Page 79 of The Billionaire's Wife

I understood that.

Mom set a mug of coffee in front of me. “You haven’t changed how you take it, have you?”

“Nope.” I blew across the top and sipped. “Mmm. Perfect. Thank you.”

She patted my cheek and came around to sit beside me. “Why didn’t you sleep well?”

I shook my head. As much as I loved my mother, I wasn’t getting into that with her. There were some conversations that just didn’t need to take place with a parent. Especially not once you passed thirty. “How’d you sleep?”

“Fine. Other than the times I woke up wanting to smother your father with his pillow.” She grinned and sipped her coffee. “I think I might drag him downtown today to the Museum of the Bible. It’s new since we were here last and it seems like a good place to spend the day.”

“It’s nice. I went down one afternoon after a client meeting in DC. I didn’t get to see everything, but I liked what parts I did. I’m told the restaurant on the top floor is amazing.” Most people said it was expensive but amazing, but I’d get Dad to let me pay for it, so Mom didn’t need to worry about that. I could pay their admission, too. “Let me get a car to take you down. That way you don’t have to deal with the subway. And if you change your mind and want to see something else, the driver can scoot you around.”

“Tristan, you don’t have to—”

“I know that.” I held up a finger. “I want to. It’s been too long since we made a visit happen. My fault. I let myself get busy.”

“We stay busy, too.” Mom rested her hand on top of mine. “But your father would tell me to just say thank you, so I will. I wish you could come with us.”

“Me, too.” And I probably could, if I shifted some things around. But I wanted to be in the office and available if the feds got in touch. I also had a little client work that I needed to do. I wasn’t behind, yet, but I didn’t want to get there. Regardless of the upheaval going on in my personal life right now, my clients deserved my best. So that was what they’d get. “You’ll still head to the bookstore around five to get Faith and look for a little table?”

“Of course. Maybe your driver can hang out with us for that, too? I found a few places that we could walk to, but I don’t think they’d have the kind of furniture you’re looking for.”

“I haven’t been looking for furniture.” I shot her a grin.

Mom poked my arm. “Watch it, buster. You know exactly what I mean.”

“I do. I appreciate you taking this on.”

She laughed. “Like it’s a hardship to spend someone else’s money?”

“I thought you were buying this as a gift?”

“I am. I’m spending your dad’s money.”

“Ah. This is where I don’t point out that it’s your money too, right?”

“Right.”

“Could I convince you to let me pay for it?” Because at the end of the day, I had plenty of money for furniture and while my parents did okay, they were retired and spent a lot of their time doing mission work. That wasn’t something known for setting people up to be well off.

“We’ll see. I can manage it for the initial purchase. If you feel like you have to reimburse us, I probably won’t fight too hard.”

My eyebrows shot up. I hadn’t expected her to give in easily. Or at all. “Are you two doing okay?”

Mom wiggled a hand back and forth. “God provides.”

“But?”

She glanced toward the hall, then back at me. “Your father’s health isn’t as good as he makes out. He’s had a few little episodes with his heart.”

I grabbed Mom’s arm. “What?”

“Not attacks. There’s an electrical defect, apparently. It’s mostly handled with a beta blocker, but if he gets too stressed or his allergies get out of whack, it gets bad again. We might be stuck in the States for the foreseeable future.”

“Oh, Mom.” That was a blow for them both. They’d been planning for a retirement spent in missions for as long as I could remember. They’d never felt that God wanted them to change course and go out on the field while I was still at home— it had always been retirement. Now? It must feel like the rug had been pulled out from under them.

“We’re adjusting. And honestly? I think this situation with Faith is a good reminder that we might not have spent our lives with the far-flung unreached people, but we shared Christ wherever we were.” She sighed. “It matters.”

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