“What’s happened?” he asked, sounding a bit cautious.
“I just want to really make sure I’m what you want. Chloe found out about Dylan tonight, and I’m not going to hide us anymore, but I want you to be certain before I say your name to them.” Teri held her breath. At this point there would really be no turning back.
“I’m coming over.” The sleepiness had dissipated from his voice. She could hear his movements from the other end of the phone.
“Mark, we need to tell them alone. I wanted you to be certain. It’s one thing to talk about the future, but altogether different to have that future facing you.”
“Baby, I want us. I can’t wait until that day comes,” Mark said firmly.
“Well, it looks like that day’s here,” Teri replied, her smile growing. She’d needed to hear those words. They made her strong. Helped her see a little bit more clearly.
“I’m coming over. I’ll be out front. Don’t stop me,” Mark said.
“I don’t know if I’ll even be able to see you tonight. You’re making a wasted trip. I’ll call you when I’m done. I promise.”
“Baby, it’s not wasted. Dammit, Teri, I can’t wait for the day that I don’t have to sit back anymore. That I can be there beside you for the tough parts of life.”
“I need to dress and wake up Chad and Cate. I’m glad they’re home tonight. I love you, Mark,” Teri said, rising from the bed. She rubbed at her belly again, the nausea completely gone.
“I’ll be right out front if you need me,” Mark stated, not backing down at all.
“Thank you.” She smiled into her phone.
“I love you, don’t thank me. I need to be beside you.” Mark hung up first as she stepped inside her closet to change.
“What’s wrong?” Tristan asked, holding Dylan tightly in his arms as he tried to pull away.
“I gotta go. Let me go.” Dylan tugged free of Tristan’s hold and rolled from bed. He stumbled around in the darkened hotel room, looking for his clothes, trying to remember where he’d been when they came off. A slow trickle of panic filled his gut. What did Chloe know?
“Dylan, what happened?” The room lit up. The bright light forced his eyes closed, needing to adjust, and that pissed him off as precious time slipped away from him. He turned his head, remembering they had been in the living room when they undressed. Enough light filtered from the bedroom to see they’d left the clothes in a pile by the sofa.
“I don’t know. Teri just said she knows,” he finally answered, tugging on his slacks, barely getting the zipper up before he reached down to grab his white undershirt. He didn’t worry about the buttons on his pants or bother with putting on his socks.
“Teri knows what?” Tristan asked, valiantly trying to understand. He wasn’t physically holding Dylan back, but all he wanted from Tristan at this moment was help out the door. He patted down his slacks to feel the weight of his wallet and keys inside the pockets.
“Chloe knows something and I have to go home right now,” Dylan answered on the edge of frustration as he slid his loafers on his feet.
“Let me get dressed. I can drive you.” Tristan had already been trailing along after him, following a few steps behind Dylan. He fished his clothes out of the pile, not hesitating to put them on.
“No, you can’t go!” What was Tristan thinking? Of course he couldn’t go to his house. This had to do with his family, his children. They were barely a month into whatever they were doing and Tristan was already trying to cross the boundaries Dylan had set.
“I should be there for you. You shouldn’t have to do this alone,” Tristan replied, searching for something in the back pocket of his slacks, not paying him any attention.
“Why? I handle my life—you don’t. Besides, I don’t even know what’s going on.” Dylan started walking straight toward the door and never looked back as the door slammed shut behind him. His entire focus rested on his children and what the hell was going on at his house. What did Chloe think she knew and how had she found out?
“Wait!” Tristan came running up behind him. “Dylan, please stop!”
“I’ll call you later. It’s not the time.” Dylan punched the elevator button and the doors opened immediately. He didn’t even hesitate. He rushed inside, hitting the button to the lobby. As Tristan followed, Dylan held out a hand, stopping him in his tracks.
“Not now. Back off, Tristan.” He registered the emotions playing across Tristan’s face as the guy took a step back. He saw pain flash in his eyes as the doors closed separating the two of them, but he steeled his heart. Teri would have never called him home in the middle of the night if things weren’t seriously wrong. His obligations required he put them above everything, even Tristan knew that.
