Because I Love You (15 page)

Leah awoke as the sun streamed into the bedroom and she nestled into the safety of Tristan's arms. He was gentle, loving, and Leah thought about how when she was with him, she was happy with herself. She didn't have to prove anything, or accomplish some lofty goal. She could let the rest of the world drop away.

Glancing at the clock, she noticed it was almost nine. She never slept so late anymore, and if she hadn't promised her mother she'd help her with some pie baking today, she'd stay in bed, but Thursday was Thanksgiving and for the first time, she'd be bringing a date.

Trying not to wake him, Leah lifted his arm and scooted out of the bed, looking for something to throw on before she went to the kitchen for coffee. Last night, bolstered by a very good wine and serious lust, she had no problem baring it all, but now, in the light of day, all that courage was a memory. Until next time.

Grabbing his dress shirt off the floor, she took a long, slow inhale, catching his scent before putting it on and letting the promise of caffeine win her over.

The apartment was a very bright space, with floor-to-ceiling windows that surrounded most of the loft, and all that sunshine was something Leah had to get used to again. Her third-floor apartment in an old building was gorgeous, but this space was modern, clean, and all about good light. The way the sun streamed in the big windows reminded her of her parents' houses on Long Island, both in Muttontown and the Hamptons.
Sunshine is the best thing for you
, her mother would say.
Light makes you happy
.

Leah had to agree with her.

The kitchen was lined with cherry cabinets, glass countertops, and high-end appliances, and like a typical man, Tris didn't use it to cook. That had been changing since she moved in, but it was going to be a tough habit to break. The man lived on takeout or in restaurants.

Still, he was hers and she warmed just thinking about his smile and his touch. Opening a cabinet and grabbing a mug, Leah stopped short as she reached for the coffeemaker.

On the counter was a single red rose. Lovely and perfect, it sat on top of a white notecard, and next to it was a velvet jewelers' box. He was going overboard now. The diamond necklace and earrings were so beautiful she never wanted to take them off, and in fact, she was still wearing her earrings, but there was more? He had to stop. She didn't need gifts. They had each other.

Opening the note, she swallowed hard. There were only two words printed in his familiar scrawl. Two very meaningful words.

Will you?

The rush of tears in her eyes and her trembling fingers made it hard to open the velvet box. But when she did, her breath
caught. There on a dark field was a large, round diamond, framed by two smaller diamonds and two baguettes.
Will you?

Of course she would.

How could she not? He was the love of her life and he'd changed everything. Tristan had let her see what was important, what was real. He made her see her job for what it was, and let her have the life she'd always wanted, one filled with family and people she cared about. He'd given her confidence. He'd loved her without questions.

Of course she would marry him.

Slipping the ring on her finger, she dashed back to the bedroom, where he was still sleeping. Bouncing on the bed, Leah landed next to him with a hearty plop. One eye opened, then another, and then a smile bloomed on his face.

“Yes,” she whispered, dropping a kiss on his lips.

It was all she had to say.

“Really?” He propped himself up on one elbow and took her hand in his.

“Yes,” she said again. “Yes, yes, yes. I love you, Tristan. Yes.” She kissed him again and again. “I will.”

In a smooth move he'd perfected on her, Tris rolled her onto her back, pinning her beneath his naked body. Bringing her left hand up, he kissed the ring on her finger. “Do you like it? If you want something different, just say the word.”

“I love it. It's beautiful. Even the size is perfect.”

“I want to give you everything. I love you so much.”

“You have given me so much already.”

Her heart couldn't quite believe this was happening. Her world was dry as dust, her heart frozen until he walked in. He was everything she ever wanted, and more than that, she could believe in him.

“So . . .” He ground against her and she responded immediately to his arousal. “How many ankle biters are you aiming for, and should we get started? Because that could be fun.”

“Ankle biters? You mean children?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, children. One, ten, however many you want.”

“More than one, less than ten. How's that for vague?”

He chuckled and kissed her. “I want to put a baby in you right now.”

