Because I Love You (17 page)

Landing squarely in his large leather desk chair, Nate appeared in his office in a matter of minutes. “I should probably kick your ass.”

Tris nodded. “You probably should.”

“What the hell happened?” Nate came around the desk and leaned into the edge. The man was a good friend, a smart man, and Tris didn't have a good answer for him.

“I wasn't truthful with her. It was all she really wanted.”

“Well, that was fucking stupid.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

“What about all the SEC shit?”

“Give me fifteen minutes with the investigator, and it will be clear. Then I'm going to sic the whole bloody agency on Candace, Tad Carr, and James, who I'm sure fucked with our documents.”

“That sounds like a plan. Then what?”

Tris took a deep breath and faced what he'd been denying since Leah left him.

“I think . . .” He stopped, knowing this was going to throw water on Nate's plans to leave the company. “I think I'm going back to England. Permanently.”

Christmas Day dawned the way all days did on a horse farm, with an early call at the barn to feed. Leah rose when she heard Da heading downstairs, and decided she'd rather face the day than wallow in her own self-pity. That was how the last month had gone.

She'd wake up and have a decision to make about whether to participate with the living, or pull the covers over her head and go back to sleep. Usually, she got up, because that's who Leah was. She didn't hide. Ever.

Pulling on jeans, some nice warm socks, and a pair of tall muckers to go with her rattiest sweatshirt, Leah grabbed her barn coat from the hook by the back door and headed down. It was still dark enough that a few stars hung around the sky, and Leah let the crisp air fill her lungs while she watched the lights in the sky.

The temperature had dropped, and she could see her breath, a clear reminder that she could still be blissfully warm under the blankets. But there was something wonderfully peaceful and appropriate about being up and out this early on Christmas Day. Like a miracle, snow had fallen last night, and the dimly lit barn buildings were shadowed against a soft blanket of white.

The sounds of the farm waking up were dependent on the season. In the summer, there was not only the morning activity of all the grooms and trainers, but the sounds of birds and insects punctuated the air. Winter was a quiet time, only a few people, and the animals could be heard. As she got closer, she saw a couple of horses rolling in the snow in their paddock.

It had been almost a month since she'd left Tristan's apartment, and she hadn't spoken to him at all, even though he'd left a message pretty much every day.

Leah knew she missed him, but she didn't know what she wanted. She didn't know anything except that her heart hurt.

“Morning, Da.”

“Well, look at you, my wee elf. Here to give me a hand?”

“You know it.”

Leaning in to kiss her cheek, he smiled. “Thank you, and Happy Christmas.”

“Happy Christmas, Da.”

“You say the words, but you aren't happy, are you, my darlin'?”

Her lip trembled, and Leah knew a breakdown was imminent. Shaking her head, she couldn't speak. Weakly, she finally allowed herself to mutter, “I miss him.”

“Then you need to find a way to let him know that.” Da sat on a bench in the feed room and patted the space next to him, telling her to sit.

“You're wild stubborn, my girl. It is possible you were a wee bit hard on the lad, don't you think?”

Leah nodded. “A bit. But he did lie to me.”

“He did, but you have to find a way to tell him how you feel. I'm not saying he wasn't wrong, but you both made mistakes. People aren't perfect, Leah. Neither are marriages. You have to be willing to fight to keep the relationship strong.” Her father dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Apologize, tell your love how you feel, and then I'll be gifted with your bright smile again.”

Jenna had told her Tris was going home to England for Christmas. It was already noon there, and she figured a text wouldn't hurt, would it? One text.

Merry Christmas.

The message sent, and Leah stood to get to work, when she heard a little yip outside. Then another.
Yap.

A dog? The shelties were still inside with Mum, and she couldn't imagine one of the grooms bringing a dog around without letting anyone know, but there it was again.

Yap.

Leah stepped outside the barn, and it didn't take a moment for her eyes to find the figure of a tall man walking toward her.
Tristan.
He stood before her in jeans and a dark green sweater, holding a puppy.

A puppy.
Yap!

The wiggling mass of brown and white fur licked him twice on the chin, and Leah felt like Santa had just left her the best present ever. He was back. It was like he knew, and he came back.

