As he drove, Tristan was grateful that they had Timothy to keep the conversation going. Although, he did have to admit that he was a bit curious about what they might have talked about had the boy not been in the truck with them. He had a feeling, however, that things might be different on their way back home since Timothy had a habit of falling asleep in the car once it was past his bedtime.
Tristan had debated between telling his family about Shayna and Timothy before they got there, so he could warn them to behave, or just surprising them.
In the end, he’d gone with just surprising them, although he had told his mom he might have a couple of friends he’d bring along. She had given him an odd look before shrugging and going back to the list she was making for the party. He wasn’t known for having a lot of friends—his personality plus an abundance of siblings hadn’t made it necessary.
The questions would come, but since he’d kept things to himself, that wouldn’t be until after the New Year’s Eve party.
“Will Benjie be there?” Timothy asked.
“Yes, he will be,” Tristan said. “The two of you will probably have to keep each other company. Most the other kids are quite a bit younger than you.”
“I like younger kids too,” Timothy said. “But they can’t play video games and stuff.” He hesitated. “Will I be able to play some video games, Maman? If they ask me to?”
“I suppose, as long as they’re age appropriate.”
“Will they be age appropriate, Tristan?” Timothy asked.
“Yes, most definitely.” Thinking that might be the way things would go, Tristan had made sure to pick up a few games within Timothy’s age range for the different game consoles that were set up in the rec room in his parents’ basement.
“See, Maman. They’ll be age appropriate.”
“Then I think you can play some, but not the whole time. There will be people there you can talk to.” She paused then said, “If that’s okay. I mean, I don’t want him to be disruptive.”
Tristan chuckled. “No worries about that. We’re a loud group, and the kids are always more than welcome to make conversation or play games. Anything that will keep them up until midnight if the parents want them to ring in the New Year.”
As they turned into the long driveway with globe lamps lining the sides and lighting their way, Tristan allowed himself one more questioning on whether he’d done the right thing in inviting Shayna and Timothy. Things still felt unsettled between them, and he had no idea how to answer the questions that were sure to come from his family.
“Wow. There are a lot of cars here,” Shayna said softly. “I didn’t realize the gathering would be this big.”
“It grows a bit bigger every year, even though it is still made up mainly of family and close friends.” Tristan pulled to a stop behind Kenton’s truck, double parking because he knew that his brother would seek him out to move it if they had to leave before he did.
“Can we go in now?” Timothy asked.
Tristan chuckled. “Yes, we can.”
He turned the truck off and climbed out of the cab. After he’d let Timothy out, he opened Shayna’s door and took the container from her so she could slide to the ground. Once they were out of the truck, Tristan led the way through the vehicles already parked there to the wide steps that led to the front door.
Warm light spilled from the etched glass panels on either side of the large door. All the holiday decorations were still up, including the Christmas tree that could be seen through the large bay window in the living room.
Without ringing the bell, he opened the door and led Shayna and Timothy inside. The warmth of the house embraced them as the sound of conversation flowed from the rooms further inside.
At one time, their New Year’s Eve celebration had been confined to the living room, then it was the living room and dining room. Eventually, it had spread to include the kitchen and family room. This year, his mom had instructed them to make sure the basement was ready to be used as well.
If it kept up like this, they’d have to add onto the house if his parents wanted to continue to hold the celebration there.
“Tris!”
Tristan glanced over to see Gabe making his way toward them, his daughter in his arms. He set the container on the small table in the foyer, then turned to help Shayna take off her coat. Timothy had made quick work of his jacket and was holding it tightly as Gabe approached.
Gabe held out his hand to Shayna while Tristan hung her coat in the closet then took Timothy’s to hang up with his own. The closet was already quite full with the jackets of people who had arrived before them.
“I’m Gabe, Tristan’s brother.”
“This is Shayna Caron and her son, Timothy.” Tristan rested his hand on Timothy’s shoulder. “I think you may have met Timothy at the hockey game.”
“Oh, right.” Gabe held his hand out to Timothy. “Good to see you again, little man.”
