“I thought you were backing out,” Dylan confessed, his eyes not meeting Tristan’s as he stared at the ground. He ran his hand up to rub the stiff muscles in his neck.
“I thought you were giving up on us. Is it okay if I touch you?” Tristan questioned. Dylan looked up and then over to the front door where Chloe now stood in the doorway, staring out at them.
“Can we wait on that?” Dylan asked as he watched Chloe.
“Yes. If you say yes to a future with me,” Tristan countered, drawing Dylan’s attention away from his daughter and back to them.
“I would’ve thought that was a given.” Dylan looked Tristan straight in the eyes. God yes, he wanted a future with this man. He was so thankful he had a boyfriend who hadn’t left him tonight and kids that hadn’t turned their backs on him. Everything was turning out so much better than he’d ever imagined. Who would have thought?
“Say it anyway.”
“Yes,” Dylan whispered, his eyes locked onto Tristan’s beautiful gray stare.
“I want to kiss you more than ever before,” Tristan whispered, his eyes dropping down to Dylan’s lips. Dylan could see the passion etched on his face. Tristan’s lips parted slightly. As hot as that was to witness, that meant the kiss was coming, he knew that much already about Tristan. Damn the consequences.
“Wait!” He pivoted on his heel and went to the front door, hoping Tristan followed. He had to get out of that moment; it was too much. Telling his kids he was gay and kissing men in front of them were two different things. Baby steps, he reminded himself. Chloe came out on the porch, meeting him on the first step.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I should have called you first.” Chloe threw herself into his arms, and she was crying again. He took her easily in, hugging her tight and kissing the top of her head.
“You did the right thing, honey. I’m proud of you. I promise.” He lifted her face with his finger. “You did the right thing. Just keep doing the right thing for me and help keep an eye on your sister and brother. Let me know if anything isn’t right for them.”
“I will, I promise,” Chloe said, giving a huge ugly sniffle in his face. That had him smiling.
“Can you say hello to Tristan for me?” She nodded and quickly wiped at her nose and her eyes, running her hands on her shorts before she looked past him. Tristan had stayed on the bottom step, giving them a moment.
“Hi, Mr. Wilder, I need to apologize to you, too. I started this tonight.” Lord, his children were so well-adjusted. He’d have never acted like this at her age. His pride increased ten-fold as he watched her extend a hand toward Tristan.
“Please call me Tristan, none of this Mr. Wilder stuff anymore, and you don’t need to apologize to me. I’m not even sure what happened,” Tristan said, taking her hand, but drawing her in for a quick hug.
“I met a waiter tonight at the equality rally who had a picture of you and Dad holding hands. Oh no! Dad, I gotta go to sleep. I have to be downtown at eight in the morning. I have a position on the planning committee.” Chloe kissed his cheek and hugged Tristan quickly again before she was off, heading toward her bedroom. “Goodnight, Mom, I have to go to bed. I have a meeting in the morning!”
“You’ll get used to things like that; they happen all the time.” Dylan gestured with his hand, letting Tristan walk in before him, but he just shook his head at him.
“I’m not walking in there first,” Tristan said. That might have given Dylan his first smile of the night. He walked inside, Tristan followed, and Cate, Chad, Teri, and Mark were standing in the foyer talking. The quiet surrounded them as they stared at one another. Every adult in the room kept their distance from one another, respecting boundaries. These kinds of things gave him hope that they could get through this with as few scars as possible.
“You guys remember Tristan?” He missed Chloe’s lack of decorum, where she would introduce herself to anyone, anytime.
“Hi,” Cate said and let out a yawn. Chad was a little bit standoffish, but he got that. They’d probably need to talk, maybe hit a round of golf or something this weekend. Let him know things were still the same between them.
“Hi, Mr. Wilder.” Chad turned to Cate. “Mom said we could go to school late tomorrow. But we should probably hit the hay.” Chad looked at him and finally smiled. “Will you be here in the morning, Dad?”
