Tristan's Redemption (12 page)

“
Abby,” he said as he ran his fingers lightly over the lacing edging of the bra, “you are beautiful.”

Silently, she let her actions answer him as she tugged on his shirt. Tristan swiftly pulled it over his head and tossed it to the side. He kissed her again, nipping at her bottom lip lightly before exploring her mouth with his tongue. He palmed her breasts and she moaned.

He pulled back. “Are they sensitive?”

She nodded enthusiastically, her eyes glazed over with desire.
“Yes.”

“
Should I stop?”

“
Don’t you dare.”

Abby ran her fingers through his hair and whispered words of encouragement. Tristan scooped her up. She looked at him in surprise until she realized he was going to the hall.

“Last door on the left.”

He nodded and kept going, thinking of the many times he had walked down this very same hall with Abby in his arms, only this time, the circumstances were completely different. Tristan got to the door of the bedroom and paused briefly. The bed where he spent another life making love to Abby was a looming presence.

That doesn’t matter. Making love to her as Tristan is what matters.
His feet carried them both to the bed and he lowered Abby slowly.

“
Don’t let me go.”

“
Never.” Tristan took a deep breath and prepared himself. Expectations and rules be damned, he was going to say
Abby, I love you. I’ll never leave you again.

The doorbell rang. They both turned and stared toward the bedroom door.

“Are you expecting anyone?”

Abby shook her head, her eyes widened.
“No.”

Tristan stood
, and Abby got off the bed. The doorbell continued to ring and soon a rapid knocking accompanied the bell.

“
That’s my mom’s knock,” Abby whispered, “and our clothes are in there.”

“
Come on.” Tristan walked quietly back to the den and said a silent prayer of thanks. When they were building, he’d talked Abby out of the windows on each side of the door so no one would be able to see in. Now, her mom would not get a clear view of the lack of clothes on Abby and Tristan. That damned knock had been the bane of his existence years ago. Diane once had the uncanny ability to interrupt her newlywed daughter’s sex life and David had cursed that evil knock under his breath every time it happened.

“
Your shirt is on inside out,” Abby whispered as she headed for the door. Tristan corrected his mistake and Abby took a deep breath before she turned the knob.

“
Mom, hey! What are you doing here?”

Diane quickly kissed Abby on the cheek and patted her belly before entering.
“Your daddy was spewing like a faucet last night. I would’ve called but I was so tired, I fell asleep as soon as he dozed off. We decided to pop by today so we could—”

Diane stopped speaking as she saw Tristan in the den. He smiled and waved hello as Jackson walked through the door behind her.

“Mom, Daddy, this is Tristan. Tristan, these are my parents, Jackson and Diane Adams.”

No one spoke for a tense moment
then Tristan took the first step. He smiled and approached her mother with his hand extended. “Diane, it is very nice to meet you.”

“
Uh huh.” Her mom shook his hand quickly, hesitantly, before glancing at her daughter with wide-eyed concern.

Tristan ignored that and shook her father
’s hand. “Jackson, it’s nice to meet you as well.”

Jackson
’s hand shake was firm, almost painfully so, as if the man were reminding Tristan that Abby was his daughter.

“
Likewise. Let’s say we all come in here, have a seat, and my baby girl can start things off by telling me just why the hell you’re here.”

~

Diane excused herself to the kitchen under the pretense of making everyone some tea and summoned Abby for help.

Obviously, no one had clued Diane in to the fact that her voice carried when she was upset and Diane started her questioning off with,
“Good Lord, Abigail, he looks like, well, he's handsome, but he looks scary.  God, he's probably on an FBI watch list. What’s he doing here in Atlanta?”

Tristan could picture Abby rolling her eyes. Knowing her mom
’s voice had been overheard, Abby didn’t bother lowering hers.

“
He’s a peach terrorist, Mother. He and his people from their terror-plagued nation of Spain have plotted to take over Georgia for our peach crop. I’m lucky you got here when you did. He’s been asking an awful lot about Grandpa’s farm, and I’m getting suspicious about him.”

Tristan chuckled as Diane chided her daughter, but when he looked up, Jackson was giving him a death glare.

Tristan quickly sobered and held up his hands. “I’m not a terrorist, I swear.”

“
Oh, I believe you,” Jackson took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “I also know damned good and well who you are: Tristan Ramirez, CEO of TER Holdings. Nobody knows much about your personal life, but in the business world, people are wary of you. When you start looking at businesses to buy, company presidents tend to do things like jump out of fifteen story windows. And now you’re here with my recently-widowed, very pregnant daughter, and you didn’t even have the decency to comb your hair after doing whatever it was you were doing when we got here.” Jackson’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t like you, don’t want you anywhere around my baby and would gladly buy you a ticket to get the hell out of Georgia. So you just tell me why you’re here, and what you’re doing with Abby.”

Tristan would do anything for Abby. He had an
gels breaking rules and, he was, basically, defying the natural order of things just to get more time with her. But, though he understood the animosity, he wasn’t going to stand by and let Abby get scared off by her parents.

“
Abby and I were attending the same survivors’ group. My wife died.”

Jackson
’s facial expression softened, briefly. “My condolences.”

“
Thank you.”

“
You met at this group and she approached you?”

“
No. She had an open seat beside her, and I took it.”

“
Uh huh. And there were no more open seats?” Jackson accentuated his words by making a circular motion with his fingers.

