Page 65 of One Wild Wedding Weekend

The pent-up annoyance in his voice and the escalation in volume told her all she needed to know about his mood.

She’d been hiding behind her desk. Now, she stood and closed the door. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “You’re right. I’ve been holding back because I don’t want you to hurt me.” She shrugged. “Maybe that makes me a coward. I don’t know.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. Some of the tension left his body when she apologized. But his stance was still braced and wary. He grimaced. “Was this our first official fight?”

“Haven’t we been fighting in some way or another ever since we met?” Her words were rueful.

“Have you ever wondered if we clash because we’re both a lot alike?”

“How so?”

Tristan shook his head slowly. “We’re ambitious. We’re focused when it come to our careers. We love and respect family. But we both think we’re better off alone—though we’re trying hard to believe otherwise.”

She stared at him. “That’s very insightful, Tristan. Not necessarily flattering, but insightful.”

He held out his hand. “Truce?”

Daley went to him and laid her head on his shoulder. “More than a truce,” she said. “A promise. I choose you. No exit doors. No sidelines.”

He exhaled sharply, his arms coming around her to hold her tight. “I want to kiss you, but I can’t. Not here.”

She stepped away from him, though it was the last thing she wanted to do. “We have the weekend,” she said.

He stared at her, his gaze hot. “Will you spend the night with me, Daley? Or can I come to your place?”

“I like your house a lot. I’ll pack a bag and leave it in your trunk. What time will you pick me up?”

“How about six? I made a reservation for six thirty. John and Tabby are going to meet us there.”

The conversation was suddenly pedestrian, though undercurrents still swirled.

Daley wanted him badly, and she sensed he felt the same. But that was the problem they faced. Boundaries at work.

“You should go,” she said softly. “Before one of us cracks. I’m not feeling very adult and responsible right now.”

He heaved a sigh. “Me either.” He paused. “What did you think when Tabby told you she’s pregnant?”

“I was thrilled. But she’s not there yet, emotion-wise. Apparently, this was an accident. An accelerated timetable. She’s feeling unsteady on her feet in more ways than one.”

“John will settle her. He’s over the moon.”

“I guess this aunt and uncle gig is going to be sooner than we thought.”

Tristan nodded. “It’s a little surreal right now. The whole pregnancy thing is scary. I feel for my brother. He’s going to need nerves of steel. So many things can go wrong.”

“They won’t. Surely. Tabby is healthy and strong.”

“Life can change in a heartbeat.”

“Are you thinking about your mother?”

He seemed shocked that she would bring it up. “I thought she was going to die, Daley. I was a kid. And I thought my mom was going to die. I can still remember what that felt like. Sheer, abject terror.”

“But she’s fine now.”

“Yeah.”

“Bad things happen,” she said, “in everybody’s family. But that’s the exception. We’re going to support John and Tabby through this pregnancy, and it’s going to be great.”

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