Nodding, he smiled, so I asked, How did Daryl find you to be my gardener?
Ethan finger spelled that Daryl knew he was looking for a job and thought he’d be perfect. That told me nothing, so I asked, But how do you know him?
He gave me a tiny smile and signed, That’s two questions.
In a flash, the memory of when Tristan said that same thing to me that first night on our ride out to the house flooded through my mind and before I could stop myself, I was sitting there in my gardener’s apartment crying like a baby. I couldn’t do this anymore. Being without Tristan was breaking my heart and I was falling apart.
When I finally stopped crying, I tried to explain what the hell was wrong with me, but all I did was ramble on about missing the man I loved, not that it mattered since I was talking and didn’t even bother to try to sign all the messed up shit that was coming out of my mouth.
“I’m sorry. You must think I’m crazy. I’m not. Or maybe I am. I must be since I’m sitting here in your living room bawling my eyes out over something you said that probably shouldn’t mean anything to me, but it does.”
I wiped the tears from my cheeks and continued to explain my bizarre behavior. “You see, my fiancé said something like you just said the first night I met him, and I miss him so much. I don’t know where he is or even if he’s okay. He hasn’t contacted me in months, except for the other day to tell me to do something that broke my heart to do. I’d hoped he’d message me after I did what he wanted, but there was nothing. I just don’t think I can do this anymore.”
The tears began flowing again, and before I knew it, I was sobbing with my head in my hands as poor Ethan stood there probably thinking he should run away or at least call the authorities to have me committed. I couldn’t stop crying once I started this time, even when I thought I heard someone say my name. I was losing my mind, after all.
“Nina, honey, stop crying.”
I had heard someone say my name. Dropping my hands from my face, I looked up to see my gardener standing over me speaking instead of signing. He looked like he always did wearing jeans, a long sleeve T-shirt, and work boots, but his eyes weren’t the blue they’d always been. Now they were that unmistakable color of melted milk chocolate I’d only ever seen in one person.
Tristan.
Staring up at the man who stood in front of me, I sobbed, “Please tell me it’s you. Tell me I’m not losing my mind. I don’t think I can handle it if you’re a dream or some kind of mirage.”
“It’s me, Nina.”
I drank in the vision of the man I adored finally standing in front of me again after so long. “Oh, my God! Tristan, it’s you!”
Hyperventilating, I was unable to control my emotions any longer. His voice washed over me like a refreshing rain, quenching my heart and soul so long mired in drought from his absence. He knelt down in front of me and looked up into my eyes with those beautiful brown eyes I’d missed so much, whispering, “I’m sorry, Nina. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Oh, Tristan, I’ve missed you so much,” I cried as I wrapped my arms around his neck and drew him to me.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered in my ear. “It’s okay. No more being apart. I promise.”
After all those months without him, just the feel of his arms around me, holding me tight, made all sadness fade away and for the first time in so long, I was happy.
Chapter Eleven
Tristan
Nina sat trembling in my arms, quietly sobbing as she clung to me. Every so often, she’d try to pull back away from me to say something, but I didn’t want to let go. It had been so long since I’d held her in my arms that I was afraid if I let her go again, I might never get her back. I’d made that mistake once. I wouldn’t make it again.
Quietly, she whispered against my chest, “Tristan, I came here because I blew it today. Everything we worked all this time for is ruined. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to screw up. I had no idea Karl was standing behind me at the groundbreaking. He heard me say I’d tell you something. He knows you’re not gone for good.”
I lifted her chin and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Pressing my forehead to hers, I tried to reassure her. “It’s okay. We’ll handle Karl. I’m just glad that’s what you meant in your text.”
She leaned back and studied me for a minute. “What did you think I meant?”
It tore me up to admit what had crossed my mind when I read her message. “I thought you meant something happened between you and Varo.”
Nina hung her head for a moment, making me think my paranoid worrying about her with another man hadn’t been so paranoid, after all. Lifting her head to look at me, she cupped my cheeks and smiled. “I would never do that. Not with Varo. Not with Cal. Not with anyone. You’re the only man for me, even if I don’t like this beard one bit.”