“Of course I’ve fucking thought about this,” he snaps. “I wouldn’t be pursuing this if I didn’t see a future.”
I stare at him, lost for words.
“Claire, you need to talk to me. Right now. This is the time, because I’m just about to fucking walk out of your life.”
I stare at him, and I know that I need to be honest about my feelings. The time for playing is over. This is something. I didn’t imagine it at all.
“Tris. There are three other hearts connected to mine. If you leave me . . . you leave them.”
Our eyes are locked.
“And I don’t know if I could risk them ever losing . . .” I scrunch up my face at the thought of my children going through another heartbreak. “They wouldn’t survive it. They are already broken, Tristan. My sons are damaged.”
“What are you saying?” he asks.
“I’m saying you need to think about this.”
“Claire, I make important decisions every day. Decisions worth millions of dollars. I am not flippant nor easily distracted. I’ve been with a lot of women, and this thing with you—it isn’t going away. It’s only getting stronger, and I know what I want.”
My eyes search his. “What’s that?”
“I want you, Claire. From the moment I left Paris, I have wanted you.”
Hope blooms in my chest.
“I went away and thought about my preconceived ideas and what being with you means. Nobody else interests me in the slightest, and sure . . .” He pauses. “I’ll admit it—the boys freaked me out at first . . . and I didn’t handle that too well. But then I realized that they are a part of you, and if I want you, I have to want them. I have a long way to go with them, but we’ll get there eventually.”
I remember how fast he ran out the first day he met them. It was like a comedy skit, only worse.
He takes my hand. “Claire. When I’m with you, I don’t want to be anywhere else. I would rather sleep on your lounge than be alone at my apartment.”
I listen.
“Because I’m close to you . . . and . . . . I’m close to them.”
My eyes well with tears once more at the mention of my children.
He gets it.
“I want to try,” he whispers. “I want to try the proper relationship thing—girlfriend, kids, house in the suburbs, and the mangy animals.”
I smile over at the dreamy man sitting in front of me. “I’m a lot to take on, Tris.”
“Claire.” He pauses, as if searching for the right words. “The way you make me feel is worth anything,” he whispers.
We stare at each other. The air swirls between us, and God, if I didn’t love this man before, I just might now.
“Are you sure? You’re sure?”
He rolls his eyes. “Positive.”
“And you’ll tell me straightaway if things change?” I whisper. “Because I completely understand if it all gets too much. I would never want you to stay if you didn’t want to.”
“You have my word.”
I think on this for a moment. I had made plans in case it all worked out. “We need some time alone to work this out. I’m going to come and stay in New York with you for the weekend,” I say.
He frowns. “How?”