The thought of Timothy being part of his family like that had Tristan blinking in surprise. For that to happen, things would have to develop with Shayna beyond friendship, and Tristan was fairly certain that wasn’t going to happen.
He didn’t have a whole lot of experience with unrelated females. He’d tried dating a few times—usually a friend of a friend sort of thing—but when he’d find himself distracted by other things during the course of the date, he’d known there wouldn’t be a second or third one.
He didn’t feel it was necessary to waste their—or his—time when they didn’t connect on a level that kept him engaged. So he didn’t have much experience in how to deal with women romantically, except to know that there had to be some sort of connection. Whether that be mental, spiritual, or physical, there had to be something that made them each want to spend more time in the other’s company.
His parents had taught them not to focus on the physical connection, so that left a mental or spiritual one. In reality, that was what Tristan wanted—needed—the most. A woman who had some depth to her.
So then, why did he have the thought of them in his life as more than just mere acquaintances or friends? Sure, he had connected with Timothy, but he knew very well that the boy and his mother were a package deal. That should have made him want to steer clear of Timothy, but it didn’t.
Now he needed to find out why.
“Where do you keep going off to?” Gabe asked, pulling Tristan’s focus back to him.
“Sorry. I just have a few things I’m working on. You know how I get.”
“Is there trouble with the new project?”
It would have been so easy to take Gabe up on the excuse he had given him, but instead, Tristan shook his head. “So far, things are going smoothly. We’ve sold forty percent of phase one. Given the novelty of the tiny homes movement, I’m pleased with where we are currently. We still have six months before we break ground in the spring. I imagine we could quite possibly have seventy-five percent sold by then. Holly has been doing a terrific job of spreading information about it on social media. It’s definitely gaining interest, though many of the visitors are just curious.”
Those like Timothy and Shayna who had just come to look, knowing that they couldn’t afford to purchase one of the homes. But Tristan had no problem with curiosity. In fact, he loved it. As much as he loved talking to the ones who were serious, he also enjoyed answering the questions of the curious.
“That’s great,” Gabe said even as he shook his head. “Who would have thought that there would be so much interest in houses no bigger than the master suite in our home.”
Tristan could only grin, well aware that he wouldn’t find a buyer amongst his siblings, especially since most of them planned to have families that were too large for the homes he’d designed for the tiny village. He was still uncertain which way he was going to go. His first interest in the tiny home movement came more from the challenge of designing them than for environmental reasons.
Given the extreme temperatures of central Canada, he’d known that any designs he made would have to accommodate for that. And then there was the challenge of maximizing the space to include all the things that the owner would need. So while it hadn’t been a pursuit of a green lifestyle that had started him on the tiny home path, he had developed a deep understanding of its importance to people.
“Well, I’d better go find my beautiful wife,” Gabe said as he got to his feet. “You going to be at the game on Friday?”
“Yep,” Tristan said with a nod. He’d been thinking about asking Shayna to allow him to take Timothy with him since they knew each other a bit better this time around.
After Gabe left, Tristan turned to face his monitor again, but instead of continuing his search for an affordable apartment, he closed the browser window. Now was not the time for that focus. Work hours. Work focus.
If only it were that easy.
On Wednesday, Lisa came home for the second time since her mother’s accident, and when she left the next morning, she took more of her things with her. Though Shayna had offered to drive her back to her mother’s place, allowing Lisa to take more stuff with her, Lisa had declined. Considering the condition of her car, Shayna was relieved. She would have gladly helped her friend, but it would have benefited neither of them if her car broke down on the side of the No. 1 highway.
At some point, Lisa would have to rent a moving van or truck to remove the rest of her belongings. Most of the furniture in the townhouse was hers. All that belonged to Shayna was the furniture in her and Timothy’s rooms. Beds, dressers, and they each had a small desk. Otherwise, all they had was their clothing.
It would make the move both simple because she wouldn’t have to move much, and complex because unless she managed to find an apartment that was already furnished with what they would need, she was going to have to buy several large pieces of furniture and have them delivered.
Timothy had been in bed for about an hour, and Shayna had just finished putting together his things for the next day when her phone rang. Expecting it to be Lisa, she frowned when she saw Tristan’s name on the display. She hesitated for a moment before tapping on the screen.
“Hi Shayna, this is Tristan,” he said after she answered. “I wonder if I could talk to you for a minute.”
“Sure. What can I do for you?” Shayna wandered from the kitchen into the small living room and sank down on the chair next to the Christmas tree.
The glowing lights were all that illuminated the room, and while Christmas wasn’t her favorite holiday anymore, she did enjoy the lights.
“I know the last time I asked this question, you didn’t want to give your permission, but I hope now that you know me a bit better, you might reconsider.”
