He stepped back with a smug smile as Alina blushed elbowing him lightly in the stomach having caught his words and he flashed her look as Bea stood there her mouth opening and closing like a fish.
“Besides,” Trystan continued after giving Alina a wink, “my mother wasn’t too happy when she was told how someone decided to invent a story about Marla getting into an accident to call me away from a date with Alina.”
Bea’s mouth snapped shut as her face paled at his words seeing Trystan’s mother come to stand next to Alina her eyes narrowed and harsh.
“I…” Bea started only to be stopped as Marla intervened.
“Or the fact that although we specifically said we wanted a small wedding with no reporters, you decided to tell them anyway,” she stated her tone cold as she walked forward standing next to her brother Samuel stepping behind her wrapping his arms around her waist.
“Your action,” Trace stated his tone so cold that even the guest shivered, “caused my daughter to get hurt not once but twice as she had did everything in her power to make sure the deranged woman wouldn’t learn about their marriage until it was too late to stop it.”
Bea’s tongue flicked out as her eyes scanned the people in front of her before she tossed her head the gesture more jerky than normal as she said in a aspirated tone, “I will admit that I shouldn’t have made those choices but out of the two of us.” She sneered again as she glanced at Alina, “I’m a much better match.”
“My dear,” Harold said from behind her getting a scowl as he stepped next to her, “do you even know who Alina Barks is?”
Bea rolled her eyes as she said, “The daughter of Trace Blairson.”
“True,” Harold said his eyes flickering with amusement, “but that’s not all. Alina Barks opened her first restaurant with a college roommate at the age of twenty when she was barely out of college. They became partners and over the next few years opened and restored more than twenty restaurants which I might add have done very well. Also Alina happens to be a decent chef which if anyone turns down her employment must be demented. She sold her partnership to her friend before she moved here so if I’m not mistaken,” glancing at Bea’s white face, “she is wealthy enough to do as she pleases without the aid of her father or fiancé for that matter.”
Alina glanced at the man who spoke and she shook her head a smile lurking in her eyes as she said, “I didn’t realize that so much information was available so easily.”
Harold laughed as he admitted, “It’s not, but when Trystan told us that the ideas he added were from you, I decided to do a little investigating of my own. I wanted to make sure that I at least scratched the surface of Miss Alina Barks when I met her.”
Harold smiled as he said with sincerity, “It is an honor to meet you, Miss Barks.”
“Alina,” Alina said glancing up at Trystan who smiled down at her. “I bet anything, sir, that you are a charmer when you want to be.”
Harold laughed as he said, “I was already warned by your fiancé, and I happen to like Trystan along with the fact that he is a brilliant businessman, so I don’t want to get on his bad side if you get my meaning.”
Alina laughed with pure delight as she snuggled closer to Trystan’s telling the man in front of her, “I do more than you can imagine.”
Harold watched as Trystan’s eyes lit up at her words and the look he gave her said more than mere words, and Harold turned to Bea with a mocking bow.
“You don’t stand a chance, my dear,” he said before walking away. He turned back once as he gave Alina his name and watching her eyes widened he laughed realizing she hadn’t even thought about asking for it.
“Sorry,” she called out to him and people around them laughed as he waved his hand going over where his date stood her own eyes laughing at him as he shook his head with obvious amusement.
Bea straightened to her full height as she told them in a cold voice, “I think I should leave.”
“Please do,” Trystan said stepping aside taking Alina with him, and Bea’s eyes flared with anger as she started for the house.
She stopped briefly about to say something when she caught a look in Trystan’s eyes and she swallowed before she hurried out of the house.
She could do better, she decided throwing her purse in the car glaring up at the house before she climbed in and slammed the door.
“He wasn’t that great to begin with,” she muttered roaring away from the house ignoring what her gut was telling.
Later that evening, Alina stood in Trystan’s bedroom staring out his bedroom window as his hard arms slid around her and she sighed leaning back against him.
“Does this dress come in other shades,” he muttered in a hoarse tone. He frowned though as he stepped back and moaned, “Hell, it will take forever to get it off.”
“I wondered if you noticed that,” Alina said teasingly.
He was silent for a few minutes before he said wickedly, “Just means I have to peel it off you slowly.”
Alina shook her head laughing at his words although the arms he wrapped around her weren’t, at the moment, passionate as he sighed resting his chin on her shoulder.
“You didn’t like doing that, did you?” She asked him turning her head her hair brushing across his face as she kissed his temple.
“Not really,” he muttered his lips thinning, “but I don’t like being manipulated either.”
Not understanding what he meant, she turned in his arms and he looked down at her as he said flatly, “Bea is broke and although I would like to think the reason she wanted to marry me isn’t because of that, she hadn’t started talking marriage until recently.”
“Around the same time that she learned she was broke,” Alina added softly giving him a sad look.
Trystan nodded his head a flat look in his eyes because he had enjoyed his time with Bea even though he wasn’t in love with her. To think after their two years together and she suddenly started talking marriage when her funds were depleting, it pissed him off.
“She may have truly cared about you,” Alina offered with a touch of confidence.
