He fumed. As the oldest, Cal always liked to boss them around, and age hadn’t softened his ways. “Yes. Not that it’s your business. I just wanted you both to know I’m trying to pursue this on an honorable level.”
Dalton spurted out a laugh. “Umm, I have a feeling last night had nothing to do with honor. Your shirt looks like you were on a strip-club stage.”
Tristan glowered. “Forget it. I’m done. I’ll figure it out myself. I don’t need your approval, I just figured you should know.” He turned to stomp off, but Cal called out his name, forcing him to stop.
His brother blew out a breath. “All right, calm down. You just caught me by surprise. I know the two of you share a history. Sit down for a minute.”
Tristan regarded them both, then plunked himself on the wicker chair. “Anything is better than dealing with wedding talk,” he muttered. Dalton snatched his coffee back. “This is a fucking big deal to me, too, you know. I don’t need any more crap from you boneheads.”
Dalton patted him on the back. “You are real touchy, bro. We’re here for you. Just tell us the whole story. We all knew you were sleeping together, but when Mom died, things got a bit out of control.”
Tristan stretched his feet out, remembering that vulnerable time when they all scrambled to piece their lives back together. “It was tough,” he admitted. He’d kept the secret from his brothers so long, his voice came out a bit rusty. “I was so pissed at both of you, I never shared what was really going on between me and Syd. Telling you we were having an affair was bad enough.”
“Yeah, we all lost our way back then. But now is a good time to tell us everything,” Cal said. He motioned over to Dalton, who grumbled but gave up his coffee mug for the greater good of gossip. Tristan nodded his thanks and took a sip.
“We began sleeping together and kept it quiet over the summer. You two were away most of the time, so it was easier. But then we were still together, so we figured you’d find out eventually. Sydney insisted we tell you together.”
Dalton snorted. “I remember that scene. I gave you a black eye.”
“That was me,” Cal said. “Tris gave you a broken nose.”
Dalton glared. “Did not.”
“Can we get back to the subject?” Tris interrupted. “You agreed not to tell Dad, and that was my main concern. I knew he’d use it as some sick leverage against me, or completely lose his shit.”
“Smart,” Cal commented. “Did Mom know?”
Tristan’s face softened. “I think so. She loved Syd like a daughter, but she never confronted me about our relationship. Once, when we were in the kitchen, she told me not to break Sydney’s heart. That’s all she said—just dropped that bomb on me and walked away. I think she figured we’d work it out on our own, and then she was gone, and things blew up.”
They all pondered that dark time in quiet. Tristan was still grateful their relationship had healed and they were now a real family. He had no idea how truly lonely he’d been in New York until he came back to Harrington and claimed his place again.
“I fell apart. I couldn’t deal with my feelings for Sydney because I was so enraged at Dad, and all I wanted to do was get out of Harrington. I began pulling away from her, and we ended up fighting a lot. All I could think about was getting out on my own to see what I could accomplish.”
Dalton nodded. “That’s how I felt when I fled to California. I needed that break.”
“Sydney didn’t want to go. I asked her, but her grandmother was in the hospital, and she wanted to stay. The thing is, I realized besides the constant fighting and age difference, she was happy in Harrington. She liked her job and her life. I was the one who craved a new start. Eventually things got so crappy, I left without her.”
“Makes sense,” Cal said. “I wonder if that’s why she got married so fast after you two broke up.”
The scar still throbbed, but Tristan understood so much more now. “I actually came back to town right before her wedding,” he admitted. “I tried to stop her. Asked her to come to New York with me again.”
“What happened?” Dalton asked.
“She said no. Said I’d never told her I loved her or offered her anything to fight for. She was right, even though I didn’t want to believe that for a long time. We both screwed up, but I want a second chance. We’ve changed. Looking back, I doubt it would’ve worked between us during that time. She’s still the woman I want, and I’m tired of fighting it. I just have to convince her to trust me and take the leap.”
Dalton grinned and motioned to his ripped shirt. “Seems like you got a great head start.”
“Coming from the man whore of the century,” Tristan said, rolling his eyes.
“Hey, not anymore. Raven has made me a changed man, but it was a long road. I had to learn to forgive both of us for the past, and sometimes that screws you up. But I always felt like you and Sydney belonged to each other.”
Cal nodded. “Agreed. You both going to be able to work together so closely while building a personal relationship? Want me or Dalton or Morgan to step in and help?”
“No, I think it will be a good thing for us. Force her to deal with me on a daily basis without running.”
“You really are serious about her,” Cal said thoughtfully. “Just a few weeks ago, you were against promoting her to CFO. Now you want to embark on a relationship. What happened to make you change?”
Tristan tried to express his emotions without getting too touchy-feely and embarrassing all of them. “I kept her at a distance because I was afraid. She made me feel things I wasn’t comfortable with. I hated thinking about how things ended with us, but in the past weeks, I’ve felt different when I’m around her. It’s hard to explain. When I watched her negotiate with Cushman, and the way she’d been handling her CFO position, I respected the hell out of her. And seeing her take care of Becca reminds me so much of Mom. She’s grown into herself, and I fall deeper every day. It’s almost as if all roads in my life were leading to her.” He buried his face in his coffee, ready for them to tear him apart for his poetry.
Instead, they both shared a sigh. “Yep, you got it bad,” Dalton declared. “Raven drove me to highs and lows I’d never experienced. But I can’t imagine a day without her. She makes me whole.”
“Morgan was such a pain in the ass,” Cal said fondly. “She wrecked me. But it was fucking awesome, and I never want to be my old self again.”
Tristan swallowed a lump of emotion, then cleared his throat. “Thanks, guys. I needed to hear that.”
“We’ll back you up, bro,” Dalton said. “Just don’t get impatient. Sometimes women need lots of time to settle things in their minds before their hearts catch up.”
Tristan stared at his brother. He’d always been the closet poet in the group. “That was really sweet.”
“Thanks. Now give me my fucking coffee. I have to get a refill now, and I’ll be forced to answer some wedding questions that scare the hell out of me.”