Shayna drew her legs up as she leaned her head against the back of the armchair, her face turned toward the tree. “You want to take Timothy to a hockey game?”
“Yes. There’s another game this weekend, and we’ll be in the box again. I thought maybe he’d enjoy going.” He hesitated before adding, “And as before, you are welcome to come along if that would put you more at ease about it.”
She thought about it for a moment, waiting for some sort of disquiet within her at the idea of Timothy spending time with Tristan. There was no doubt that Timothy would be thrilled to go, and it would be a good escape for him. The news that they would be moving had been met, unsurprisingly, with dismay. Timothy had wisdom beyond his years, so it hadn’t taken him long to figure out that they’d be leaving behind the cozy home they’d made, for something…less.
“I…uh…I think he’d enjoy that,” she said, plucking at the fabric of her fleece pajama pants.
“Really?” The surprise in Tristan’s voice told her that he hadn’t expected her to say yes to his request. “That’s terrific. Would it be pushing too much to ask if he could come for dinner beforehand?”
“No, that would be fine,” Shayna assured him without hesitation. If she was okay with Tristan taking him for the evening, she couldn’t very well say no to dinner. “He could use an evening of fun.”
“Would you like to join us? Maybe you could use an evening of fun as well?”
Shayna was tempted, but maybe an evening to herself was something she needed more. She loved Timothy above all others, but she knew that sometimes, a little time apart could be good for them both. Lisa used to be the one who would take Timothy out, giving Shayna some time alone at home to focus on whatever she needed to focus on or just to relax.
Those times apart had never been lengthy, but they had been long enough for her to be able to focus on paying bills or to relax in a bath with a book, knowing that Timothy was safe and having fun with Lisa. It had been awhile since they’d had that. Her, personal relaxation. Him, fun with a favorite person.
“I think he’d enjoy the time better without me. What time do you need me to have him ready for you?”
“I’ll pick him up around five, and we’ll go for dinner before the game starts at seven-thirty. I probably won’t have him home until ten or so.”
“That’s okay. It’s not a school night, right?”
“No, it’s not. The game is Friday night.”
“I’ll have him ready to go at five,” Shayna assured him. “Thank you for inviting him along.”
“It’s no problem. Timothy recently mentioned that you were going to be moving, and he didn’t seem too happy about it. I understand how a change can be upsetting. It was that way for me as a kid, too, so I thought I might try to distract him. Even if just for a little while.”
Shayna waited for him to ask more questions, but when they didn’t appear to be forthcoming, she said, “Yes, you’re right. He is a bit upset and worried about the move.”
“Then hopefully, for just a few hours, he’ll be able to forget about it.”
“Thank you for understanding,” Shayna said and truly meant it.
Timothy had been just two, and speaking in clear full-length sentences, when they’d realized that he wasn’t an average toddler. At the time, neither of them had known quite what to do about it. Then, a couple of years later, they’d seen how sensitive he was to things around him and again had not known how to handle him. Lorne had wanted to toughen him up, but Shayna hadn’t known if that was right. It was one of the few things they had disagreed about.
It was a relief for Shayna to know that after all the grief and heartache Timothy had endured with the loss of his father, he now had a man in his life who apparently understood him better than most people did. She and Lisa had been able to accept his personality a bit better than Lorne had, but Shayna knew that having a male figure who understood him would be even more encouraging for her sensitive, brilliant son.
After the call ended, Shayna smiled briefly at how excited Timothy would be when she shared the news with him. It would be like Christmas had come early. Sadly, given how slim the pickings might be under the tree come Christmas morning, it might be the best gift he received. Period.
Tristan guided his vehicle to a stop at the curb of the street outside the grouping of townhomes that matched the address Shayna had given him. At five o’clock, the sky was already dark with the shortened days of winter. Because of that, lights around the windows of the townhouses in the neighborhood and the Christmas trees they framed were clearly visible.
He smiled up at the small tree he could see through the sliding doors of the second-floor balcony as he made his way along the shoveled walk to Shayna and Timothy’s townhouse. It was three stories high but narrow, and it looked like it had a garage on the first floor.
Once at the door, he pushed the doorbell then turned to look around at the townhouses closest to Shayna’s. It may not have been the best part of town, but it looked like a decent place to live.
Barely a minute passed from him pressing the bell before the door was flung open. Timothy stood there, a grin on his face.
“Tristan! Can we have pancakes for supper?”
“Timothy,” Shayna’s voice called from somewhere deeper in the townhouse. “Let Tristan in while you get your jacket and boots on.”
“Oh, right,” Timothy said as he moved back so that Tristan could enter the home.