Approaching each other, he and Leah stopped just short of touching.

“You're here,” she said. “I thought you were in England.”

“I was, but I came back. I had to give you your present.”

He passed the puppy to her, and Leah started to cry.

“Her name is Lola. She's a mutt. I'm sure she'll make mistakes, just like me. But she's going to love you forever, also just like me.”

“Oh, Tristan.”

“Leah, please forgive me. I'm so sorry. I should have told you everything, but I tend to put the past in the past. I know that doesn't make what I did any better. I know you felt betrayed, and it was a mistake not to tell you the whole sordid story, but I do love you. With all my heart.”

“I love you, too. I'm sorry. I've been so stubborn.”

“You had every right to be, but I'm asking you now to forgive me. Please wear your ring again, marry me.” He paused and whispered into her ear. “Will you?”

She nodded, still clutching the puppy, and crying into her fur. The puppy was having none of it. “I will. I most definitely will.”

“When you're ready, we'll put the loft on the market. I was thinking we could buy a house out here, that way you'd be closer to your family and we'd both be closer to work. I heard you took the position.”

“I did. You're coming back?”

“I am. I love you, Leah. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try to fix this one last time.”

“I love you, too. And if you hadn't come here, I'd have been on a plane to find you.”

“We're going to fight,” he said. “We're both too headstrong not to have run-ins. But let's promise we won't give up on each other.”

“Never.”

Pulling her close, with the puppy between them, Tristan held Leah.

Her mother always told her that there was magic on this land, brought here by her great grandfather. Mum said, if a person listened to the beating of horses' hooves in the pasture, and the cadence matched the beat of your heart—that meant your love was near.

She heard the hooves—steady, strong—just like her and Tristan. Just like the beat of their hearts.

Standing on her toes, and kissing him lightly, there quite possibly would never be a better Christmas present.

Three years later

Leah sat on the patio of her beautiful house, looking at the back lawn that seemed to roll right into Huntington Harbor. The only thing bluer than the sky was the water. It was a late spring day, warm enough to enjoy the cool salty breezes, but not so hot that it felt like you were melting.

Boats bobbed in the distance, and Leah watched her handsome husband playing with their twins—two little boys that would give them a run for their money, no doubt, but had brought joy beyond measure.

The move out of the city had been long overdue—they'd talked about it for two years. But with the kids to raise, and the fact they both worked on Long Island, it didn't make sense to keep reverse commuting. So, a year ago they pulled the trigger and made the move. They still loved the city, and all the memories they'd made there, but this was home now. The water, the green, the space made every moment blissful.

Leah thought about how much her mum would have loved watching the boys grow up. When she died last year, Leah vowed to be a mother like she was. Fair, loving, and most of all, present. She wasn't about to give up her work, she loved it too much, but she did want to step off the fast track. One of the things that she and Tristan did when they bought the house was set up one of the rooms as a home office. It had everything Leah needed to get work done in the middle of the night, if need be, and she had a feeling that's when she'd be working . . . when the boys were asleep.

Leah heard several car doors close and when Lola started barking, she was certain their company had arrived. It was the first event they were holding at their new home, and she hoped it wouldn't be the last. The voices made their way around the house, mostly her father's, but then she heard Nate and Jenna, and their two kids, and Owen and Kim were with them. Kim was sporting a beautiful baby bump after two years of trying to get pregnant.

Her family. Her big, messy family. Such a gift.

“Come on, lads.” Tristan tucked a boy under each arm and carried them giggling toward the voices. “Your grandda is going to want a piece of you, no doubt.”

“That I do! Come here, young'uns. Give me hugs.” The boys lunged at him, hanging off his neck. He carried them off onto the lawn.

Her father was unfazed by the beautiful view, only his grandchildren mattered. Her brother, however, was staring at the harbor.

“It's something, isn't it?”

“Leah, you know me. I love the farm. I love waking up to the scents and sounds, but this is amazing. I said it when you first bought the place, and I'll keep saying it.” The property, which was on the corner of a piece of land that jutted out into
the harbor, had 400 feet of beach, including a boat dock. It was a vacation home they'd live in all year round.

“Everyone else should be here soon. We all left about the same time.”