Ignoring the pain in his heart, he jogged across the lobby to the valet desk, fishing out his car’s parking ticket. “I need to follow you to the car. I’ve got an emergency.”
“No problem,” the guy said, grabbing the keys from a side board.
“We need to hurry,” Dylan said, antsy as hell, running his fingers through his hair.
“It’s on the third floor,” the guy said, heading to the front doors.
“Fastest way there.” The guy took off out the front doors in a slow jog. Dylan came up right beside him. “Can you run faster?”
“Oh yeah.” He took off like a dart and Dylan followed, down three flights of stairs to the bottom of the garage. As he spotted his car, he dug out his money clip, peeling off a twenty dollar bill. He grabbed the keys as the valet took the money. He was in the car and out of the garage in a matter of a minute. Luckily they lived in north Dallas, so he was fairly close to home.
Tristan stood there as those doors slid shut in his face. He couldn’t ever remember being in a situation like this before. His heart was in that elevator, riding down without him. Pain filled him on an all-consuming level and the place his heart used to reside now ached. What should he do?
And another important question rained down on him. When exactly had Dylan become his reason for living?
He had no choice.
Tristan started back toward the hotel room as he dug inside his pockets. He had his phone and wallet. He kept going, patting himself down, until he lifted his wallet, looking inside for the cardkey. He stood in front of the locked door with no room key, completely dressed, all except for his shoes.
Fuck it! He pivoted on his bare feet, tucking everything back inside his pants. He ran his hands over his hair, hoping the bedhead might lie down on its own. He hit the elevator call button as he pulled up the Uber app on his phone. A car sat waiting out front, and he went through the steps to book the ride. The elevator doors opened. He ignored the stares as he ran for the front doors. The SUV pulled up as he rapidly took the steps down.
“I’ve got to find the exact address. I know it’s Highland Park. Can you head that way?” he asked, sitting in the front seat.
“Most people sit in the back, man.” The guy was more casual than most drivers, but he supposed that may have something to do with the late hour. Tristan just stared at him for a moment.
“Most drivers are already en route by now.” Tristan had his phone in his face, digging through his contact information. He’d put Dylan’s address inside there somewhere. “How much do you charge to wait?” Tristan asked.
“More than you can afford,” the guy said, chuckling a little.
“I doubt that,” Tristan responded. He might look like a scrub, but the tone he used had the guy’s demeanor immediately changing. He found the address and spouted it off to the driver with urgency.
“I charge seventy-five an hour,” he said, eyeing him closer.
“I need you to sit out front and wait. I don’t know how long it’ll last,” Tristan added.
“You got the cash?” Tristan reached for his back pocket and opened his wallet, running a thumb over the bills inside. He pulled out two one hundred dollar bills and laid them on the console. They hit a red light and the
guy looked at him, then at the wallet and down to the money. His eyes shot back up, and he palmed the cash, shoving the bills inside his pocket.
“I’m Darren. Need me to stop and get you some shoes, man?”
“No, I need to be in front of that house as soon as possible,” Tristan said and rattled off the address again.
“Got it.” Darren lifted his phone and entered the address.
“Want some music?” He didn’t wait as the light turned green. By the time they hit the highway, a slow and steady rap song started. The guy knew every word. He sat there, singing quietly, driving a little faster than the speed limit, which was fine—even better in fact.
Tristan ignored everything and stared out the side window into the night. Why did this feel so much like he’d just been dumped? He took a deep breath to calm the thumping of his heart. Under no circumstance would he make this about him. Not right now. Besides, even if Dylan tried to end things between them, he had the security of having Dylan working directly for him. He could do everything in his power to win the guy back. But shit! Things had just gotten right between them. They were actually pretty perfect right now, and Tristan couldn’t wait for the future. He was biding his time until they were together all day, every day.
Shit!
“Huh?” The driver looked his way.
