He looked tired and, although it had only been a few weeks, he was thinner than Joey remembered. Much thinner. His cheekbones were more prominent and there were dark circles under his rich brown eyes. Joey hated the idea that Tristan hadn’t been eating or taking care of himself properly.
His protective instincts went into overdrive.
If Tristan would take him back, he was going to take care of him and ensure that he got back to full health.
They stared at one another in silence, neither taking the step forward that was needed to close the distance between them. Joey could barely breathe through his excitement at being together again, but Tristan’s expression was unreadable. When the initial shock had waned, Joey opened his mouth and tried to speak, but nothing came out.
It was Tristan who finally broke the silence.
“I’m sorry for just showing up like this,” he said, holding Joey’s gaze. “But I had no other way of contacting you and I had to see you. I missed you so much.”
Tristan’s voice broke on the last sentence.
His confession caused relief unlike any Joey had known. The words produced a warm, happy glow in his chest.
“Don’t apologize, I’m glad you came. I missed you too—more than I thought possible.”
“You did?”
Confusion colored Tristan’s words, but hope shone in his eyes.
The combination was enough for Joey to close the distance between them and take hold of Tristan’s hand. The sidewalk around them was busy, people hurriedly coming and going, each lost in their own thoughts.
Joey ignored everyone but the man standing in front of him, the only man that mattered.
“Joey, please—”
“Don’t,” Joey interrupted with a shake of his head.
He lifted his right hand and placed his forefinger over Tristan’s lips. He had ruined things between them and it was up to him to put them right.
“Let me say what I need to before I lose my nerve, okay?”
When Tristan nodded his agreement, Joey went on.
“I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry.”
He was almost choking on the lump in his throat, but he made himself continue with what he needed to say.
“I made a mistake, a terrible mistake. I should never have left Wolf Creek. I should never have walked away from you. I didn’t give us a chance and you deserved one.
“It’s no excuse, I know, but I got scared. I panicked. I only thought about the things in my life that I was giving up—the job that I love, my home, my family.
“But what I didn’t consider was that, by leaving, I was giving up the very thing that mattered most. You.”
Tristan tried to reply then, but Joey shook his head then continued.
“I’ve been so miserable since I got back here. I can’t sleep, I can’t think about anything but how much I miss you.
“I never thought it was possible to care for someone so much after knowing them for such a short time, but you left an impression on me, a lasting impression on my heart and on my soul, and I can’t forget you—I don’t want to forget you.
“If you’ll forgive me, if you’ll give me a second chance, I want to come back to Wolf Creek with you. For good.”
There.
Joey had said everything he needed Tristan to know.
The ball was in his court now. The decision of whether or not they would get back together was Tristan’s to make. With bated breath, Joey stared into his eyes and waited for the answer that had the capacity to make Joey the happiest man alive or to shatter his world.
When Tristan shook his head, Joey’s stomach lurched.
“I’m sorry,” Tristan said. “But I’m afraid you can’t come back to Wolf Creek with me.”
Joey nodded and tried to force out a smile, but his mouth wasn’t cooperating.
He felt sick.
“Because I’m coming to live here,” Tristan continued.
Joey drew his eyebrows together and stared at Tristan. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s quite simple,” Tristan replied. “You’ve apologized for leaving, but the truth is I’m the one who should be apologizing to you for expecting you to stay in Wolf Creek.
“It was selfish of me and I’m sorry for it. I knew how much you loved your job, how important it was to you. I should never have asked you to give it up.”
“I would,” Joey said with conviction. “For you, I would. And, actually, I kind of already did.”
“What?”
Joey nodded. “I just left a letter of resignation for my boss. I was on my way to Wolf Creek. I was going to beg you to give me another chance.”
Tristan’s smile lit up his entire face. “Are you serious?”
“Perfectly. I made the biggest mistake of my life when I walked away from you. I’ve never been more miserable. I hoped that—”
Joey didn’t get to finish his sentence because Tristan flung his arms around him and silenced him with a kiss.
It was hot and passionate and possessive and spoke volumes about what Tristan felt for him. Joey tried to pour everything he felt into the kiss too. When they finally broke apart, Tristan leaned his forehead against Joey’s while he tried to catch his breath.
“The day you left, I thought about asking you if I could come with you, I should have. But I thought you didn’t want to be with me anymore. I thought you’d changed your mind about us because you realized how dangerous my world could be. I thought that was the real reason you left.”
“It does scare me,” Joey admitted. “But it’s something I’ll have to get used to. And I will if it means I’ll have you in my life. Nothing is more important than that.”
“Any chance you can get that resignation letter back?” Tristan asked around a smile. “Because it would be good if at least one of us had a job and I’m thinking as you already have one…”
Joey pulled back so that he could study Tristan’s face. “Are you sure about this? What about your pack? Would you be happy living in the city?”
Tristan grinned. “I’ll join another pack, it’s no big deal. Jared and I are not from Wolf Creek anyway. We just moved there when my pop died. We’re from Lubbock originally and, to tell you the truth, I miss living in a city.
“I’m not really cut out for small-town life.”
“Wow. I guess there’s still so much I don’t know about you. So much that we don’t know about each other.”
“Yeah, but we have our entire lives to learn all there is to know.”
Joey grinned.
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Tristan’s then kissed him soundly.
“I’d better go and rescue that letter,” he said when they finally broke apart.
Tristan’s face became suddenly serious. “Are you sure this is what you want? Me, I mean? Are you sure I’m what you want?”
As Joey stared into Tristan’s eyes, the answer came to him quickly.
No thought was required.
“Yes,” he replied. “You’re everything that I could ever want. Besides, we’re mates. This is destiny. Who am I to fight fate?”
The End
Enjoyed what you just read?
If so, then please consider leaving a review, however brief.
Reviews help to get the word out about an author’s books which, in turn, helps them sell more copies. That enables authors to continue their writing career—producing more work for your reading pleasure.
About the Author
Lavinia Lewis is the M/M pen name of British romance author Tammy Thomas.
She also writes contemporary romance as Ava Grace and paranormal romance as Amy Armstrong.
She is a full-time writer and lives in Wales, UK.
She discovered reading at an early age and could always be found with her nose in a book. She loved getting lost in a fantasy world even then. When her parents bought her a typewriter for Christmas at age eleven, her fate was sealed. She spent hours dreaming up characters and creating stories. Not a lot has c
hanged. Now, when she is not writing you can find her with her kindle in hand, reading a romance novel, or binge-watching her favorite shows on Netflix.
She has lived all over the UK but currently resides back home in the little village in Wales where she grew up. She has traveled extensively to places as far and wide Africa, Asia, Australia, America and most of Europe. Although some of her books are set in Texas she has never visited the state but plans to spend time there in the near future.
Tammy welcomes emails from her readers so feel free to get in touch at the following email address.
[email protected]
Tristan's Despair (2019 Reissue) Page 12