“Everyone else” was their Reliance family, people she'd known a good part of her life, people who had grown to be brothers and sisters of her heart.

Jason and Meg arrived with their four children, Caroline and Josh with their two. Harper wrangled her two kids on her own because Kevin was on a road trip. It was a family day, and the only one missing was her sister, who was on a job site in Prague.

The noise, the giggles and squeals of the children, reminded Leah about how much she had to be thankful for. Sure, she had a beautiful home, and the means to give her children anything they wanted, but more than that—the most important thing—she had love.

Lots and lots of love.

In the kitchen, preparing the burgers and chicken for the grill, Leah was happy to see Meg come through the French doors and pop onto one of the stools at the island. She'd always liked Meg, and the two of them had become close over the past year.

“You look like you're deep in thought, my friend.” Plucking a grape from the bowl of fruit on the island, Meg smiled.

“I was just thinking about all of us. The couples, the kids. Since you and Jason were married, the lot of us have fallen like dominoes. The only one left who's single is Amy.”

“It feels like so long ago, but it's only six years.”

“Meg, based on everything I've heard, you and Jason happened when you were still teenagers. It just took you both a while to figure it out.”

“You're probably right.” She paused. “Do you ever wonder about that?”

Leah covered the plate of burgers and put them in the fridge to set up. “About what?”

“About how we all found the person who was perfect for us. I mean, Jason and I had a history. You could even say Caroline and Josh did, too, but Kim and Owen? Jenna and Nate? Harper and
my brother
? Talk about a mismatch. And what about you and Tris—what are the odds that the guy who was hired to help with the company going public would be the one for you?”

Caroline came in from outside with Harper, Kim, and Jenna in tow. “We figured the guys could wrangle the kids on their own for a while. Where's the wine?”

Leah turned and grabbed a giant pitcher of sangria she'd just made. “Glasses are in the cabinet over there.”

“On it!” Harper said. “So what are we talking about?”

“How we each found the perfect person. It's kind of amazing the way it works, don't you think?” This had definitely been on Meg's mind.

“I think we were ready for it,” Kim said. “And it wasn't easy for any of the guys if you think about it. They had to work
for every one of us.”

Harper raised her glass. “As it should be.”

“I wasn't ready for Nate.” Jenna's voice was soft, reflective. “I'm still awed by how much he loves me.”

Kim reached out and wrapped an arm around her oldest friend. “You deserve it.”

Touching Kim's baby bump, Jenna smiled. Leah had to acknowledge Kim had a point. “I think we all had to open ourselves to the possibility of being loved, you know? Of having a different life. Change is scary, but great payoffs sometimes require risk.”

“I've heard that more than once,” Caroline said. “Especially concerning matters of the heart.”

“That sangria is strong.” Meg choked as she downed the glass. “Give me some more.”

Laughter bubbled up, and Leah thought about how much her marriage brought her in terms of the people in her life. One by one she looked at the women standing in her kitchen and smiled. A teacher, an engineer, an executive, a nurse, an artist, and a lawyer.

They were smart, accomplished women who found men who were strong enough to handle all they brought to a marriage. Leah was happy for what they brought to her life. A collective squeal jolted her out of her own head, and she and her friends went to the door to see their husbands, and her father, lined up, each with a child next to them, ready to have a game of football.

“God, they are gorgeous,” Kim said. “Oh, there we go. The shirts are coming off.”

“Sweet baby Jesus,” Caroline muttered. “Forty is looking good on my husband.”

Harper nodded. “I can't believe Kevin turned forty, either. I'm enjoying every minute of him trying to prove to me he's still a stud.”

Jenna sighed as she watched Nate pick up their son and run him and the football across the grass. The twins tried to keep up, but instead decided to tackle their daddy's legs. Leah warmed from the inside out as Tristan scooped up both boys. The three of them were laughing, and when Tris turned, he caught her watching him.

His smile spread wide, his eyes sparked in the sun, and Leah's heart stopped. He was a wonderful man—kind, honest, and good to the core. And he loved her. He loved their children. It was more than she ever dreamed of.

It was beautiful.

It was romantic.

It was the happy ever after she never thought she'd have.

And it was forever.