“What’s that?” Tristan looked over, completely lost in the deep worry of his thoughts.
“You just said something.”
“Nothing, sorry.” Tristan watched as they pulled off the highway and passed by Southern Methodist University. The houses got nicer as they drove the back way inside the town. As they pulled up to Dylan’s place, Tristan stared at the house. The front windows were small and open. He could see lights on the inside, but the other houses in the neighborhood were dark. Tristan looked down at the time. It was a little past four in the morning.
“Man, we can’t be sittin’ here in a neighborhood like this in the middle of the night. The cops are gonna be called,” Darren said as another car pulled in behind him on the street.
“Turn off the headlights,” Tristan directed, trying to see who was behind him. The new car worried him. It wasn’t Dylan’s sports car, something bigger like a small SUV. “Can you see who’s driving?”
Dylan told him to stay behind. There was no doubt Dylan didn’t want him involved in any of this. What if he was already busted? The lights in the vehicle behind them dimmed, but it continued to idle.
“Nah, man, it’s too dark. I can make out one guy in the driver’s side, but I could be wrong,” Darren said, looking between his rearview and outside mirror.
“Keep an eye on him. Let me know if he gets out of the car,” Tristan responded, his focus immediately returning to the house.
Dylan came through the garage door and followed the sounds until he reached the middle living room. The formal room. Teri sat quietly on a sofa, Chloe tucked into her side. Chad was in his pajamas, asleep on the other sofa. Cate sat between them, looking uncertain, her big eyes going straight to him as if he had the answers they needed. He tried for a small smile, but it didn’t seem to ease her.
“Son, wake up, we need to talk.” Dylan reached down and shook Chad awake. Right about then, Chloe caught sight of him and busted out with a fresh round of tears. She jumped up and ran to him, hugging him tightly. He’d had to steady himself to keep them both on their feet with the force she hit him with.
“Dad, I’m sorry.” She gripped him tighter, crying openly onto his chest.
“Honey, it’s okay. Nothing’s this bad,” he said, holding her tight, searching Teri’s gaze. She gave nothing away. “Sit down with me. Let’s talk this out.”
“Chloe honey, let me handle this,” Teri said from across the room before Chloe had a chance to say another word.
“Honey, here.” Dylan handed her some tissue off the coffee table. The box was new. She never really let him go, so he guided them closer to Teri and took a seat. Chad now had the same look Cate carried. They both sat quietly, unsure as to what they were seeing, but Cate had moved over to sit closer to her brother. Chloe was clearly freaking them both out. Actually, he was on their side—he felt pretty freaked himself.
“Chloe, blow your nose and stop crying. We have to talk and you need to hear what I have to say,” Teri said, handing her the bundle of tissues she held in her hands. To her credit, she did what was asked, but stayed molded to his side. He held her there, trying for comfort as he waited for Teri to begin.
“Guys, I called this family meeting tonight after Chloe saw something she was unsure of,” Teri said. Her voice was different than he remembered before. She had compassion there, but resolve. Her tone strong and determined.
“Daddy, I’m sorry. I should have called you,” Chloe added, looking up at him, but Teri held out a hand, stopping Dylan from responding.
“No, honey, it’s not what you think,” Teri said, reaching over to calm her back down. Those words took a second to sink in, but they did stop the latest round of tears before they had a chance to form. “Dry your eyes. Your dad and I have some things to explain to you all.”
“Mom, what’s going on?” Cate asked, coming over to climb in right next to Teri. Dylan cocked his head to Chad to bring him closer. He wouldn’t come on his own because of his age, but he still carried that very big you guys are freaking me out look.
“Your dad and I have some things to tell you. We’d planned to wait until after Cate graduated, but regardless of Chloe’s discovery tonight, we were already going to have to change our plans.”
That confused Dylan even further, and he tucked Chloe in tighter as he felt her crying silently again. He patted Chad’s leg and he whispered softly down to Chloe. “Shh, listen for me, okay?”
“I’ve practiced this talk so many times. Now that we’re here, I don’t know where to start. So let’s go back to the beginning.”
