Page 117 of The Temporary Bride

I cling to him, letting myself get lost in the connection between us, and for a while that’s the only thing there is.

Chapter 43

Tristan

Chloe has been packed since last night, her suitcase sitting by the bedroom door ready to go. She’s heading to Jersey City for a few days to meet with the screenwriter behind Better Days Ahead, a trip that’s been on the calendar for weeks.

Before the doctor’s appointment, she was excited about it, talking about the meetings and the chance to spend a few days in New York with the energy she brings to things she actually cares about. Now she’s standing in the entryway with the suitcase handle in her hand and her lower lip caught between her teeth, and the crease between her brows hasn’t smoothed out since she woke up.

“I can come with you.” I lean against the doorframe with my arms crossed, watching her unzip the front pocket of her bag, check something inside it, and zip it back up again. She’s done that three times in the last ten minutes. “I’ll move things around. It’s not a problem.”

She straightens up, both gratitude and a stubborn resolve in the look she gives me. “You don’t have to come with me. I’ll be fine on my own.”

I can see the anxiety in her eyes, but I also understand her need for independence. It’s a part of who she is—strong, capable, and fiercely determined. But that doesn’t make it any easier for me to let go.

I can’t help but feel a surge of protectiveness, wanting to be there for her in any way I can. “I know you’ll be fine,” I say, stepping forward. “But I want to be there for you, dimples. It’s not just about physically being there. It’s about making sure you know you’re not alone.”

A smile pulls at the corner of her lips, and for a moment, the lines of worry in her forehead disappear. “I know I’m not alone. But I can do this. I promise.”

I step closer, tugging her into my arms. She fits against me like she was fucking meant to be there, and I lean in to kiss her, threading my fingers through her hair as I tilt her face up. Even if I can’t come with her and be by her side every step of the way, I want to be as close as I can, for as long as I can.

“I’ll miss you,” I murmur.

She pulls back enough to look at me, and both dimples appear at once. I’ve never been this far gone for anyone in my life, and it still catches me off guard sometimes, the way she can do that to me with just a smile.

“Good.” She bites her lower lip in a way that makes my cock twitch. “I look forward to being welcomed back properly when I get home.”

I walk her backward until her shoulders hit the wall and then kiss her, making sure it’s one that will leave an impression for a good long while since she’s about to get on a plane and be gone for three days. Her arms wrap around me, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt, and when I finally step back, we’re both breathing harder than we were.

She picks up her suitcase, straightens her jacket, and smooths her hair, giving me a look that is extremely self-satisfied.

“Text me when you land,” I tell her.

“Yes, Dad.”

“Chloe.”

She’s already smiling as she turns away. The front door closes behind her with a soft click, and I move to the window and watch the car pull out of the driveway, watch it reach the end of the road and disappear around the curve, then stand there a beat longer than I need to.

The house feels different without her in it. Same rooms, same furniture, same view of the ocean through the windows, the same morning light cutting across the kitchen tiles, but the most important thing is missing. I make coffee and drink it at the kitchen counter looking out at the water in the distance, the waves breaking against the sand. Then I grab my jacket and go.

I decide to drive myself today, taking the coast road with the windows down.

Things at work have been going well. The last several months I’ve felt myself fully settle into this role, and with my brothers functioning as an actual unit rather than five people operating in parallel, the results have started to show up in the numbers and in the room when we’re all together.

The expansion strategy is solid, the new markets we’ve been quietly moving into are responding, and there’s a momentum to it now that I can actually feel when I walk through these offices in the morning. I have real confidence in what we’ve built and where we’re taking it, which is not something I could have said a few months ago.

I spend the morning in back-to-back meetings, and by the time I surface, it’s past one in the afternoon. There’s a cold coffee sitting on my desk that my assistant left an hour ago, and I drink it standing at the window looking out at the city below while I check my phone. Chloe texted when she landed, a photograph of the Manhattan skyline from her hotel window across the river, along with a message about the screenwriter that runs long and enthusiastic in a way that makes me grin. I read it twice before I put the phone down.

The next two days drag on. The house feels like a shell without her in it. Every corner, every room seems emptier, and the silence is stifling. I find myself constantly checking my phone, hungry for texts or calls from her.

I’m restless, my mind circling back to thoughts of Chloe. The bed feels too large without her beside me, and I find myself reaching out in the dark, as if I could pull her closer even when she’s not there.

Meals feel less satisfying without her to share them with. The quiet of the house during dinner is a stark contrast to the animated conversations we usually have. I find myself absentmindedly setting a place for her, only to realize moments later that she isn’t here.

I text her often, sending her little updates about my day, random thoughts that pop into my head, or just checking in to see how she’s doing. Her responses always bring a smile to my face, no matter where I am. More than a few times, Beckett and Reid catch my expressions and tease me about it.

That’s fine. They can tease all they like. They don’t know how this feels. Not yet. And if they ever get the chance, they won’t care while Chloe and I tease them in return.