Being With You (The Redemption Series) (15 page)

Interrupting with a wave of her hand, she spoke over top of him, “Oh, Tristan. No need to apologize, big guy.” She moved her bowl of cereal over and stood close to him as they leaned against the counter. “As long as you take my advice, you’ll be able to fill that void in no time,” she teased with a hip check.

Tristan didn’t reach out to touch her, still feeling crappy about his actions. Instead, he grunted and sauntered away to find his shoes for work. He needed to get going if he was going to make it on time; he hated being late.

G
abriel’s Restaurant was completely swamped that night. It was the end of February and winter doldrums were alive and well in Colorado. The entire city was out in full force. It was a cloudless sky and completely frigid, but that didn’t stop anyone and everyone from packing every local eating and drinking establishment to the brim.

The crowds were finally dispersing and it was a blessing in disguise. Most of the coolers were emptied; they didn’t usually get this large of a crowd during the winter and they weren’t prepared. He’d run out of two kinds of tap beer an hour ago and was close to running out of the last one.

Tristan was just working on pulling another keg in from the side room when someone called out, “Hey, sweets. You need some help with that?”

Turning toward the sound of the voice, Tristan was pleasantly surprised to see Peyton standing at the edge of the bar wrapped up in a long fuzzy coat and furry boots with a black knit hat pulled over her head, leaving her dainty ears exposed. She had pulled off her gloves and was undoing her coat and pulled it off, revealing a long sleeve t-shirt-like dress with a deep V-neck that accentuated her cleavage and left little to the imagination. Not that he needed any, but it had been a while and things weren’t as clear in his memory as they used to be.

“I’m good, fancy pants. Whatcha up to?”

Peyton shrugged. “I just got done with work and I’m hungry. Thought maybe I could eat here. If you don’t mind.”

Tristan gave her his full-fledged megawatt smile and felt himself truly relax for the first time today. “I don’t mind, Peyton. In fact, I would love it.”

Peyton choose a simple grilled chicken sandwich for supper and she ate while she and Tristan caught up on some of the mundane parts of each other’s lives. He told Peyton about his uncle’s failing company and how he’d been doing lately with his new meds and the new doctor. She told Tristan about how she got the job working at the hospital, and about her baby brother coming home from being overseas in the military.

“Caleb has decided not to re-enlist, so he’s coming home to stay. He’ll be living at the house with me, I’m sure, so I won’t be in that big old house by myself anymore. Thank God…”

Tristan had been pretty sure she hadn’t moved; her house was a simple split-level home that no one would really consider either really
big
or really
old
. “You don’t like your house? It seemed pretty comfy and warm to me when…” He stopped talking the minute he realized he was going to start talking about their previous time together, and that was not a subject he was ready for…yet.

Quickly changing the subject, he added lamely, “Your house was really nice, Peyton.” It was an awkward way to change the subject, but it was all he had. She sensed it, too, and quirked her eyebrow and laughed. “Well, that was a delicious supper, Tristan. Please tell the cook he did fabulous.”

Peyton was reaching into her purse and pulled out her wallet. Tristan growled at her playfully and told her, “Your money is no good here, fancy pants.”

“Well, then I won’t be back if you don’t let me pay for my supper,” her words were said with a smile, but Tristan could hear the seriousness behind them.

Thinking quickly, he decided to take another proverbial step forward. “You can buy my dinner tomorrow night, then. You pick the restaurant. Deal?”

Peyton’s resulting smile was absolutely breathtaking and Tristan had a hard time containing his own elation. The glee was written all over her face, and he knew she was going to accept before she even answered his question.

Time was ticking by at a snail’s pace and every second was torture. Tristan was having a hard time keeping himself occupied Sunday as he waited for his date with Peyton. Susy was working the morning shift for the after church goers, but there wasn’t a reason for him to open the bar that early, so he was usually off on Sundays. Which was fine, but today, he really needed something to do to pass the time.

He’d woken up early and fixed Susy breakfast before she left…toast and orange juice, but it was the thought that counted, he knew. Then he did his laundry and most of Susy’s as well, but left it all lay on his bed to be put away. He’d do it later, or he’d figured that maybe he’d get his loving roommate to take pity on him with a pleading look and puppy dog eyes. She’d probably just tell him to get fucked and laugh, but maybe she’d for once just do it.

Then, he went to work out, spending two hours there on every machine in the circuit until his body felt like jelly. Tristan knew he was overdoing it, but he needed to kill some of this extra energy. He was home from the gym an hour before he was supposed to pick Peyton up at her house and was showered, dressed and ready to go with forty five minutes to spare.

He sat on the couch and flipped through the channels on the tv, bouncing his knee about as he waited. When that didn’t keep his attention, he flipped it off and scrolled through his social media page, commenting on a few things and posting a picture of himself he’d taken as he worked out at the gym. Selfies of a sweaty, muscled man seemed to get a lot of reaction and increased not only his friends list, but also the number of female customers that came out for Happy Hour on Friday nights. It was a win win for everyone.

