Page 37 of Just a Little Promise

“Ready to head inside?” he asked, giving his rear view mirror one last glance, just to make sure they hadn’t been followed by a black sedan. He wasn’t being paranoid, just extremely cautious. “Looks like everyone else is already here.” Drew and Beck’s vehicles were parked in the driveway.

She finally looked at him, a glimmer of curiosity in her gaze. “What are you going to tell them, about us?”

He sighed. Yes, he already knew that introductions were going to be quite the dilemma. He and Skye weren’t dating, and she wasn’t technically his girlfriend, but shewaspregnant with his baby. They didn’t intend to make that announcement today, so for now, the friend zone it was.

“I’m going to tell them that you’re a good friend, and that’s all they’re going to care about,” he said, reaching out and stroking his fingers along her soft cheek. “I promise that they aren’t going to read into the situation, or interrogate you, or make you feel uncomfortable. My parents and brothers are friendly, easy going kind of people. They’ll welcome you because you’re with me, simple as that.”

Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. His parents would be lovely to Skye, but his brothers... yeah, Beck and Drew would realize that Tripp bringing someone to Whitney’s memorial was huge. He’d never shared that special day with another woman, not even Julia. So there would be speculation, but he didn’t want to freak Skye out.

She nodded her head, squared her shoulders, and gave him a genuine smile. “Okay, let’s do this.”

They got out of the car and as soon as he met up with her by the walkway, he reached for her hand, just to offer reassurance and because it was an instinctive reaction when it came to Skye, then stopped... because afriendwouldn’t have been so intimate. So, instead, he tamped down his frustration and lightly pressed his fingers to her lower back as they made their way up to the front porch.

He let himself into his parents’ house and followed the sound of voices to the living room, where everyone was gathered. The first person to see him was his three year old niece, his twin’s namesake, Whitney, who alerted everyone else to their presence.

“Uncle Tipp is here!” she shrieked in a boisterous voice, still unable to pronounce her “r”s, then ran over and jumped up and down in front of him, her arms raised high for him to pick her up.

Which he did, because there was no ignoring the little girl. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a noisy kiss on his cheek. It didn’t matter the reason for their family get togethers, Whitney always loved being the center of attention and spread the love and hugs between everyone equally. And truth be told, the entire family enjoyed her infectious, exuberant personality.

“Who’s that?” she asked in a loud voice, pointing to Skye, who was standing beside Tripp and smiling at the little girl.

The kid had no filter, but in all fairness she was just voicing what Tripp’s parents and brothers were wondering, as well, since he could clearly see the curiosity on their faces. He’d given them no prior knowledge that he’d be bringing a plus one today.

He set Whitney back down, then made the introductions. “Everyone, this is Skye, a friend of mine,” he said.

Tripp then pointed out everyone by name for Skye—his parents, Audrey and Kurt, Beck, Chloe, Drew, and... a pretty, blonde haired woman he hadn’t formally met yet, either, but one he recognized as the woman who’d won Drew at the auction, even though it had been her sister who’d bid on him.

Everyone greeted Skye, immediately making her feel welcome, and she greeted them warmly in return.

“And this is Georgia,” Drew said, sliding an arm around the blonde woman at his side who wore a shy smile, making it clear that things had worked out between them beyond his bachelor auction weekend obligation to her. “She met everyone at the family barbeque a few weeks back. The one you missed because you were on call and had an issue with a patient.”

He nodded, remembering the child that had gone into respiratory distress from a severe asthma attack that day. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to Drew since the auction, and he was happy to see his brother so relaxed and content. Which was kind of shocking to Tripp since Drew had put any kind of relationship with a woman on the back burner in lieu of his career as an attorney. Clearly, something about Georgia had changed his mind.

“Boys, there’s beer out in the cooler on the back patio,” Audrey announced, shooing the men toward the slider door. “The girls and I are going to get a glass of wine and meet you out there in a few minutes.”

Tripp caught Skye’s gaze, silently asking her if she was going to be okay.

She gave him a sweet smile and an imperceptible nod. “I’ll be fine,” she assured him.

Chloe swooped in and hooked her arm through Skye’s, flashing him a gregarious grin. “Don’t worry, Tripp. We won’t corrupt her too much.”

He rolled his eyes, but appreciated his sister-in-law’s kindness toward Skye. Also, he was certain that Chloe wanted to know everything about his “friendship” with her, because she’d clearly seen his interest in Skye during the charity event.

He headed outside with his father and brothers. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, perfect for planting another rose bush in Whitney’s honor. A large gallon sized plastic bucket with a pruned rose bush inside sat on the deck, which Tripp had ordered and had delivered for today’s memorial. There were no blooms yet, but in the spring the bush would be vibrant with deep purple hybrid roses.

Drew passed out the beers while Beck didn’t waste time mincing words.

“Friends, huh?” he asked as he twisted the top off his bottle of beer.

Tripp shrugged. “For now.”

His brother smirked knowingly. “Her choice or yours, because friends do not look at friends like they want to fu—”

“Beck!” their father barked out from where he was sitting in his patio chair, cutting him off with a frown. “Skye seems like a nice girl, and there’s nothing wrong with being friends.”

“With benefits,” Drew added with a snicker.

Despite the fact that Tripp and his siblings were all grown adults, there were times when they were together that they still acted like the brainless thirteen-year-old boys they’d once been.

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