“Oh, yeah, happy birthday.” Quinton tensely massages the back of his neck.
Something is off.
“Yeah.” I adjust the crown on my head, unable to bring myself to glance in Tristan’s direction and endure his withering death stare that I can feel burning into the side of my head. “Happy twenty-three to me.”
Nova’s smile is strained. She glances at the tiara on my head before her eyes land on Jax and her brows furrow.
Jax jabs me in the side with his elbow. “Avery, you should probably tell them who I am,” he whispers with another prod to my side.
“Oh. Yeah. Right.” I shake my head to clear my head. Then I gesture at Jax. “Everyone, this is my brother, Jax.”
The sound of breaths easing from everyone’s lips is painfully deafening. It takes a second and the sight of relief washing over Tristan’s face for me to realize what’s going on and why everyone seemed so uneasy just moments ago.
“Wait a minute,” I say with an off-pitch laugh. “Did you guys think he was my boyfriend or something?”
Nova nervously laughs. “No way.” But then she sighs. “Well, kind of. It’s just that you two were standing here, buying food, and I don’t know, we kind of jumped to conclusions. We’re really sorry.”
“No worries.” I wave her apology off because it wasn’t her fault, but mine, for keeping my family a secret from them. Then I realize I have one more introduction to make—one that will be a lot harder than Jax.
Before I can get to it, though, Tristan sticks out his hand to Jax. “It’s nice to meet you, man. I’m Tristan.”
Jax’s brows elevate. “Aw, Tristan. Yeah, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
I stomp on Jax’s foot then smile maliciously when he winces. “Don’t be an asshole.”
“Hey, I’m only being one to you,” Jax states, moving the cart out of the way as a woman tries to squeeze by us. “Chill out, Avery.”
He’s right. I do need to chill out. While Nova and Quinton introduce themselves, I look down at Mason who has knocked about ten tomatoes on the floor as he struggles to grab some from the top of the cart. I’m not even worried about myself in this situation, but him. It’s always about him. Bringing new people into our life is something I haven’t really done before, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for that yet and if he is. I’ve had my rules for a reason along with the walls I’ve put up—to keep out the world and keep my family safe. But now the walls are starting to crack, and I don’t even know how it happened.
Nova must notice I’m looking at Mason because she leans down in his direction. “And who’s this handsome guy?”
Mason smiles up at her with a tomato in his hand. “You’re pretty.”
“Smooth, kiddo, real smooth,” Jax says approvingly while I shake my head.
“I’m Mason.” He sticks out his hand to Nova, apparently more ready to meet the people in my life than I am.
“Well, hi, Mason. I’m Nova.” She shakes his hand, glancing in my direction, waiting for me to explain who Mason is.
“That’s a cool name.” Mason’s grin grows bigger on his little face, then he races up to me, jumps into my arms, and I hold him close. “Mommy, can she come to your birthday party?”
I don’t look at any of them, ashamed that I haven’t mentioned Mason or Jax before. Ashamed because, while part of me was trying to protect my family, there was a tiny part of me that was doing it for selfish reasons.
“I’m not sure, sweetie,” I say, giving Mason the fakest grin I ever have. “She might be busy.”
“I’m not—none of us are really.” Nova smiles at me while casting a glance in Tristan’s direction. “In fact, we’re kind of super bored right now and were looking for something to do besides wander around town, filming buildings and locals.”
“You guys should totally come over, then,” Jax intervenes. “We’re having kabobs per the birthday girl’s request.”
“We’re down if you’re okay with it, Avery,” Quinton says with a discreet glance at Tristan.
I finally dare to look over at Tristan. His expression is neutral, but I can tell he’s confused by the little boy I’m holding in my arms. Confused that him and I have chatted about a lot of things for weeks now, yet I never mentioned I had a son. I don’t blame him for being confused. In fact, he can be angry at me. I’ll understand. I just hope he doesn’t stay mad at me forever.
Understanding right then and there that Tristan is important enough that I don’t want him out of my life just yet, I return my attention to Nova and do something I never thought I’d do.
“The more the merrier,” I tell her. “You guys should totally come over.”
And just like that, my wall crumbles and collapses.
Chapter 30
Maybe I can sweat it out.
Tristan
She has a son. She’s had a son this entire time. She’s had a son this entire time and never said anything to me.
“I’m sure she had her reasons for not telling you,” Nova says as if she’s read my silence.
We’re in the car with the windows rolled down, the salty, muggy air filling up the cab as we drive back to the motel. In a couple of hours, we’re supposed to head over to Avery’s, and quite honestly, I’m terrified. Because she has a son.
The morning had already started out iffy when I’d tried to call my dad to talk to him about the Dylan thing, and he sent me to voicemail after two rings. I’ll admit it, I was hurt. Then I saw Avery at the store with a guy I thought was her boyfriend or something. Then I learned it was her brother, and that she has a son.
Holy shit. I have no clue what to do with this information.
“Honestly, I’m not really surprised,” Nova continues on as she flips the visor down to block the glare of the sun. “I mean, that she has a kid.”
“How the hell aren’t you surprised?” I gape at her from the backseat, flabbergasted. “She’s had a kid this entire time and never said anything about it.”
“Yeah, but there had to be a reason why we built that house for her,” she says, cranking down the volume of the stereo. “And there were a few times I wondered if maybe it’s because she has her own family.”
“Well, she should have said something.” I slump back against the hot leather seat and cross my arms. “I told her a lot of personal shit… and it makes me feel…”