Chapter 15

By the time Tristan got to Ruby’s, where Cass was rumored to be, a large crowd had gathered. Not unusual. The unusual part was that Cass stood by the long lunch counter with the swivel stools talking to the room at large.

The sight of her slammed into him and he froze for a second, absorbing. Her brown hair hung down past her shoulders, gleaming in the fluorescent light of the diner, and there was this glow to her face that he couldn’t look away from. That ache in his chest grew until he felt it in his toes.

She was his fire. And he planned to spend a very long time making sure that flame burned bright, as long as they both shall live.

Intrigued and not a little thrilled to have this moment to watch her unobserved, Tristan slipped behind Lennie Ford who stood at the back of the crowd. That’s where the mountain of a man could usually be found since he had enough sense of his own size to know he’d block everyone else’s view. This was one time Tristan appreciated the shield.

“As I was saying, I’m glad you’re all here.” Cass’s voice rang out over the buzz, quieting the random conversations instantly as people tuned in. “You’ve all known me a long time, but I’ve been keeping secrets from you. It’s time for me to come clean.”

The buzz returned full force as people reacted. Tristan included. What in the world was all of this about? Mavis J turned to Ruby with a quizzical look that the owner of the diner shared, and Serenity mouthed something to Aria who shook her head. Everyone’s eyes remained glued to Cass. Drama of this magnitude didn’t hit town every day.

“First off,” Cass called out over the din, to little effect, until Ruby yelled, “Shush,” and then nodded at Cass for her to continue. She smiled gratefully. “First off, I have to tell you about something that happened to me recently that I never would have guessed. I fell in love.”

Wait, what? This was the secret? Tristan’s hands fisted by his sides as he tried to sort through the double barrel blast to his chest along with strong desire to tear apart whichever man she’d fallen for. Then Lennie shifted at exactly the wrong moment. Cass’s gaze lasered through the crowd to land squarely on Tristan and she smiled like she’d known he was there the whole time.

“And the man I fell in love with opened my eyes,” she said, still not naming names. Still not giving Tristan a target for the uncontrollable rage that poured through him.

The crowd turned to see who she was talking to. Great. So this whole scene was for his benefit apparently. A public confession to let him know she’d done as advertised and moved on, leaving him for a better man, exactly as he’d instructed her to. She’d found this new man and realized she Tristan wasn’t worth her time.

Perfect. That’s what she should have done.

Except every fiber of his being screamed for a do-over where he hadn’t told her to give up. Where he’d pulled her into his arms and refused to let go. Good thing he hadn’t or she wouldn’t have been able to fulfill her real destiny with someone else. He tried to drum up some altruism to stem the tide of misery, but it didn’t work.

“He helped me see that I shouldn’t view my disabilities as such, but as unique parts of my personality that are worth celebrating,” she continued.

“Disabilities?” Ruby called out with a frown. “Honey, what are you talking about? You don’t have any disabilities.”

“Actually,” Cass countered and took a deep breath, hesitating the way she always did when she couldn’t quite decide what she wanted to say, and her distress wormed its way underneath his until it was all he could see. “I…well, this is the hard part since the first part was easy, but this part is…let’s just say I don’t have a lot of practice at telling people this because you know, I’ve only ever told one person—”

“Cass.”

The word was out of his mouth before he thought better of it. But she’d needed his help. He couldn’t leave her at the mercy of the crowd as she confessed something she’d apparently only ever told him. His heart squeezed.

Cutting through the crowd easily, he joined her at the front and took her hand. It cost him. But he didn’t let go. “Breathe.”

“You came,” she murmured low enough for his ears only, her eyes huge, melty and relieved as she caught his gaze and held on. “I wasn’t sure you’d get the message.”

“I didn’t,” he said and shrugged nonchalantly. Or at least he prayed that’s how it came across instead of needy and blubbering, which was how he felt inside. “I was looking for you and hung around to hear your speech. I’m glad you’ve found someone to make you happy.”

Her gaze narrowed in confusion as she took in his expression and then she recoiled, pulling her hand from his and smacking him across the arm. “Really, Tristan? You’re the one I’m in love with, doofus.”

That she said at full volume, so the entire crowd heard it and laughed, but he scarcely heard it over the ringing in his ears. His throat closed and then opened enough times to win an award for best big mouth bass impersonation. “You…what?”

“Tristan. Breathe,” she said without a drop of irony. “Who did you think I was talking about?”

“A better man,” he managed to choke out as his heart swelled about a thousand sizes too big. She’d meant him. She’d meant him.

“Guess what? I was.”

And then in front of everyone, she leaned into the gap and kissed him thoroughly until he thought his knees would melt. The hoots and hollers fazed him not at all as he gathered her up in his arms exactly as he’d dreamed of doing and returned the favor. He plunged his fingers into her beautiful hair, held on and kissed the woman who had filled his heart.

When he finally came up for air, Cass’s hair was mussed and about eight different people clapped him on the back with various forms of atta-boys, West and Hardy included.

“So, I guess this means you’re both done arguing with each other, right?” West said with an arched eyebrow.

