Etching Our Way (Broken Tracks 1)

“There’s my friend!” Izzie squeals, grabbing Edward and Amelia’s hands at the same time. “Come meet her.”

I shake my head and chuckle, watching as they walk away. “Do you really like it, Dad?”

“I love it,” I say, opening my arms and pulling him against me again for another hug.

When he pulls back he looks up at my mom. “Want me to show you around?”

“I sure do!” She plants a kiss on his cheek and takes his hand, turning to me and asking, “Are you coming?”

My gaze flits back over to the staircase and I hesitate. It’s still pulling at me like an invisible cord that I can’t fight against. I can’t understand why, but the need to see what is at the top of those stairs is overwhelming.

“I’ll catch up to you,” I tell her. She nods in reply and walks off with Clay.

My feet move closer to the stairs and I take a quick look around before standing on the first step, stopping and debating whether I should do this. What if it is off limits? I shouldn’t be going into someone’s personal space, what the hell am I doing?

I start to take a step back but at the last second, I change my mind and climb the stairs two at a time, my hand skimming along the wooden handrail.

Once I’m at the top, I stop and marvel at the space. Several paintings sit against the wall along with a bench that’s covered in tubes of paints and a jar that houses paintbrushes.

I step farther in, my eyes soaking up all of the art on display. It looks professional so I know that this must be Miss J’s personal studio.

My eyes land on an easel that’s covered with a sheet, only the corner of the painting showing. My curiosity gets the better of me—yet again—and I walk closer.

I

push the stool that sits in front of it aside and reach my fingers out, grasping and pulling the sheet up.

My breath hitches as I reveal some of the painting and I can’t stop my movements as I whip the sheet off it fully, needing to know if it is what I think it is.

My gaze travels along the canvas, soaking up the scene depicted in paint. I know this place, hell, it’s one of two things in my life that haunts me. But it can’t be.

This can’t be the same tree that I left her standing under all those years ago, knowing that I wouldn’t get to talk to or see her beautiful face again.

My fingers reach forward, stroking a branch of the willow tree, my heart burning with something that I haven’t felt since that day. I haven’t allowed myself to feel like this, not for a long time, at least, not with anybody but Clay and Izzie.

“Excuse me, you can’t be up here.” I stumble back, falling into the stool and righting myself before I knock everything over.

That voice.

My heart beats hard in my chest, so loud that I’m sure everyone in the building can hear it. I turn around slowly, my head and heart at war with each other. If this is really happening, then I don’t know which one I want to win.

My eyes clash with hers and she gasps, her hand flying to her chest as her beautiful honey eyes widen.

“No, you...” She shakes her head, her hair swinging in the ponytail that she wears high on her head.

My hands start to shake because my body wants nothing more than to go to her, to hold her like I used to, but my head is running rampant with thoughts. Anger at seeing her starts to bubble over, spilling through my veins like toxic waste. “Harmony?”

“Tris—Tristan? What are you… Why?”

Her face is still the same as when I left: her eyes big and bright as her long lashes flutter against her cheeks as she blinks in shock. The colorful skirt she’s wearing captivates her personality and love for colors to a T.

I’m stumped, not able to take my eyes off her. What the hell is she doing back? Did she know that Clay and Izzie are Natalia and my kids? Is she doing this on purpose, making my kids love her to drop them like I did with her?

Is this all one big game to her? As that thought enters my head, my eyes narrow on her.

My cell blares angrily in the small space but I ignore it as my hands clench into fists.

I step forward about to confront her, but when my cell rings out again, I curse under my breath and pull it out of my jeans pocket. I don’t move my eyes from hers as I hit the answer call button and bring it up to my ear.