“Let's wait until we're married. Until then we can practice. A lot.” Knowing she was due at her parents in a couple of hours, Leah had to get out from under him, but, God . . . he felt amazing. “Let me go. I have to help my mother with the pies.”

With a loud groan, Tris flipped on his back. “You'll be the death of me, woman.”

God, she loved this. He was in agony and it was all her doing. “It's not my fault you find me irresistible.”

Groaning again, he grabbed at her as she rose from the bed.

“Come with me today?” she asked.

“To your parents' house? I dunno, they might have it out for me now that I want to marry their precious daughter.”

“Wait. You didn't tell them?”

Drawing a deep breath, he looked away.

“You did tell them, right? Tris, they'll be crushed.”

“Oh, for Christ's sake.” He sat up and threw the covers back. “Of course I did. You think I'm daft? Your father would feed me to that demon horse who threw me if I didn't get your parents' blessing first.”

“You did?”

“I know it's important to you, too. Your brother even gave me his blessing.”

“He did?”

“Yes. Now go get dressed.” He gave her a light smack on the ass. “I'm going to take a cold shower.”

There was a giddy, excited feeling filling Leah's chest and a weightlessness all around, like she was floating. He made her so happy. Finally.

Leah was happy.

*  *  *

Preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday was a major undertaking at the Bayard household. Told there would be over twenty-five people in attendance for dinner, Tristan was amazed to find the cooking was done by the family with Sally firmly in charge. Today they were baking pies and desserts that would keep until Thursday.

When they arrived, the kitchen was buzzing with activity. Ingredients were being chopped, kneaded, or mixed, and through it all Sally's lilting voice rose above all the noise.

This was a grand family. Close, loving, and he was going to be part of it. Tristan hoped he was up to the task. He did notice Leah's father was conspicuously absent from the kitchen, probably chased out by Sally herself.

“Hey!” Leah called, deliberately waving with her left hand as they crossed the threshold to the kitchen. Her ring reflected off the sun shining in through the windows, and everyone's heads turned.

“OH, MY GOD!” He'd never heard Liz Bayard raise her voice, but as with most things in life, there was a first time for everything. She shrieked. “He asked? Oh, honey.” She was still holding Leah's hand when she flashed Tristan a warm smile. “It's a beautiful ring, Tristan. Just beautiful.”

Jenna leaned in and wrapped an arm around Leah, pulling her in. “This is wonderful! I'm so happy for you two!”

While her mother and sister-in-law were gushing, Sally stepped toward Leah, who held out her hand for the elder woman's inspection. “Isn't it perfect, Sally?”

Expecting her to wonder if the diamonds were real, or make some crack about the size, Sally smiled and reached out to Leah, folding her in her arms. “You're going to be a beautiful bride. And you—” she turned to Tristan, and hugged him hard. “Welcome to the family.”

He'd never been more stunned. Or happy.

“I wonder where Amy went,” her mother glanced around. “She was here a minute ago. Huh. That's odd.”

“She's probably wondering if I turned tricks for the ring,” Leah mumbled to Tristan. Amy's comments from the night before about Leah's jewelry still stung, and it was going to be a while before Leah forgot about it.

“Tristan,” Liz said. “Could you go fetch Liam and Nate from the barn? They need to see this.”

Tris nodded, happy to let all the women gush over Leah. Lord knew she deserved it. Walking out the back door, he turned to head down the path to the barn, when he saw some movement out of the corner of his eye by the guesthouse. Making his way toward the stone structure which housed him for several days after his fall, he didn't know exactly why he was checking things out, but he had a feeling he knew who was up here. The closer he got to the house, the more he smelled it . . . someone was sneaking a cigarette.

Sure enough, as soon as he rounded the building he saw Amy, sitting on a bench in the garden, taking a long drag.

“And here everyone thinks you're the nice girl, and Leah's the hell-raiser.”

Pulling a hand to her chest, Amy jumped. “Shit. You scared the crap out of me.” Stubbing out her cigarette, she put the butt in a bucket filled with sand.

