“First of many,” Tristan adds, his eyes flicking to me with a possessive look heating up his features. It makes tingles spread through my body.
When he pulls into the driveway of his parents' mansion, my stomach instantly begins to knot. Tristan comes to open the door for me, and I place my hand in his as I get out of the vehicle. With our fingers linked, we walk to the front door.
It opens before we reach it, and Mrs. Hayes gives us a welcoming smile. “Hana must be a good influence on you, seeing as you’re on time for once,” she teases before kissing Tristan’s cheek.
“I’m just in a hurry to show her off to you all,” he replies.
“It’s good to see you again,” I say as Mrs. Hayes leans in to kiss my cheek. Smelling her soft perfume, I say, “You smell amazing.”
“A gift from my husband,” she murmurs, her eyes warm.
We follow her into the house and out the back where Danny’s already sitting with Mr. Hayes.
Once we’ve greeted them, I take a seat next to Tristan. He instantly reaches for my hand and begins to brush his fingers over the back, sending goosebumps up my arm.
“How did Tristan manage to snatch you up, Hana?” Danny asks, a playful tone to her voice.
“With determination and a lot of hard work,” Tristan mutters, drawing chuckles from his family.
“You make such a beautiful couple,” Mrs. Hayes coos.
Mr. Hayes’ phone vibrates, then he says, “Christopher’s here.”
Mrs. Hayes gets up to open for him.
“How’s business?” Mr. Hayes asks Tristan.
“Good,” he replies, resting his left leg on his knee. He places my hand on his thigh before he continues to brush his fingers lightly over my skin. “Alexei and I have started bringing in shipments through Jinglin.”
Mr. Hayes nods, clearly impressed with his son’s achievements.
“How’s Alexei?” Mr. Hayes’ eyes sharpen on Tristan’s face.
“He’s doing well. Business is booming on his side.”
I watch Mr. Hayes, wondering how much he knows about Alexei.
“No matter what industry you’re in, there’s always money to be made,” Mr. Hayes mutters.
His gaze turns to me, and even though I should be nervous, I’m not. It must be because I’ve gotten used to Tristan’s intensity, and honestly, nothing beats Alexei’s dark eyes.
“How’s school, Hana?”
My lips curve up. “Good. I can’t wait for winter break to start, though.”
My reply draws a chuckle from him. “You better enjoy the breaks. Once you start working, all the vacations come to an end.”
Mrs. Hayes returns with Christopher and Dash beside her. We go through the greeting process, and once we’re seated again, Mr. Hayes turns his attention to them.
Turning my hand over and linking my fingers with Tristan’s, I enjoy watching his family interact.
TRISTAN
While the women are talking outside, Dad, Christopher, and I have drinks in the bar.
Dad takes a sip of his bourbon, and gesturing to the window, he asks, “How serious are things between Hana and you?”
My fingers caress the rim of the glass, and meeting my father’s eyes, I say, “As serious as it can get.”
Christopher lets out a chuckle. “Who would’ve thought you’d settle down before Danny and me?”
“When you meet the right person, it just happens,” Dad mentions.
I nod, agreeing with him, then I admit, “I love her.”
My family has never heard me say that about a woman before, and it makes Dad and Christopher stare at me with surprise.
“How does Lake feel about you dating his daughter?” Dad asks.
I shrug because it really doesn’t matter what anyone thinks. I’ll never give up Hana.
“Don’t fuck things up,” Dad warns.
My lips curve up. “I won’t.”
Dad takes another sip of his drink, then asks, “How are things really with the new company?”
Dad knows why I left Indie Ink and went out on my own. He’s not happy about it, but knowing he won’t change my mind, he’s backed off… for now. He’s keeping a close eye on the new company, though.
Alexei and I are bringing in illegal goods and using the business as a front for money laundering. It’s the main reason I separated myself from Indie Ink. That way, the risk is only on Alexei and myself and not my family.
Just as well, because the Albanians are pissed off that we took California from them. The last thing I want is for them to come after my family in retaliation. I have security watching Hana when I’m not with her because I know they’ll go after her to get to me.
Pushing the worries to the back of my mind, I answer the same as before, “It’s good.”
Dad locks eyes with me. “Don’t get caught.”
I hold my father’s gaze as I nod once. Bringing the tumbler to my lips, I take a sip and then turn my attention to Christopher. “Are you and Dash coping with the workload?”
“I don’t know how you managed to bring in all those contracts,” Christopher mutters.