“Is everyone here already?” Tristan asked. “I didn’t think we were late.”
“No, it’s just family so far. I think the rest should be arriving soon.”
“What’s her name?”
They turned to find Timothy peering up at Aika. The little girl gazed at them with big brown eyes. She wore a frilly pink dress with a matching bow headband. Tristan figured the dress was a gift from Maya’s mother. She had a tendency to dress her only granddaughter—only grandchild, for that matter—in frills and bows. Usually pink ones.
“Her name is Aika,” Gabe bounced a bit, and the little girl smiled in response.
“She’s pretty.”
“Well, she takes after her mother,” Gabe said with a smile, obviously still madly in love with his wife. “Lucky little girl.”
Tristan picked up the container. “Let’s take this through to the dining room.” He looked at Gabe. “Is that where Mom and Dad are?”
“Last time I saw them,” Gabe said. “Benjie is downstairs in the rec room if Timothy wants to hang out with him. I think he’s playing the latest hockey game on the PS4.”
“Oh! Can I go see him, Maman?” Timothy asked, his body going tight with excitement.
“Let’s meet Tristan’s parents first, okay?” Shayna said.
Tristan gestured to the entrance further down the hallway that led into the dining room. Timothy moved ahead of them with Gabe and Aika.
“Is it okay if Timothy goes downstairs?” Shayna asked softly.
He smiled at her. “It’s more than okay. Benjie will keep an eye on him so he can stay down there if he wants.”
There was a ton of activity going on in the dining room, but it didn’t take long for someone to spot them. Sammi looked up from the veggies she was sorting onto a tray. Her gaze landed on Shayna then she looked at Tristan, a smile lighting up her face.
“Tristan,” she said as she came around the table, drying her fingers on a paper towel. “Who have you brought with you?”
“Shayna, this is Sammi, one of my two sisters. Sammi, this is Shayna Caron and her son, Timothy,” Tristan said then held out the container. “And this is their contribution to the evening.”
“I’m sorry it’s not much,” Shayna said as Sammi took the container and set it on the table to open the lid.
“Oh, don’t apologize,” Sammi said as she straightened. “Those chocolate covered strawberries are beautiful.”
Her gaze met Tristan’s as the hint of a grin teased her lips, making him roll his eyes at her. He hadn’t known that was what they’d made, and no doubt, he’d be on the receiving end of a few joking jabs by his sisters and sisters-in-law. It had been clear over Christmas that Makayla and Sammi had shared the texts he’d exchanged with them about the makeup and chocolate covered strawberries with the rest of the ladies in the family. Although, it had appeared that the texts hadn’t been shared with their mom.
“Look at them, Tristan.” Sammi gestured to the container. “They look quite scrumptious. Maybe you should have asked Shayna what the best sort of chocolate was to use for strawberries.” She turned to Shayna. “Before Christmas, Tristan was asking all kinds of question about makeup and the best chocolate to use for dipping strawberries.”
Shayna looked at him, her brows lifted, but it was Timothy who responded.
“Was that when you were helping me, Tristan?” the boy asked.
“Yep,” Tristan said with a nod. “I was a little out of my league when you were looking at the makeup and wanting chocolate to dip strawberries.”
“But I already knew what makeup to get her,” Timothy said, but then his brow furrowed. “Although I didn’t know about the chocolate, so it’s good you asked them about that.”
“So you bought makeup for your mom for Christmas?” Sammi asked.
Timothy nodded, a proud look on his face. “Tristan took me to the dollar store and let me pick out some things for her to use.”
“You are a wonderful son, Timothy.” Sammi gave Timothy a delighted smile. “I’m sure your mom appreciates your thoughtfulness.”
“I do,” Shayna said as she ruffled Timothy’s hair. “I really do.”
Timothy tilted his head back to look at her. “Can I go see Benjie now?”
The adults around him chuckled.
“Priorities,” Sammi said with a laugh. “He’s definitely got the right priorities.”
“Hello, Tristan, sweetheart.”
