Page 66 of One Wild Wedding Weekend

He pulled her close and kissed her hard. “Everything is going to be great, Daley. Everything.”

Thirteen

Daley thought about her conversation with Tristan a long time that afternoon while juggling her to-do list. He seemed truly worried about Tabby.

Too worried? That was hard to say. Childhood traumas could be long-lasting and life-altering. He’d wanted to be a doctor because of his mother’s illness. Now, he was afraid for his sister-in-law.

Hopefully, when things settled down, he would see that uneventful pregnancies were the norm. Miscarriages happened. Yes. But there was no reason for alarm.

Still, something about Tristan’s unease kept Daley unsettled.

Did this mean he would never want kids?

And there she was again. Back at the beginning. Wondering if she should even be part of this relationship.

But now, she had committed. She’d said very clearly that she chose him. No more keeping the exits in view.

As she drove home that afternoon, she acknowledged her biggest fault. She sucked at living in the moment. No couple ever figured out everything in the beginning. It was dumb for Daley to feel like she had to have all the answers before giving her heart away.

That wasn’t going to happen.

Either she trusted Tristan, or she didn’t. If they came to a place where they both wanted different things in life, maybe they could part as friends.

When he showed up at her door at six and swooped in for a deep, wonderful kiss, she knew the friend thing was a nonstarter. Tristan was hers. She adored him. He had stolen her heart when she wasn’t looking.

If they ever parted over irreconcilable differences, she would be a mess.

Because the evening was a celebration, she knew she needed to focus on Tabby and John and keep her romantic uncertainties in the background. That was hard with Tristan constantly touching her. Nothing overt or embarrassing. Just subtle, affectionate caresses that made her squirm with longing to be alone with him.

But first, the reason for the evening.

Tabby looked better than she had yesterday, more at peace certainly. But nausea was giving her fits. She managed half her dinner as John hovered.

Daley lifted her glass. “Let’s toast to this baby.” Three of them had pinot. Tabby’s goblet was filled with plain tap water and ice.

Tristan smiled. “Or better yet, a toast to the new mom and dad. May you always be as happy as you are now. And may this little baby bring endless joy to your home.”

John chuckled when his wife’s eyes leaked tears. “I should buy stock in tissues,” he said ruefully.

Tabby nodded. “I’m an emotional mess. Please tell me this part will get better soon. I used to cry at sappy movies. Now I’m a wreck when I see a boring car commercial. This is not how I thought I would feel.”

“You’ll be fine,” Daley said, laughing sympathetically. Then she shot Tristan a questioning look. He nodded. “We’re so excited for you guys,” she said. “Tristan and I want to buy your nursery furniture when you’re ready. As a way of saying thank-you for all the happiness you two have brought to our lives.”

Now Tabby really lost it. Daley mouthed, I’m sorry, to her brother-in-law. “Let me take her to the ladies’ room and get her dried up. We’ll be back.”

Tristan watched Daley walk away and realized he was in so deep there was no way out—even if he wanted to find one. He could hardly wait to have her alone tonight. He was in love with her.

The knowledge should have been calm and peaceful. Satisfying. And maybe it was all those things. But it also scared the shit out of him.

John touched his arm. “Have you told her how you feel?” he asked quietly, his expression sympathetic.

“Not in so many words.” Tristan grimaced. “She knows I care.”

“Why are you holding back?”

Tristan didn’t have a good answer for that question, so he took another tack. “How are you going to bear it?” he asked in all seriousness. “Having Tabby pregnant and knowing all the things that could go wrong. Isn’t it terrifying?”

John’s gaze held a maturity that Tristan might not be able to match. “It’s terrifying every day,” John said. “Being married to her. Responsible for her. Loving her. Knowing the world is not always a safe place. But I don’t have another choice. She’s part of me now. My breath. My heart. She’s made everything better, Tris. I can’t even describe it. Honestly, I don’t know what I did to deserve such happiness.”

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