“Depends on what time you get up. I have a full day tomorrow at the office, but call me, we can talk then.”
“All right, goodnight,” Chad said and did the absolutely right thing—he stuck his hand out to Tristan who stood there quietly through the exchange.
“Goodnight,” Tristan said, shaking his hand. Cate popped up to kiss Tristan’s cheek unexpectedly. Tristan bent in and smiled down at her.
“Goodnight,” Cate sing-songed. She trailed behind Chad up the center staircase until all that was left was Teri, Mark, Tristan, and Dylan.
“That wasn’t so terrible,” Teri said quietly.
“You’re pregnant and didn’t tell me?” Dylan narrowed his eyes in her direction. Her gaze shot straight over to Mark.
“You’re pregnant?” Mark gasped.
“Shit, I thought you would’ve told him!” Dylan panicked again.
“Dylan, no! When was I supposed to tell him? With the kids right here? Just go! Mark, I was waiting to tell you when we were alone. I’m sorry.”
“You’re pregnant? Teri, are you kidding me? How wonderful!” Mark exclaimed.
Dylan rolled his eyes at his blunder. “Follow me,” he said to Tristan. He wound his way through the kitchen toward the garage, grabbing his keys off the counter as he passed by.
“She’s pregnant?” Tristan whispered as they stepped out into the garage.
“Yeah, four months. I thought she would have told him the second he made it onto the porch. I don’t know how the kids kept it quiet,” Dylan replied, hitting the garage door opener. He clicked the remote to unlock the car and Tristan slid inside the passenger seat beside him.
“Are you okay?” Tristan asked once they were shut inside the car. Dylan stopped before he started the ignition. He weighed that question carefully. It took some self-reflection to answer properly.
“I think so, yeah.” He stared at the keys in his hand as he finished. “I spent most of my adult life in fear of that moment. I thought they’d feel betrayed and disgusted. I was so afraid of losing them. They took it way better than I ever hoped for.”
“What was the general reaction?” Tristan asked, and Dylan smiled when he looked over to see Tristan sitting on his hands. His guy was a toucher and was obviously trying hard to follow his rules tonight.
“I was a little shell-shocked so I’m not entirely certain. I think Cate or one of them said something about living a lonely life.” He looked up at Tristan. “Teri was the one with the bombshell. I never saw that coming.”
“Your kids are incredible.”
“Yep, they sure surprised me tonight,” Dylan agreed as he started the car.
“Not me; I know their father.” Tristan smiled broadly at him. “Now take me to the hotel so I can kiss you.”
Dylan laughed and put the car in reverse. “Thank you for understanding.”
“When you left me at that elevator… God, my heart was crushed. I had to come after you. I was so afraid you’d be pissed, but I couldn’t do anything else. I wanted to be with you,” Tristan said, dropping his head back on the head rest.
“You’ve made this much easier, you know.”
Tristan sighed, swiveling his head toward Dylan. “This is all new territory for me. I don’t know what to say or do. I needed to hear those words.”
“I’m glad you pushed for us. In a million years, I’d have never thought tonight would turn out like this. They were just fine with everything. My kids were really great.” Dylan idled at the end of the driveway. “They really had no reaction to the gay thing at all. Their concern was more of me being alone and shocked about the baby. I admit I was shocked about the b
aby.”
“I told you, they’re good kids,” Tristan said quietly and patted his thigh. The touch comforted him. Dylan looked over at him and smiled. It warmed his heart to see Tristan so compassionate and patient as he sat beside him. Honestly, if he were really looking at things clearly, he’d been very hard on Tristan since day one. Anytime things got difficult, he pushed him away and that wasn’t right.
For whatever reason, this brilliant, charming man wanted him. And he wanted Tristan. From this moment forward, he needed to set things right between them and do whatever it took to keep things good.
“Really they were only concerned about themselves. Those two points were the only highlights they hit that didn’t include them flying the nest. They’re ready to start their lives,” Dylan said, putting the car in park and taking Tristan’s hand in his.
