she’s waiting.
After I pour a cup, I add some sugar, and ask Mom for the creamer. Now that I’ve got my coffee the way I like it, I lift the cup and let the warmth take away the cold in my hands.
Tristan’s eyes are still on me as I make my way to the table. I place a quick kiss on top of his head before sitting on the bench beside him. “Morning.”
“Morning.” He bumps into me. “I hope I didn’t wake you when I got out of bed.”
Ah, so heismaking it seem like we were in the same bed.
“Nope. My sister did the honors.” His eyes widen for a split second before he regains control. “She decided to scare the hell out of me.”
“Language while at the table, Paula,” Mom says without a glance backward.
“Fine.” I grumble. “How long have you been up?”
“About thirty minutes.” Tristan shrugs. “Your parents were already in here when I came in. Honestly, I think it’s the smell of coffee that pulled me out of my slumber.”
“Speaking of sleep.” I change the subject. “Are there extra blankets? The room was freezing last night.”
“Your brothers took whatever extra blankets were available.” Mom is scrambling eggs while flipping bacon. I, on the other hand, can barely boil water while talking. “Sorry about turning the heat down. Menopause has me all over the place.”
Okay, that may have been too much information in front of a guest, but I am choosing my battles wisely this morning.
“Well, I guess I’m going to the store after breakfast.” Mom turns around as if I’ve somehow wounded her. “Nothing against you, Mom.” I hold my hands up in surrender. “I don’t want you to make yourself uncomfortable on account of me. I’ll buy a comforter that matches my room so I’ll get more than a couple of uses from it.”
“That’s smart, kiddo.” Dad adds. As if he won’t bedoing everything in his power to get me to work for the winery later.
“While you’re out, can you get some things. It was a mistake asking your brothers to do any sort of shopping. I know you’ll get what I need.”
“Sure thing.” I guess being an eldest daughter never fades. I’m always there to help in any way I can, and it’s one of the reasons they think they can push me into a position.
CHAPTER TEN
tristan
“Your family doesn’t seem sobad.” We’re at the store looking for a blanket, along with the massive list of stuff Abigail asked us to get. It’s like she’s feeding a basketball team. Which, I guess, she is with how many people are in the family. There were only three of us home most of the time unless my brother came home to visit.
“That’s what you think. Just wait until we start playing games. Or, even worse, my brother starts needling me about taking on my family obligations.”
She’s leaning over the cart as she pushes it toward the home goods area. The good thing about chain stores is almost all of them look the same so we aren’t spending a ton of time looking for things. But Paula has been here many times, it makes sense she knows the store well.