Trystan wanted to believe that but he shook his head hugging her close to him as he muttered, “It’s all in the past now because I did her wrong too. I knew that I didn’t love her and I kept leading her on although I believe she knew the score from the beginning.”
Alina’s lips took on a wry shape catching his attention and he flinched at the reaction, but he leaned forward kissing her softly only wanting to comfort the both of them.
“You were awful though to tell her what you did tonight,” Alina reprimanded as he pulled back pushing back her hair.
“Yeah, but so did you with the remark about your ring,” he added lifting a brow at her.
She grimaced leaning her forehead against his chest as he ran his hands down her back to settle them on her hips.
“Maybe being a little blunt will help her to get her life straight,” Trystan said although his voice held doubt, and Alina sighed softly against his chest warming the skin that was revealed from his unbuttoned shirt.
“It’s a nice thought,” Alina whispered against him, and Trystan swallowed as his body reacted to her whispered breath against his skin.
“I forgot to tell you earlier but I called your friends, Amandi and Wayne, to invite them to our engagement. Although they sent their love and ‘I told you so’, they couldn’t make it but they said hope to make to the wedding,” he told her this as he closed his eyes drawing in a deep breath to control himself because more than anything after what Bea had hinted at, he just wanted to hold her tonight.
“Trystan,” Alina said lifting her head to meet his eyes a hint of tears in the hazel orbs. “Thank you for inviting them for me.”
“I liked them and I have to admit, I can’t wait to meet them,” he told her smiling down at her as she lifted herself to kiss. He sighed as he told softly running his through her hair and down her back, “Although I want you, for tonight, I just
want to hold you in my arms until morning. Is that okay?”
Alina stared at him for a few minutes before she nodded her head giving him a grin. “I enjoyed those night in Deluna when you only held me in your arms as we slept.”
Trystan groaned as he admitted, “That was torture, but,” he grinned tickling her as Alina’s eyes widened, “I enjoyed it just as much as you did.”
Alina squirmed as he kept tickling her and her laughter drifted around the room, and down the hall as she opened her door, Delilah smiled her eyes shining with tears and happiness at what she heard thinking how lucky her children were in finding their special someone as she did years before. Her smile grew wider as she closed the door to her bedroom the laughter from her son’s room still echoing in her ears.
Epilogue
2 Years Later
“Come on, Egan, let’s go see your mommy,” Trystan said tucking his six month son in his arms as he walked toward their room. As he walked in the room with Egan, Alina stepped out of the bathroom already dressed.
“There are my two favorite men,” she said with a smile as she ran a hand through her hair untangling the curls that flowed down her back.
At the sound of his mother’s voice, Egan waved his arms and cooed, and Trystan laughed walking over to her. “I’m jealous,” he said giving her a short, but passionate kiss before passing her their son. “You look beautiful.”
She blushed as she cuddled their son to her breasts and Trystan smiled stepping back to view his family. Two years ago when he proposed he didn’t realize how lucky he truly had been until their son was born. Of course that happen almost a year after they were married which suited him fine as it gave him time with his wife before they added to their family. He smiled as he thought about the past two years and although he enjoyed them it hadn’t been the easiest two years. Alina was stubborn and use to doing things her way just like he was so it took them a few months to actually get use to each other especially as their wedding approached. They had gotten married three months after their engagement party, and as Trystan remembered that night, his eyes darkened the grey becoming almost silver.
“Thinking about the last two years starting with our engagement party,” Alina asked breaking him from his thoughts and the smile widened on his face.
“Yeah, I am,” he told her stepping closer to look down at his son asleep against her. As he reached out a hand one finger extended to touch his cheek, he said softly, “I was thinking of how hard it was before and after we got married. Two stubborn individuals use to having their own way suddenly living together, I probably should’ve thought of that before I asked you to marry me.”
“Hey,” Alina said in a shocked voice as she elbowed him lightly jostling Egan gently. He merely yawned and turned more into her his little fist coming up to rest against the side of his mouth, and Alina looked down at him with a soft smile.
“I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” Trystan told her in a tenderly voice. She looked up at him her eyes sparkling with so much emotion that it stunned him as it did every time she looked at him these days. “I don’t regret marrying you or the problems that we had within the last two years and I am sure that there will be plenty more in the years to come, but I think we will work through them together.”
She wrinkled her nose at him, but her eyes told him that there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for him or with him.
“Are you ready?” He asked her as she leaned her head down and kissed Egan.
Alina looked up at him with a wince but nodded her head as Trystan grabbed his jacket from the bed. He put it over his arm before he placed a hand on Alina’s back guiding her out of the room.
“There you two are,” Marla said with a wicked smile as they stepped off the stairs.
Alina only smiled as Trystan chuckled and murmured, “Maybe we should’ve taken a little longer than usual, huh, Marla?”
Marla rolled her eyes as her husband came into the room their two year old daughter, Tricia, sitting in his arms.
“Aunt Alina, Uncle Try,” she said with a big smile.
“Look, Egan, your cousin came to see you,” Alina cooed in a soft voice although he only blew a bubble and snuggled closer to her.