“I didn’t say they weren’t normal.” Tristan smiled, intertwining their fingers.
“I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused you.” Dylan turned in his seat, facing Tristan. “Don’t shake your head. I’ve seen it in your face. I was just worried about that moment in there. I was afraid to fully let you in.”
“If you haven’t always been out, it’s hard finding your way. I knew you needed room and support,” Tristan said. Dylan watched him a minute more before tugging at his arm, pulling Tristan in to meet him halfway.
“I’m sure it’s not over. I’m certain of that, but thank you for being here tonight.” Dylan leaned across the console and pressed his lips to Tristan’s. He was in complete control of this moment. For the first time in their relationship, Tristan didn’t push and let him take the lead. Dylan reached up and trailed his hand along Tristan’s jaw, sliding his fingers into his messy hair.
“Thank you for loving me.” Tristan’s breath danced along his lips as he uttered those simple words that eased every burden he carried. Dylan angled Tristan’s head, smiling as he licked at the seam of his lips. Tristan’s lips parted, and he seized the opportunity to push his tongue forward, holding nothing back in the kiss.
Dylan sat with Tristan in the downstairs section of his Laguna Beach home, working on a prototype of the robotic arm he’d designed. They were both at the desk. Tristan was entering the variances of coding Dylan suggested after many long minutes of silence between the both of them. Tristan studied the changes, getting lost in the code until a voice broke through, interrupting his train of thought. After spending all of his adult life alone, he still hadn’t gotten used to the randomness of other people being around. He scribbled his thoughts on the notepad in front of him so as not to forget and looked back over to Dylan who continued to study the prototype.
“Dad.” The voice a little stronger this time. Tristan sat back in his seat, stretching his tired muscles. Dylan shared this project with him now. It had become their secret hobby from almost the minute he’d shown him what he had been working on. They were so in sync with every part of their lives. Every day, Dylan proved yet again how right Tristan had been in pushing for a relationship between them.
The only things they didn’t do together were running and weightlifting. Except, thanks to the downstairs renovations, he squeezed three new bedrooms in and a small gym. When they spent time in California, they were able to work out together, meaning Tristan never had to run again in his life.
“Dad!” That one startled Dylan, proving Tristan’s theory the guy had been oblivious to her before then. That must have been the selective parent hearing he’d heard about. Tristan had to get better at ignoring the noise. Ever since Chloe and Chad had arrived a few days ago from school, his house had been overrun with noise and a somewhat controlled chaos. Chloe circled the door and stopped in her tracks.
“What? Chloe, you have to stop yelling. We’re working, honey,” Dylan said, clearly frustrated.
“Hi, Tristan.”
“Hey,” he said, giving her a small smile.
“It’s time to pick up Mom and Cate,” she replied, not really paying attention to her dad’s outburst. Tristan figured she’d probably heard those words from her father before.
Tristan looked down at the time on the computer. They’d lost hours again inside this room.
“I should change clothes and shave.” Dylan immediately stood. The sourness of a few minutes ago was now completely gone, along with the concern over the project. Where Tristan made notes at these critical points, Dylan would just retain where they were and pick up where they left off, no matter how much time had passed since they’d been here.
“I like you unshaven. Keep it through the holidays?” Tristan stopped him with a hand on his thigh, before he went and altered that sexy five o’clock shadow. Dylan would occasionally lean in to tell him something and his stubble would rub along his neck as he spoke, purely on accident, but, man, did that turn him on when the scruff was there.
“All right.” Dylan bent to kiss him lightly on the lips.
“You and Mom never kissed each other. I don’t know how I didn’t figure everything out sooner than I did.” Chloe rolled her eyes and pivoted around the doorframe as she left the room. Technically, this was the first time Dylan’s children would see them sharing a bedroom. As Tristan had grown to learn, they were well past the point of caring about the small details. All three were well-adjusted young adults that were fully vested in their own futures, really only calling when they had a problem or needed money—that was especially true with the oldest two in college.