Shayna came down the staircase to the left of the door. She wore leggings and a worn oversize sweatshirt, her hair pulled up in a messy bun on the top of her head. “Hi, Tristan. Don’t mind Timothy. His excitement tends to override his good manners.”
Tristan grinned as he looked over at Timothy. “That’s quite all right. I understand.”
Timothy skipped down the narrow hallway to a closet beyond the staircase. He returned with his boots in one hand and his jacket in the other. Shayna took the jacket while Timothy tugged on his boots, all the while chatting about how his mom had just told him about the plan for the evening.
Tristan waited patiently as the boy finished donning his winter apparel. He had a few things in his car that he planned to give Timothy, with the hope that his mother wouldn’t object too strenuously when she saw them later that night.
“You be good, Bug,” Shayna said as she tied the knit scarf around his neck then grabbed his gloves from the step and held them out to him. “And listen to everything Tristan tells you to do. He’s the boss.”
Tristan chuckled at the comment. “If only my brothers could hear that. They would die laughing at the idea that I’m the boss of anything.”
Shayna’s lips curled up into a quick smile. “Well, for this evening at least, you are the boss.”
“I will take that role quite seriously, never fear,” Tristan assured her. “I’ll have him back to you in a few hours.”
Shayna nodded then bent to press a kiss to her son’s forehead. “I’ll see you later. Love you.”
As they walked toward his SUV, Tristan with the boy’s booster seat in his hand, Timothy again asked if pancakes were on the menu for supper. Though Tristan had considered other restaurants, in the end, the one he’d decided on did, indeed, serve pancakes. Thankfully, they also served burgers and other things that were a little more of what he was hankering for.
For the next few hours, Tristan was happy to see how Timothy enjoyed himself. Given that he knew the boy wasn’t a big sports fan, he hadn’t been sure if Timothy would have fun at a hockey game, but he figured that in the box, he’d be able to explain it all to him.
As it turned out, Benjie had been there with Kenton. The teen had taken Timothy under his wing and been the one to explain it all to him. Timothy had cheered on the home team while wearing the jersey and knit cap that bore the team’s logo on them. Tristan was sure that Timothy would never take up the sport himself, but he hoped that perhaps he’d join them again for another game or two.
When Timothy fell silent about halfway home, Tristan looked into the mirror to find him sound asleep. It was just after ten by the time Tristan pulled to a stop in front of the townhouse. He tried to wake Timothy, but the boy—clearly worn out from his day—resisted his efforts. Tristan slipped one arm under his knees and another around his shoulders and lifted him up.
Thankfully, since Timothy was on the smaller side, Tristan was able to carry him easily to the front door of the townhouse. He managed to poke the doorbell button, then when Shayna answered, he insisted that he carry Timothy up to his room.
“It’s been awhile since he’s conked out like that,” Shayna said as she led the way up two flights of stairs to a small bedroom on the top floor.
Tristan laid him down on his bed then, as Shayna wrestled Timothy out of the jacket, he carefully tugged off the boy’s boots. “He’s a pretty sound sleeper if this doesn’t wake him.”
“He is, plus it’s almost three hours past his bedtime.” Shayna glanced over at him, her smile visible in the shaft of light that came from the hallway. “Did he have a good time?”
“I think so. My brother’s son was there too. He’s a bit older than Timothy, but he loves hockey, so he was happy to explain the ins and outs of the game to him.”
“If I’d given him more warning,” Shayna said as she gathered up Timothy’s winterwear, “he would have had time to research it all himself. Although, from the sound of things, this was a more fun way for him to learn.”
“I’d like to think so.” Tristan followed her out of the room and down the stairs. He looked around to catch a glimpse of their home before returning to the main floor where she returned Timothy’s things to the closet he had pulled them out of earlier. Remembering the booster seat was still in his car, he ran out to grab it and brought it back to Shayna. “Thank you for allowing me to take him. I hope you enjoyed the few hours you had to yourself.”
“I did. Thank you.”
Though he wanted to linger and talk a bit more with her, Tristan resisted the urge since it was so late. “Perhaps we can do it again. The hockey season is on for a few more months.”
“I think we can work something out,” Shayna said as they approached the door.
Tristan opened it then turned to smile at her. “Have a good night. I’ll see you both on Sunday, hopefully.”
“You will.”
With a final look at her, Tristan stepped out into the winter night and headed for his car. By the time he was behind the wheel and had the engine started, Shayna’s door had closed, and the porch light was off. But when he looked up to the second floor, he spotted a shadowy figure near the Christmas tree and wondered if she was watching him. Before he could appreciate that thought, he saw curtains swoop across the sliding doors, blocking the figure and the tree from his view.
Maybe she hadn’t been watching him after all.