Chapter Twelve
A long day, that had successfully rooted out the last of the known places where the Sawyer group were hiding, found Tristen in Serena’s house, cooking lasagna and waiting for Serena to come home. He had elected to let Marcus handle all the paperwork for their latest raid. Serena had called him earlier and explained to him what had happened with Milly. He wanted to give her a relaxing evening with just the two of them.
He’d been staying with her since they had come back from the cabin, but nothing had happened since then. Both were just so busy that they rarely had time to even talk. Well, tonight would be different. They would be able to have a good talk about what they were both looking for and hoping would come from this relationship.
As he was cutting up the romaine lettuce for the Caesar salad, Clifford came into the room. He looked tense and Tristen put down the knife and turned to him.
“Everything okay?”
“Is Serena here?”
Tristen shook his head. “No, she’s still in town. What’s up? Is there something with the—”
Clifford’s fist flew before Tristen could finish. It smashed into his nose. His whole body was thrown backward and pain flooded his face. He grunted and held his nose. Clifford cursed as he rubbed his hand. His face was twisted in exaggerated pain, and there was a flash of guilt there, too.
Tristen straightened. “What the hell? What did you do that for?”
Clifford glared at him. “You know what it’s for.”
Tristen wracked his brains, but nothing came to mind so he shook his head. “Actually, I have no clue. And you’d better tell me, or I’ll have to return the favor.”
“It’s for seducing Serena! I know that you two slept together.”
Tristen tensed. Serena had wanted to keep their relationship under wraps for a bit, until things were settled better. She wanted people to see how well he worked with the clan before it was announced that they were mates. She hadn’t even wanted to tell her family just yet. So how had Clifford found out?
“Who told you?”
“Serena. She said that she let it slip to Milly Terrance earlier today and she wanted to tell me herself before I found out second-hand.”
Tristen took a moment to center himself before he replied. “Yes. Serena and I are together. But I didn’t seduce her and I don’t like the connotations of you saying that. It was a decision we both made and she’s not a child.”
“She’s only twenty-two.”
“Twenty-three,” Tristen corrected.
“One year does not make a difference.” Clifford’s fists clenched. “You’re too old for her.”
“I’m not going to pretend like that isn’t a concern for me, too.” Tristen sighed. “Serena was very clear about what she wanted. And I wasn’t going to act on my own feelings, but we had a talk about it, and we figured it out. We did what we both wanted.”
“I always thought you’d be the kind of guy to gently turn down a girl in an inappropriate situation.” Clifford glared at him. He stepped forward and Tristen braced himself to take another blow, but his friend didn’t swing. Clifford’s shoulders sagged, looking suddenly defeated. “What are you doing? She’s too young for this.”
Tristen ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I’m not going to lie. I have a few doubts. Not as many as I did have, but they’re still there. Part of me thinks that I’m being a selfish, disgusting old man. But I care about her, Clifford. I really do.”
“Oh, God.” Clifford turned away, his shoulders tense.
Tristen waited a moment, then cautiously approached his friend. “Look, I know it’s sudden. And I don’t want this to move too fast. If you and the rest of your family have concerns… well, I mean, you obviously have concerns…. What I’m getting at is that I will back off. I’ll make sure to take things slow with Serena from here on out. We’ll keep you all in the loop and there will be no sneaking around. And I can stay somewhere else if you don’t want me to stay with her.”
“I can just imagine how angry Serena would be if I started to dictate what her love life should look like.” Clifford turned back to him. He gave a small, pained smile and shook his head. “I know my niece. She wouldn’t be pursuing this if she wasn’t certain that it’s what she wanted. Not after refusing your brother.”
Tristen let out a sigh of relief. “I take it that means you won’t be hitting me anymore?”
“Nah, I’m done with that. It’s just… since I’ve become a proper father, I’ve realized how much I failed Serena. Now that I can look back with clear vision, I see so many things that I should have done differently.”
“Cliff, you were practically a kid yourself and only her uncle when Jackson was killed. You can’t blame yourself for not putting your life on hold for her.”
“Natasha did.”
“And that was her choice. You wouldn’t be where you are, able to give Serena the support you’re able to give her now, if you hadn’t pursued your own interests then.” Tristen gripped his shoulder. “Serena looks up to you, and your sister and mother. She was raised well. She’s a strong and stubborn young woman, and she’s so full of confidence. I don’t think fate itself would stand a chance against her if they started butting heads.”