“Sorry sweetheart,” Alina said giving Tricia a kiss on the cheek.
“Will you four give us our grandchildren and get going?” Delilah said coming out of the living room followed by Trace who was laughing as Tricia immediately reached out for her grandmother.
“I will take my grandson,” Trace said walking over to Alina and Trystan hands already extended to accept his grandson. As Alina placed Egan over, the little boy let out a whimper at losing his mother’s comfort and he continued to whimper until his grandfather began to walk around the hallway actually cooing to him.
Alina and Samuel looked at each other and laughed only to get a glare from Trace.
“We are leaving,” Samuel said holding up his hands in surrender before he placed an arm around Marla.
“Goodnight, my baby boy,” Alina said walking over to lay a kiss on Egan’s cheek.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Trystan said walking over to grab her hand and he sent his son a tender look before he pulled Alina away.
“Trystan, why don’t you and Alina stay at the hotel tonight?” His mother suggested giving him a knowing look. “You can pick Egan up before heading down to Tiers tomorrow.”
“Thank you, mom,” Trystan said giving her a wink as Alina started disagreeing while the others called out ‘goodnight’.
As Trystan opened the passenger door for Alina, he placed a kiss on the back of her neck. “Let’s spend the night without any interruptions.”
Alina shivered when he kissed her before she murmured quietly, “What if…?”
“Egan will be fine for one night, honey, so let’s enjoy ourselves,” he told her as she slid into the car, and as he closed her door Samuel beeped his horn at them.
Trystan laughed as Marla waved at him from the passenger seat, and Samuel rolled his eyes. Trystan slid into the driver’s seat and as he started the car he remarked, “Bea may be there tonight.”
Alina shifted slightly in her seat as she remarked, “I figured she might show up.”
Trystan put out his hand grabbed Alina’s hand in a firm grip lifting it softly kissing the top of it before he said, “We have nothing to worry about, Alina.”
Alina smiled which Trystan caught out of the corner of his eye and his own smile was evident as he drove to the hotel.
Tonight the hotel was holding a celebration for Trudy who had just become engaged and Trystan had wanted to show her his appreciation especially as he knew that once she was married he may lose her as his secretary.
“Worried that she will resign?” Alina asked him giving his hand a slight squeeze and Trystan couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Alina, sometimes you amaze me,” he told her as he pulled up in front of the hotel. As he turned off the car and unbuckled his seatbelt, he turned in his seat and pulled Alina into his arms. He kissed her with all the passion that he had built up before he broke away.
“Trystan,” she breathed out her eyes glazed with passion her arms wrapped around his neck.
“Later,” he muttered against her parted lips and a dreamy smile crossed her face as he pulled away. “Come on, honey.”
Alina and Trystan walked into the crowded party room with Trudy and her fiancé smiling and laughing among their friends. They headed over to them stopping briefly to say something to Marla and Samuel as Marla said with a smirk, “Took your time, didn’t you?”
“We had to stop for a few minutes,” Alina said with a shrewd look, and Marla laughed as Trystan pulled his wife tight to his side.
Trystan and Alina after a few minutes of chatting headed over to Trudy whereas Alina gave her a hug and said, “Congratulations, Trudy, Bishop.”
“Trystan, Alina,” Trudy said with delighted laugh. “Thank you.”
Alina only shook her head as Trys
tan remarked wryly, “You are welcome although I should be more upset considering you will be leaving soon.”
Trudy frowned at his words as her fiancé started laughing, “Are you firing me?”
Trystan narrowed his eyes before he said, “No, but I thought…”
“She likes working for you and I don’t mind because you have Alina,” Bishop said giving them a smile.
Trystan gave a relieved sigh as he shook Bishop’s hand and gave Trudy a tight hug before he stepped back as Alina gave him a smile lacing her fingers with his.
An hour later, Alina and Trystan had worked their way around the room and were standing off watching the party when a sultry voice said, “Trystan, what a pleasure.”
Trystan flinched slightly before he and Alina turned around to see Bea standing behind them in a very tight mid-thigh dress.
“Hello, Bea,” Trystan said leaning back against the wall as he pulled Alina more comfortably against him thinking that after the last time they saw her, she hadn’t changed much at all. He thought it was a pity as Alina squeezed the arm around him, but they both knew that Bea made her own choice.
“Bea,” Alina said settling against Trystan with a tired sigh.
Bea ignored her as she smiled at Trystan and said as if two years hadn’t gone by, “Trystan, you haven’t called me.”
Trystan merely shrugged his shoulders his arms wrapping around Alina’s waist and Alina put her hands on top of his as he said, “We’ve been busy with working and our son.”
Bea’s face reddened as he said ‘son’ but she smiled and looked back behind her waving someone over.
“This is my fiancé,” she said as the handsome man came over and Alina observed how the man walking over to them checked out every woman he passed before he reached them giving Alina a once over before he smiled and winked at her.
Trystan’s eyes narrowed as he pulled Alina tighter against him as he said with a sharp voice, “Hello.”
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