“And no more storming out of places if the other one shows up?” Aria asked hopefully.

“We’re done,” Tristan said definitively, his gaze on Cass. The only place he ever wanted it to be. Forever. “But I don’t understand. You never told anyone about your learning disability?”

A spot of color appeared high on both cheeks as she shook her head. “I hid it from everyone. Except Tallhorse. I was too ashamed.”

“I didn’t know,” Aria interjected helpfully and her sister, Ember, who hovered at her elbow, shook her head as well. “So I can say without a doubt that you did a good job. I mean, everyone knew you were a little quirky, but aren’t we all?”

“See? That’s exactly what I told you,” Tristan said with a laugh.

“I know. And I believed you. For the first time, I can confess it out loud and show the world that I’m not ashamed of who I am. Because of you.” Cass’s chocolatey eyes shone with all the love she’d just confessed in front of everyone.

For him. Tristan Marchande. She wanted to be with him, not some other guy who was better. He was the one who’d helped her see how strong and amazing and beautiful she was, but instead of bolstering her up so she’d be ready to fall in love with the next guy, she’d chosen him. In public. For everyone to hear.

After a lifetime of feeling abandoned, it meant everything to him to be claimed.

“So, it’s true?” Ruby asked in the pause, and everyone quieted down in case there was more about to happen. “Do you really have a disability?”

Cass nodded. “ADHD. Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. I haven’t been tested yet but I’m fairly certain that’s what’s going to be the official diagnosis when I go for the appointment I made in a couple of weeks, although I’m prepared to hear I might have a really severe case or that it’s something else. Either way, I have trouble paying attention and retaining information. Sometimes I’m a space cadet.”

“And sometimes you try really hard to overcome it,” Tristan threw in quickly. “You find ways to manage it, to still function and do amazing things. Take the school for example. That place is going to be great because only you would have cared enough to make it that way.”

“Here, here,” Ember said. “I’m thrilled that Judd’s going to have a chance to go to a school where the head of it understands that not all kids learn the same. I called a couple of moms from his old school to tell them they should come check it out. It’s worth living in a smaller town to get individualized instruction.”

Look at that. They might have missed the party, but Cass had still managed to find ways to attract people to the town regardless. Pride for her and what she’d accomplished swelled in his chest, which was saying something since he’d have sworn there wasn’t much room for anything else.

While he had everyone’s attention, it was time to put his own stake in the ground. “I have an announcement too. I’m going to be heading up the fire services department. As soon as I figure out how to organize it.”

That was met with some laughs but the glint in Hardy’s eyes as he nodded his appreciation made up for it.

“While we’re having a big Superstition Springs love fest,” Ember broke in. “I’ve got plans too. I’m going to open a bar. Across the street, in the old art studio.”

The same place Rafferty had been eyeing for his restaurant? His gaze cut to the man in question, who stood there with his arms crossed and an expression on his face that most people would call blank but didn’t fool anyone who’d known him for as long as Tristan had. That was his quietly seething face.

That sounded like fireworks waiting to happen, which would happen without Tristan’s help or interference because he had plenty of other things to occupy his time and energy.

“If we’re done with all of the public confessions,” he murmured to Cass. “I have a few private ones I’d like to make.”

She nodded and let him lead her out of the diner by the hand, smiling at all of the well-wishers. Tristan took her to his room because that was the only place he could think of where they had no chance of being interrupted. They had a couple of really important things to discuss that would not benefit from an audience.

But the second he closed the door, she whirled and had him backed against the wood before he could open his mouth, and the encompassing kiss that followed swallowed him whole. So much heat built up between them that he almost exploded right then and there but he had a small fraction of his will still intact. Enough that he was able to separate from her with enormous reluctance.

“Whoa,” he gasped. Her body was still pressed up next to his and that wasn’t doing a lot to stimulate his brain. He should move her away but that was asking too much. “While we’re behind closed doors and I’d like nothing more than to continue exactly where we left off, I need to understand what’s happening here.”

She rested her hands on his chest and spread out her fingers. “I’ve got several ideas.”

That made two of them. “Before we start trading those ideas, what about your prediction? Serenity was pretty sure that pregnancy would be right around the corner. Are you okay with that?”

Was he okay with that? He’d had literally not one second to get his feet under him since he’d first entered the diner and this conversation needed to happen without all of the ideas floating around.

But then she laid the lightest, sweetest kiss on his lips and drew back with a smile. “I’m not scared of it anymore, if that’s what you mean. I’m not thrilled with the possibility of passing on my learning disability to our kids, but I’m more than okay with it since you’ll be their father. Only you can help them be the best they can be no matter what challenges they have.”

Tristan’s eyes pricked, as if he might be about to shed a tear like a big, fat loser but then it didn’t matter because she kissed him again and he couldn’t do anything else but think yes. This was exactly what he wanted.

“So, you’re marrying me then, right?” he said in the world’s worst proposal, but she laughed so he figured that was a yes.

“I thought you were marrying me. But okay. Have it your way.”

He’d finally figured out what made her tick and the answer? Tristan Marchande. It was nearly poetic.