Clifford smiled at that and nodded. The smile was quick to fade away, though. “And you love her.”
Tristen froze for a moment. He hadn’t said that. He said he cared about her. And he felt very strongly for her. Now that they had been together, he couldn’t imagine himself with anybody else. He wanted to stay by her side for the rest of his life. He’d willingly die for her and wanted to see her succeed in everything that she planned for the future. But to say the words out loud now, in this situation…
“I never thought that I’d ever want a mate,” he hedged. “For as long as I can remember, it just seemed like something that would make me less of me. But Serena makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. She makes me want to be the best man I can be and more than that, she makes me the best version of me. It’s like… I’m more of me than I ever was before. Do you understand?”
Clifford nodded. “Lori makes me feel that way. She’s the greatest thing to ever come into my life, matched only by our twins.”
“Then you know what it’s like.”
Clifford didn’t reply. He kept staring at him, waiting.
Tristen shuffled uncomfortably on the spot. “Look, I can’t say what you want me to say right now. But I care. I would die for her. She is the most wonderful, amazing woman I have ever met and I won’t ever let her get hurt.”
“Then answer the question. Do you love her?”
“I can’t say that.”
Clifford’s eyes narrowed. “And why not?”
“Because I think that Serena should be the first person to hear me say it.”
Clifford studied him through narrowed eyes for a moment. His hands flexed, as though he was deciding if he should punch him again or not. Eventually, he relented, and the remaining tension drained from the air. He rubbed his eyes and sat at the kitchen table with a sigh.
“That’s a good reason. I can’t argue with that logic.”
“Good. Because if you did we’d have to keep arguing and Serena would walk in on us fighting, and I don’t want that to be the way I first tell her. Actually, it’s kind of weird that we haven’t said it already. I mean… we both already know that we’re mates. The actual words have not been said, though… I guess I might be reluctant to say them until I know for certain that the rest of your family will be okay with it.”
“You’re a good man.” Clifford gripped his shoulder. “We’ve known each other for a long time and I’ve never seen you be anything but a complete gentleman to the women around you. If it were Natasha rather than Serena, I couldn’t have been happier. It’s just that she’s so young.”
That weight settled on his shoulders. “I know.”
Clifford drew in a deep breath and squeezed a little tighter. “You are a good man, though. And I know that this wouldn’t be happening unless Serena wanted it. And that’s the only reason I’m not going to oppose you. It’s not that I’m happy with it right now, mind you. But I trust you and Serena both to do what’s best.”
Tristen nodded, understanding what he meant. If their positions were reversed, he didn’t know if he would have been quite so understanding. He managed a grin, though. “Thanks. Now, if it’ll make you feel better, I would be happy to sit down with each of your family members and talk to them about this. I know it’s an unusual situation. I think that making sure everybody can air their discomforts is going to be necessary. I want them all to know that I want them to still counsel Serena in this matter, too. It’s not all about me.”
“Well, I already knew that.” Clifford chuckled under his breath, which quickly became a full-out laugh. “I’m glad that you offered, though. Lori’s waiting over on our side, waiting to be let loose on you.”
“Lori?” Tristen rose a brow, a bit surprised. In the past few months, he’d gotten to know Lori quite well. She was a free-spirited, fun, life-loving kind of person. Out of everybody in this household, she was the one he had been worried about least. He shrugged. “Of course. I’d be glad to talk to her.”
“You might want to wait until tomorrow.”
Tristen shook his head eager to prove that he wanted to cooperate with all of the family. “No, I’d like to talk to her now. I know that this is a matter of concern and I’d rather set her mind at ease now.”
Clifford shrugged. “If you’re sure.”
He was. Tristen stuck the lettuce back in the fridge. He’d go over, talk to Lori, reassure her and come back over here to finish up dinner. Lori would be reasonable about this. She hadn’t shared all of her past exploits with him, but she was a chill woman. The kind of person to understand how sometimes things just didn’t make sense, even when they felt like the right thing to do.
Tristen was certain it would be fine.
He was wrong. Hurricane Lori laid into him the moment he set foot in the house. He stopped still, blinking rapidly—he hadn’t even heard half of those curse words before. He opened his mouth and she screamed louder, so he shut it again. Clifford stood to one side, looking sympathetic and amused at the same time. Tristen folded his hands in front of himself. This was going to take a little longer than he had anticipated.