“Fuck it!” The time ticked by slower than Tristan ever remembered. He kept his eyes trained on the small, opened curtain inside the house, praying for some kind of movement. Anything that let him know that Dylan wasn’t beating himself up for who he was as a man. Like any movement would help him identify what was going on inside that stubborn head of his.
Dylan’s resolve could break the rock of Gibraltar, and he knew that would leave him completely cut loose and left behind. Dylan would most definitely sacrifice their relationship in a heartbeat. He wouldn’t fight to keep them together, not yet. Not enough time had passed for Tristan to work his way inside Dylan’s heart, like Dylan had done so completely to his.
“Dammit!” Tristan whispered.
“Dude, you keep scaring the shit out of me. I’m already in this uppity neighborhood, stalking a private residence with a guy with no shoes and a wad of cash, and then you bust out with a curse word every three or four minutes in nothing but all this silence you’re making us sit in.” A quick rap of knuckles sounded on Darren’s side window.
“Shit! Goddammit!” Darren hissed, jerking his head toward the window as he frantically tried to get from his seat into Tristan’s.
“Get off me and roll your window down,” Tristan said, shoving him back toward the steering wheel.
“No fuckin’ way,” he hissed and scooted himself through the gap in the console, landing head first in the backseat. Tristan reached across the car to roll the window down. The driver gave a loud huff as he tried to correct his body’s position. “My rate just increased to a hundred fucking dollars an hour. This is crazy. These high-class cops shoot first and ask questions later!”
The guy at the window stared into the car, not saying a word, and Tristan wasn’t any more forthcoming. What did he need to say as to why he sat out front of this particular house? “It’s dark. I can’t see you real well, but you look like that Wilder dude.”
Okay, he hadn’t expected that. Hesitantly, he confirmed, “I am.”
An arm reached in through the window and opened the door from the inside latch. He slid into t
he seat.
“Dude, you can’t just let anyone get inside my car. Man, what’s wrong with you people? Stalking rich folks in the middle of the night is a crime in about all fifty states,” Darren said, clearly upset.
“I’m Mark, Teri’s…” The silence ensued again. “Ummm…Yeah, well, she told me about you.” He stuck his hand out toward Tristan who shook it, before Mark reached his hand toward the backseat.
“I’m not anyone you need to know,” the guy said, completely indignant, refusing the handshake. “Wait a second, did he say Wilder? Did you say Wilder?” Darren asked, pulling himself back up toward the center of the car. “Are you that dude that’s in town to buy somethin’?”
“Yes,” Tristan said, lifting a hand to stop Darren from saying anything more. He was more interested in Mark. “What do you know?”
“Man, I should’ve asked for more money.” Darren tossed himself against the backseat.
“I don’t know a lot. I wondered what you knew,” Mark asked, looking past Tristan. Tristan’s eyes followed and they both stared out into the night at the house. Tristan’s gaze focused back on that small open window.
“I don’t know anything. Dylan didn’t know anything when he left. Teri called and told him to come home,” Tristan supplied.
“Did Dylan know that Chloe found out about him?” Mark asked and Tristan whipped his head around.
“How did she find out?”
“I don’t know. We didn’t get that far. Teri’s whole plan was to bring the family home to have the talk now.”
“She planned to tell the kids tonight?” Tristan asked.
“I guess, I don’t know. It sounded big,” Mark replied, and Tristan turned back to the house. Dread filled his soul. No way Dylan knew that when he walked into that house a little while ago.
Shit! This would traumatize Dylan.
He couldn’t see Dylan wanting to continue their relationship right now. He’d blame himself for Chloe finding out. That take-responsibility-for-everyone-around-him attitude was one of the sexiest things about Dylan. Now, all of a sudden, it also seemed like the end to the short time they’d been together. But to Tristan, the time hadn’t been short. It was a game changer. The last month had been the best of his entire life. He loved that man who had just walked into the collapse of everything he held dear in life.
Secret Page 26