Tristan looked over as his mother reached his side and bent down enough for her to press a kiss to his cheek. “Hi, Mom. I’ve brought some friends.”
“I can see that,” his mom said, smiling at Shayna and Timothy.
He provided the introductions again, happy to see that his mom was welcoming of them—not that he’d expected anything else. When his dad arrived soon after, Tristan introduced them again, wondering as he did if he should have had a mass introduction.
“Why don’t we go downstairs now?” Tristan suggested, then he turned to his mom. “We’ll be back up in a few minutes.”
Once they’d left the room, Shayna said, “Your family is very nice.”
“Yes, they are,” Tristan agreed. “Just don’t get overwhelmed by them all. There are an awful lot of us, so don’t worry about keeping names straight. Give me a look if you need a name, and I’ll come to your rescue.”
They followed Timothy down the carpeted stairs to the rec room. There were a couple of bedrooms and bathrooms in the basement as well. It was where the older boys had stayed, claiming the rec room as their own to use to play ping pong, fooz ball, and video games. Oh, and they’d watched plenty of hockey games on the television. Tristan had usually made use of the computer that had been set up in the corner of the rec room since the others hadn’t shown as much interest in it as he had.
The ping pong and fooz tables were gone, as was the computer, but the television was bigger than ever, and it had more than one game console attached to it. There were several large comfy couches circling the television which is where Benjie and his uncle, Elliot, were engaged in a fierce game of hockey.
They both glanced over as Tristan, Shayna, and Timothy joined them. The game paused on the screen, and they turned away from it, controllers in their hands.
“Hey guys,” Tristan said. “Timothy wondered if he could hang with you. I think he might have more fun down here than he would upstairs with us.”
“Sure thing,” Elliot said as he got to his feet. He was a slender man of about Tristan’s height, and it appeared Benjie would soon be taller than both of them.
“Just make sure that you keep the games age appropriate for him,” Tristan said.
“It’s been awhile since I last beat you at Mario Kart,” Elliot said as he punched Benjie in the shoulder. “How about we give that a try?” He went to the entertainment center and switched the remotes out and turned on the other system. “Have you played before, Timothy?”
“Yes.” Timothy went around the end of the couch to join the two guys. “Not recently though.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ll pick it back up in no time,” Benjie said. “Just work with me to take Elliot out, and we’ll consider it a win.”
“If Timothy needs his mom, can you please bring him up and find Shayna or me?”
Elliot nodded. “We’ll do that, but he won’t even have to go up for food. Avery and Sammi brought us down a bunch of appropriate food.”
When he gestured to the coffee table, Tristan laughed. Appropriate food apparently meant chips and soda. “Is that all you’re going to be eating?”
“No,” Elliot said as the game started up. “That’s for starters. I’ll go up and get the sandwich stuff when it’s ready for us.”
“Guess we’ll leave you to it,” Tristan said as he turned to Shayna. “Ready to go?”
She glanced to where Timothy sat between the two older boys, his gaze already on the large television where colorful cartoon characters filled the screen. Her reluctance to leave Timothy was clear on her face.
“We don’t have to go up yet if you don’t want to,” Tristan said, keeping his voice low.
She looked up at him and gave him a quick smile. “No. He’ll be fine.” Pressing a hand to her stomach. “I think I’m more worried about myself than him. I’m not usually one for crowds of people I don’t know.”
Tristan hesitated because he knew all too well how she felt. Crowds of strangers were among some of his least favorite things. He usually tried to avoid them if at all possible. Of course, the people upstairs weren’t strangers. To him.
“We can stay down here,” Tristan offered again. “Maybe they’d even let us have a turn at the video game.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t ask them to do that,” Shayna said with a laugh. “And I’m sure they’ll have more fun if we’re not here.”
“I don’t know about that. Timothy seems to like you well enough.” Tristan gave her a wink. “And Benjie and Elliot don’t seem to mind my hanging around them occasionally.”