“
Abby looked like she could use a friend.”

“
And that would be you? Look now, Tristan,” Jackson spat out his name like it was profanity, “you aren’t exactly known as the friendly type. What would make you want to change your ways for my daughter?”

Take a deep breath, count to three.
“Mr. Adams, do you harass everyone in Abby’s life or did I just draw the short straw today?”

Jackson
’s nostrils flared. “Whenever I encounter a corporate mogul who’s made billions by decimating other people’s businesses, I most certainly
ask questions
.”

Tristan
’s frustration grew, but he maintained his calm. “Actually, I believe I said harass and, if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit that’s what you’re doing here. We have one thing in common. Abby. We both want her to be happy. That being said, I can respect your position because you have raised one hell of a woman. If I lived two more lifetimes, I couldn’t be half the person Abby is.” Jackson had no clue how literal Tristan’s words were. “But I will not tolerate you destroying my character because with her, for her and beside her, I’m a different person. I’m not the CEO, I’m the man who cares deeply for this woman you raised. So if we can come to some sort of mutual understanding here, I would like for us to be friends. But,” Tristan made eye contact with Jackson, “regardless of your opinion of me at the end of this conversation, I,” he pointed to himself, “am here because Abby means a great deal to me. Does it matter to me that your wife thinks I’m a terrorist or that you have me pegged as the reincarnation of Dahmer? Not one damned bit.”

Jackson sat slack-
jawed, taking in everything Tristan said.

“
Can you do it? For Abby?”

Jackson leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.
“I don’t like you.”

“
There are days I don’t like myself very much either. But again, I ask, can you put up with me, if I can make her happy?”

Her father pointed at Tristan.
“Boy, if you hurt her—”

“
I would rather die than hurt Abby.”

Jackson scoffed.
“That can be arranged. I’ve got access to a lot of land and plenty of people who’ll give me an alibi.”

Tristan fought the smile and extended his hand.
“Deal.”

Jackson hesitantly shook Tristan
’s outstretched hand.

“
Just for the record, I don’t destroy companies, Mr. Adams.”

“
No?”

“
I invest in companies. If they can’t hold up their end of the deal, I absorb them into my corporation. But everyone receives a severance package if we can’t find another job for them within my company.”

Jackson shook his head.
“That’s not what I heard.”

“
Frankly, does that surprise you? You probably got your information from my direct competition. Word of mouth spreads fast, and does a lot of damage.” Tristan sighed. “The exception being that CEO who actually did throw himself out of a window.”

Jackson
’s lip curled up in a smirk. “At least you’re man enough to admit it.”

“
The man embezzled from his own company, after he came to us for a loan. The authorities were investigating him for criminal charges. The day he threw himself out the window was the day someone at the prosecutor’s office gave him an inside tip that his house was going to be searched for evidence.”

“
Then why don’t you clear up some of the rumors?”

Tristan shrugged.
“I don’t choose to lead by fear, but you have to admit it commands a certain amount of respect.”

Jackson was a retired drill sergeant and Tristan knew he was a walk-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick kind of thinker. The man took a deep breath and looked over his shoulder toward the kitchen.
“I guess I can see your point.”

“
Good. Then I would like us to be friends. For Abby’s sake, and for ours.”

“
You’re serious about my daughter?”

If he only knew.
“Yes. As long as she’ll keep me around, I’ll be here.”

Abby and her mom came back in the room. Tristan watched Abby with a smile, and she glanced back and forth between her dad and him. He gave her a barely noticeable nod to let her know that everything was okay. And it would be. As soon as Abby loved Tristan as much as he loved her, everything would be just fine.

~

Diane had her copies of the ultrasound pictures tucked safely in her purse. Tristan could only hope they got out the door before the comparisons started again.

I think he’s got my nose
or
he’s got Jackson’s ears.

Tristan made a mental note to ask Ehron about that. Surely the angel could tell about the ears in advance; maybe do something about them, if his son really had inherited that curse from Jackson. Not that he would point it out to anyone, but Tristan was fairly certain Jackson
’s ears could pick up satellite reception.

Diane
hugged him as he silently contemplated genetics.

“
Come with Abby to the house tomorrow night for dinner. I’m grilling steak and we’re having twice-baked potatoes, salad, and freshly-squeezed lemonade.”

“
I would love to, but I have actually going to the Braves game tomorrow afternoon and it might run over.”

Jackson
’s eyebrows rose. “Where are your seats?”

“
I have a luxury box. Or rather, my company does.”

“
Mmm...”

“
Oh stop drooling, Daddy. You’ve been to so many Braves games, the concessions people know you by name.”

“
Actually,” Tristan added with a contemplative grin, “we’ve got room in the suite if you’d like to go. They’re playing the Giants—”

Jackson
’s eyes gleamed with want, despite his casual shrug. “If you’re sure you have room—”

“
We do.”

“
Then yes, I appreciate the invitation.”

Got him.
Tristan bit back a grin. “My pleasure. The game’s at four.”

Jackson tried for gruff but a smile broke through.
“I know. See you tomorrow.”

Abby
’s parents left and Tristan knew where he stood with her father. Once Jackson was sure of Tristan’s intentions, they would get along fine. Abby, however, was another matter. She couldn’t be alone any longer. Tristan hoped she would go along with what he had planned.