All except one.
“Well, whatever the reason you’re all mean to each other, it’s lame. I never want to hear any of you say that women have issues,” I scoff.
Tristan grins and hops out of the truck, then comes around to open my door. He extends his hand and helps me down before closing it. As I go to move, he pushes me against the door, arms caging me in on both sides.
“Before we make our grand debut, I wanted to say this. I love you. No matter what people say or think. No matter whether they agree or disagree, I don’t give two fucks. I care about you. I care about us. I care about the life we’re building.”
I nod and smile. “Good, let’s give them something to talk about then.”
We share a sweet kiss, and then I place my hand in his as we walk into the restaurant.
It’s like one of those dramatic moments on television. People’s forks freeze, midway to their mouths, conversations stop, and all eyes are on us.
The town is all very aware of the bad blood between our families, and I get it. This is a shock, but it’s not that dramatic.
Or maybe it is, since they’re all staring.
Tristan lets out a low sound from his chest. “Lark and I are together, and I love her. This is a date, so continue on with your meals.”
I slap his chest with my free hand. “Tristan, that’s not how you tell them.”
He stares down at me. “How do you want me to do it? Look at them.”
“You could have some finesse. Like…” I turn to face the crowd of onlookers. “Hey, everyone, how ya doing? We’re good. This might be a little bit of a shock, but you know, we’re togetheron our first date in public. Our families are aware and thank you for being so wonderful.”
I finish my little speech and turn to him.
He snorts. “Yes, that was better, sweetheart.”
While I heard every single syllable laced with sarcasm, I respond the opposite way. “Thank you.”
The host grabs the menus and gestures for us to follow. Tristan places his hand on the small of my back and we go have our dinner. People stare the whole time, but neither of us notices because we’re too busy being focused on each other.
“You andTristan?” Mary Lou asks. “TristanStone. As in my brother-in-law?”
“Yes.”
“Like together?”
I nod. “Yes.”
“Well, I didn’t see that coming,” she says with a laugh. “Are you…like…do you guys love each other?”
We’re sitting at the bar, just the two of us, having the conversation I’ve been terrified of all night. When we arrived, I gave hugs, grabbed her hand, and we’ve been sitting here ever since, each nursing a drink. The rest of the group—Tristan, Suzanne, Jimmy, Harper, and two of her friends—are at the table area or dancing.
Mary Lou and I needed to talk in private. Tristan pretty much demanded he come with me, but I don’t need that. I need my best friend’s blessing or at least understanding.
“We do. I promise, we wouldn’t have told another soul if it wasn’t serious.”
She glances over her shoulder and laughs. “I can see that with the way he’s staring at us, as if he can read lips and he’s ready to come rescue you.”
“Do I need rescuing?” I ask.
Mary Lou places her hand on the bar and turns to me. “You’re my best friend, Lark. You’re like a sister, and while this is a little weird, I just want you to be happy. I think Emmy Jo would want that too. How does Sadie feel?”
“Well, she’s my bestie.”
She laughs a little. “I bet. You’re pretty cool.”