“Your mum is looking for you.”

“How nice,” she replied, not making eye contact.

Sitting in a chair across from her, Tristan was trying to get a handle on the two sisters. “I never pegged you for a smoker. I quit five years ago.”

“I went back about six months ago. It makes my parents crazy, and since Mum's cancer diagnosis, it really doesn't sit well.” She stood and walked to the edge of the stone patio and fingered a plant that was starting to fade. “I don't smoke much, but when I get stressed . . .”

“You mean like having to face your sister after you basically called her a whore?”

Amy was poised to strike back, but the fire in her eyes died down when she realized there was no way to defend herself. She really was not the well-mannered, blond socialite he'd met at the party last July. This sister had the instincts of a viper.

But Tris could see the viper had feelings. Especially where her sister was concerned.

Amy turned away. Sniffled. “Yeah, like that.”

“You could apologize. Seems like you know you should.”

“She won't listen. I crossed the line. Hurt her feelings.”

“You did. You also hurt her when you told her you were leaving and said something like it was good that you would have distance, or some shit.”

“I thought that was true,” Amy defended. “She's very dependent on me.”

“Is she? Because as soon as she didn't need you so much, you lashed out.” Tristan was not feeling the love for his sister-in-law-to-be. He was finding her to be rather a bitch.

“You really don't get this, do you? She moved from me to you. She can be needy. She has to be able to stand up on her
own!”

“Christ almighty, you need to get a hold of yourself, Amy. No she didn't. She jettisoned me the minute I tried to tell her what to do. I had to beg her to come back to me.
Beg.
I'd be the one lost without
her
. But let me tell you something, being alone is a shitty place to be. That's why your big, close family is such a blessing. You never have to be alone.”

There was no response, just a look of distance. “She's so emotional. I don't know how she does the job that she does. I thought for sure she'd be a teacher, or a doctor, something that would bring her in contact with people.”

“She has a huge heart. It's one of the things I love about her.”

“I just, I don't . . . I don't know how to handle it. She
feels
so much. Loves everyone so much. I don't know how she does it. It would overwhelm me.”

“So now you're running across the ocean, but you're scared. Your family won't be there. Your sister won't.”

“I guess. There's some truth in that.”

“You made a choice, but you have family to support you, even if they're an ocean away.”

“My sister, too?” Amy sounded skeptical.

“Yes. Your sister, too. However, you need to be happy for her, even if you aren't happy for yourself.”

Amy nodded. “I guess I'd better get in there. So, can the ring choke a horse?”

He couldn't help but smile. “Two or three.”

“Jesus. Flashy asshole.”

“I'm a billionaire. It's a job requirement.” Standing, he turned toward the barn. “I've got to go retrieve your father and brother. Go talk to her, Amy. You'll solve nothing if you don't.”

Taking a breath, Leah's sister straightened her back and started off toward the house. He was quickly learning that family politics were a tricky business, just like the relationships among the partners. He and his siblings got on fine, but everyone had gone in their own direction and they were lucky if they saw each other once a year. It was no wonder Mum wanted him home for Christmas. She missed them. Missed the chaos, the bickering, the love. He was going to have to go. Of course he'd ask Leah to come so she could meet his family. The Bayards were going to play a big role in his life from now on, but it was time for Leah and him to establish their own life, together, and that meant family on both sides of the Atlantic.

*  *  *

There wasn't enough moisturizer on the planet for Leah's poor hands. She'd done more dishes today than she'd done in the past five years. Yeah, some heiress she was—dishpan hands. Lovely.

But it was a fun day, and Amy even apologized, such as it was. She didn't know if her sister meant everything she said, but she'd tried to make peace and that was better than nothing.

The house was still full of people. The rest of the Reliance partners all showed up with their wives, and kids, and Harper stopped by with the baby, which had everyone falling all over themselves. Leah made her way up to her old room not only
to find something for her chapped hands, but for a little quiet. The Bag Balm ointment she'd always used for her barn hands solved one problem, coming to her room on the third floor solved the other.