“Still, I’m hardly going to tell Timothy I’m going to hang around down here because I’m nervous to go upstairs.” Shayna pulled her shoulders back and took a deep breath. “I have to set a good example, right? Because Timothy isn’t always comfortable with people he doesn’t know, either.”
“I promise I’ll stick close by,” Tristan said. “So whenever you’re ready.”
Shayna nodded. “Now is as good a time as any.”
Together they climbed the stairs back to the main floor. They were greeted once again by the sound of conversation, louder than when they’d gone downstairs. Tristan wanted to reassure Shayna in some way but taking her hand didn’t seem like the right thing to do, given the lack of relationship between them. Last he checked, holding hands didn’t occur between friends.
In the end, he offered her his arm, subtly, so if she chose to refuse, no one would notice. He had nothing to worry about though. Shayna slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and allowed him to lead her forward.
Almost immediately, the introductions began again.
Shayna’s nerves continued to grow as they moved down the hall toward the dining room. She knew that Tristan thought his family would be friendly and accepting, but all it would take was just one person to look askance at her for the evening to be spoiled. Just seeing the place Tristan and his family called home told her that they moved in very different circles.
Not that they lived in a world where circles existed really, but it was definitely a world where there existed those who had and those who had not. But as each person was introduced, Shayna didn’t get the feeling that they were looking down at her. In fact, they weren’t looking at her with anything but friendliness.
“Shayna?”
At the sound of her name, Shayna turned, her stomach sinking when her gaze landing on a couple of familiar faces. Though there was nothing on their faces but curiosity, she knew what they were capable of, and it made her want to go back downstairs. Not to stay with Timothy, but to grab him and ask Tristan to take them home.
“Hi, Shayna,” Noella Crawford said as she and Erin Kirkland came to where they stood. “What a surprise to see you here.”
“Yes, I’m sure it is,” Shayna said, fighting to keep her voice from betraying how she felt about running into them so unexpectedly. “I didn’t know you were friends with Tristan.”
Erin, Noella, and Tristan all smiled, but it was Erin who said, “Well, it’s not just Tristan we’re friends with. Forrest actually met Gabe first then introduced the rest of us to everyone. He’s here tonight, too. As is Tennyson with his family.”
Well, that did nothing to quell her nerves. The four of them hadn’t approved of her or her relationship with Lorne. She supposed it wouldn’t be long before they shared that opinion with Tristan and whatever good he might think of her would go out the window.
“How are you and Timothy doing these days?” Erin asked, her head tilted slightly to the side. “I’m sure he’s growing up.”
“Uh, yes,” Shayna said as she pulled her hand free of Tristan’s arm and fisted it at her waist. “He’s eight now and has proven to be quite smart.”
“So he must like school then,” Noella said.
Shayna shook her head. “Unfortunately, not very much. He’s a bit on the small side, and when you add in his smarts, it doesn’t exactly endear him to the other kids.”
Erin frowned at that. “You’d think that in this day and age, we’d be raising children who were more tolerant of those who are a bit different. I hope that my children will be that way.”
“I hope all our children will be loving and kind to others,” Noella said. “I know we’re raising them to be that way.”
Shayna had always found it interesting that Noella had married, as she’d seemed so down on the institution. She’d been the most vocal in stating her opposition of Lorne marrying Shayna, stating they would never be happy when they barely had two pennies to rub together. Part of Shayna wished that Lorne was there so that she could prove to the other woman that she was quite wrong about their chances of being happy.
“Why don’t you come sit down with us?” Erin suggested. “We can catch up on things.”
“Oh, there’s not too much to catch up on,” Shayna said, trying to dismiss the possibility of holding a conversation with two women who hadn’t thought very highly of her in the past.
“Sure there is,” Noella said as she exchanged a look with Erin before glancing at Tristan. “It’s been three years since we last saw each other.”
Of course, they’d be wondering about what had led her to being there with Tristan at an event that was clearly for family and close friends. Only she didn’t really want to discuss that with them, considering things would likely be at an end with her and Tristan soon enough anyway.
She’d been stupid to think that she could get past her…past. It had come up on their date, and now it was coming up again.