34
I shouldn’t be nervous about going to my brother’s house.But this time is different because for the first time ever, I’m not going alone.Jolie’s hand is in mine as we make our way to his front door for the “family” barbecue he and Becka are hosting today.Jo and I have been on a few more dates, and we haven’t slept a night apart in the last week, so it felt like the right time to finally tell the band.I called Trent last night to give him a heads-up that we were going to announce it to the band today, and he apologized again for how he reacted when he found out.It was nice to clear the air and take one less stressor off my plate.
I struggled for a few days after that bombshell letter from Robbie.I’m still mad at him and trying to work through my feelings the only way I know how—writing song lyrics.But even that can’t rid me of the feeling that eventually the rug is going to get ripped out from under me.
Becka answers the door and smiles giddily as soon as she sees us together.She claps her hands in front of her and then turns her head to yell behind her.“Trent!They’re here.”
She turns back to us, and she’s so fucking excited I can’t help but let out a quick laugh.
She smacks my arm.“Oh stop.I’ve been waiting for ages for the day you’d bring a woman with you to one of these things.And I’m just so ecstatic to see you both so happy.”She puts her palms together like she’s praying and then puts them in front of her mouth, barely concealing her smile.
“You’re ridiculous, you know that, right?”
She nods but doesn’t stop smiling.Instead, she grabs both of us and hauls us inside.“Everyone’s out back.”
“Everyone?”I pull my phone out of my pocket to double-check the time.How is everyone here already?We’re twenty minutes early because I didn’t want Jolie to feel bombarded by everyone all at once.I knew seeing us together as a couple for the first time might be a little weird, so I figured we’d let Trent and Becka adjust first and then as Miles and Kasen arrived, we could tell them.
“Miles, Tamsin, and Kasen got here a half hour ago.You have no idea how hard it’s been to keep our mouths shut until you two got here.”
“Fucking fabulous,” I mumble.Jo tugs on my arm and frowns at me.
She turns with a smile to Becka.“Can you give us a minute?We’ll be out shortly.”Becka opens her mouth like she wants to protest, but then glances at me and closes it.She nods to Jo and then walks outside.Jo pulls me into the living room out of range of the gathering on the back patio.
“What’s going on with you?You’ve been grumpy all morning.”
I rub my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose.“Nothing.”
She squeezes my hand.“Tristan.Come on, you should know by now you can’t get away with lying to me.I know you too well.Seriously, what’s wrong?”
“I didn’t want this to be a big deal, okay?I don’t want you to feel any pressure.”My chest tightens.Truth is, I don’t want to give her any reason to run away from me.To decide maybe this is all too much for her and she should be with someone else.She hates the limelight, so she’s probably not thrilled we’re going to walk out on that patio and be examined like bugs under a microscope.
Her brows pinch, and she stares at me like she’s trying to read my mind.“I don’t feel pressured.They’re our friends.They just want us to be happy, but this is also a huge change for both of us.You’ve never brought a woman to any family event, and I’ve always been with Robbie.”
As if I need the reminder.I try not to let my mood sour at the mention of his name.
“Okay, fine.Let’s do this.”I take a step toward the patio, but she pulls me back.
“Is that really it?”
I don’t want to lie to her, but I also don’t need her to know about all of my insecurities when it comes to how long I’ll get to keep her.“Yeah, let’s head out there before Becka comes back in and makes a whole big thing about it.”
She hesitates, and I can tell she wants to ask me more, and if she asks me long enough, I know I’ll cave.I’ve never been able to say no to her for any significant length of time.
With another pull on her hand, she finally moves and follows me out to the patio.As soon as Miles sees her hand in mine, he starts clapping.
“It’s about damn time!I fucking called it, didn’t I, Baby Girl?”he says, turning to Tamsin who has a huge smile on her face directed at us.
I’m surprised by his remark and wonder if maybe I wasn’t as skilled at hiding my real feelings as I thought I was.First, I find out Robbie knew, and now Miles.
My gaze connects with Trent, and he frowns slightly before turning to everyone with his rock star smile firmly in place and telling them to grab drinks and food from the huge spread on their giant outdoor table.Then his gaze reconnects with mine, and he flicks his head toward the house.It’s an unspoken message for us to go inside and talk, and one I’m all too eager to follow.I need to get this Robbie thing off my chest.I let go of Jo’s hand as she’s swooped up by Miles and Tamsin who can’t seem to stop smiling.Kasen lingers in the back near Becka; he’s had a hard time being around Jolie since Robbie’s death.
I follow Trent into his house, and as soon as the door is closed, he says, “What’s wrong?”
I scrub my hands over my face and sag into one of the barstools at his kitchen island.
“I’m just waiting for this house of cards to crumble.”
“What do you mean?”