“Are you coming with us?” Dylan asked.
“If you want me to,” he responded.
“Of course I do,” he said, not even questioning the thought. He left the room, not glancing back.
He still tried hard to give Dylan space. Teri had had the baby, a little boy, less than two months ago. She and Mark were planning to marry. Cate had just graduated from high school and planned to leave for college right after the holidays. Surprisingly, he’d been included in both events as well as the cross-country U-Haul trip Dylan planned to get Cate moved in and settled into her dorm room.
Dylan and Teri’s divorce would be final soon, and Tristan had even managed to talk Dylan into moving the Secret Network’s headquarters to Irvine and take up residence with him. By all measures, he and Dylan were a committed couple. They weren’t showy about their relationship. The people Dylan truly cared about were on board with all these changes. So, although he and Dylan worked a lot of hours, they found a way to spend every free moment together. His jet racked up a lot of air miles to Dallas and back, but they would soon be living under the same roof every single day.
Tristan swiveled in his chair toward the door, listening to Dylan bark out some instruction he was certain Chloe and Chad were ignoring. He had dressed for the day, even if Dylan hadn’t. He still liked to be at his best when the kids were around. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he fished the device out as he reached over to save their work and shut everything down.
“Hey,” he answered after seeing Landry’s number on the phone.
“It’s not Christmas. Where the hell are you? We have work to do.”
“Still taking the next two weeks off. Like I told you this morning, and last night, and yesterday.” Landry used to be better at the jokes, but this one was growing old.
“Vacationing with the boyfriend?” Landry asked, but it didn’t come with the usual snicker. Tristan closed the door with his foot.
“I know you want the details because you’re a perv, but I’m not sharing him with you or anyone else for that matter,” Tristan shot back.
“Huh. Well, I got nothing to say to that. I’m calling for a reason. I’m sure your boyfriend told you. The usage numbers for Secret are skyrocketing. We’re already turning a profit in WilderNation this quarter,” Landry said and Tristan lifted his brows. He and Dylan only talked business while working, never when they were off. He hadn’t heard this bit of great news, but he was certain Dylan knew. “So you were right. Is that what you’re waiting on?”
“No, but it’s n
ice to hear.” Tristan left the office to go back upstairs and find Dylan to congratulate him on a job very well done.
“Right, and I’ll reflect on my behavior. You’ve been keeping him away from here. I won’t bite anymore. Maybe we can have dinner sometime before he heads back,” Landry offered, and Tristan tripped on the step going up.
“Is this a joke?” he asked, catching himself before the trip became a solid fall.
“No, not at all. I have ground to make up. I’m eating crow. Besides, his team didn’t seem to bat an eye when he came out to them. I can’t have them showing me up,” Landry replied. Tristan had never shared with anyone the tense few weeks his Dallas office had once their relationship became public knowledge. There had been some turnover in the ranks, but David and Rob stood firm with them, making the whole outing pretty much a non-event and guaranteeing a substantial increase in their annual Christmas bonuses.
“I’ll talk to him and get back with you.” Tristan stood at the top of the stairs to the main portion of the house. The noise grew louder on the other side of the door.
“You’ve got a house full, which is weird. Call me and we’ll set it up,” Landry said.
“Thanks for this. It’ll make life easier.”
“Yeah. I’ll give you this one. Bye.” Landry disconnected the call.
Tristan opened the door to find Dylan standing right there in front of him, which startled him. Actually scared the shit out of him, and he wobbled on the step. “Are you ready?” Dylan asked, not paying a lick of attention to him as he called out for Chloe and Chad to get in the car.
“Hey, I got something to tell you,” Tristan said, following behind him.
“Can you tell me in the car? We’re a little late,” Dylan responded, heading for the garage. He’d rented an oversize SUV for the next few weeks to carry them all wherever they needed to go. Several times, he had caught Chad eyeing the Ferrari but still wasn’t ready to hand over the keys no matter how many cool points that would earn him.
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