Thirty five minutes to go, and it only took ten minutes to get to Peyton’s house.
Fuck it
, he thought.
I can’t wait anymore…

Tristan was on auto-pilot as he drove through town to Peyton’s. He was overly excited to get to spend time with her again, away from everyone else and all their problems. They were going on an honest to goodness dinner date for the first time, and he felt like a king for getting here. He was doing better mentally, loved his new doctor, his medications seemed to be working better, and his nightmares were infrequent and no longer made him panic. He still couldn’t remember the specifics when he did have a dream, but at least now, he was able to go back to sleep without anxiety meds, or worse yet, a fifth of booze.

He had money to spare each paycheck, and it was cash he’d earned through hard work and long hours, but it was made honestly. Gabriel was starting to take a few days off each week, leaving Tristan the sole person in charge of the entire crew and leaving some of the smaller business decisions like menu selections and scheduling for the pair to make together. He loved working there and it felt like they were a large family instead of a group of employees.

His Uncle Morgan didn’t bother him at all anymore and Susy and he were in a good place, even if they weren’t screwing like bunnies anymore. And now, he had a date with the other half of his heart…his soul. Maybe they’d be able to figure out a way back to each other this time that didn’t leave either of them feeling like less than equal in the relationship. Things were finally going his way.

Tristan pulled into the driveway of Peyton’s split level house and killed the engine to his trusty old Jeep. It was almost dark at a quarter to six in the evening, and every light was on in her house, making it look like a lit up Christmas tree. Even the lights on the lower basement level were on, and Tristan had never seen those on before. He was kind of worried about her when he knocked on the front door with a hard bang, “Peyton? Are you alright?”

The front door flew open, and a tough looking dark skinned, muscled bound skinhead opened the door with a growl. “What the fuck do you want, douche bag?”

Tristan wasn’t usually one for violence first and then questions later, but everything about this asshole’s position as he stood bare chested and in just a pair of jeans, glaring like he knew everything about him, was making it hard to not clench his hands into fists.

With a calm, but clipped voice, Tristan answered, “Peyton invited me over, asshole. Care to tell me who the fuck you are?”

The man was about ready to lunge for Tristan when Peyton yelled down from the upper level, “Caleb! What the hell are you doing? That’s Tristan!”

Caleb didn’t move forward any further, and left his eyes trained directly on Tristan with a menacing stare as he told Peyton, “Yeah, I got that, sis. I was just gonna fuck him up a little for hurting you.”

Peyton sighed dramatically and was bounding down the stairs in a hurry. Tristan could only see her from the corner of his eye, because he was completely focused right now on the big ass dude in front of him, looking ready to kill him with his bare hands.

Stepping in between the pair, Peyton was in his sight line and he watched as she pushed at her brother’s chest. “You dumb ass! Don’t get yourself involved in my life, Caleb.”

It took a few minutes before a panting Caleb lowered his eyes from Tristan to his little sister standing guard in between the men. “You do realize I’m supposed to protect you from fucking pricks like this?”

Tristan was getting thoroughly riled by the name calling from someone he’d never even met before today, and was ready to move Peyton to the side so he and Caleb could trade punches. He wasn’t given that option though, when his little spit fire swung her own fist up and landed a soft punch to her brother’s jaw. Caleb didn’t react other than a simple frown and then he laughed a deep belly laugh. He rubbed the spot Peyton had hit, and told her, “Damn it, Pey, a slap hurts worse than a punch when you don’t have much to back it up, girlie. I thought I taught you better than that…”

Peyton was still standing toe to toe with her brother, and all Tristan could see was the top of her head, but he knew exactly the expression that would be plastered on her cute face, and he was fucking glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of it today. “I’m too pissed off at you, Caleb. A punch seemed more appropriate.”

They were all crowded onto the landing between the two floors in front of the door and Tristan was only half inside the house. Peyton turned her head around and said with a smile, “Hey, Tristan. This is my brother, Caleb, if you didn’t already figure that out.” Turning back around, Peyton pushed at her brother’s chest until she finally gave up and twisted his nipple between her fingers.

“Owwww!” Caleb yelled and moved to go back down the stairs. “Fine, Peyton. I’m going. But…I’m watching you, Tristan.” The man used his index and middle finger to point at his own eyes and then switched them to be pointed at Tristan, in an
I see you
gesture.

As sweetly as he could muster, Tristan replied, “Gr-r-r-e-at…Good to meet you, Caleb!” He didn’t think it would hurt to pretend at being nice to Peyton’s brother, since the man was the only part of Peyton’s family he’d met. Even though Caleb obviously hated him, Tristan would need to eventually get on the man’s good side. It seemed like he was the father figure in Peyton’s life, whether she wanted it or not.

Peyton turned around, huffing a bit as she did so. She looked a bit disheveled, but still completely gorgeous in a pair of skin tight jeans and a sweater that hung off her bare shoulder. Her lip ring in was in, and she’d straightened her dark hair, letting it filtering around her like a halo. She was his ever fantasy come to life, and some he’d never even had yet. Peyton was the most gorgeous women he’d ever seen, and doubted that anyone could come close to her beauty, with or without being all made up like this.

“You look absolutely beautiful, Peyton.”

She self-consciously looked down at herself and then back up at him, “Yeah, well, I didn’t want to let you outshine me when we go out tonight.” Peyton didn’t wait for him to reply, she darted back up the stairs and grabbed a pair of leopard printed high heels from somewhere. She came part way back down the stairs and sat to work on the shoes. With a playful smirk, she added, “You’re looking pretty handsome yourself, sweets.”