" . . . the speculation about what happened between Kimioko Phan and ourselves is partially true; our privacy urges us both not to go into detail about what transpired. Despite what has happened, as understanding adults, we have all moved on from that past and look forward to futures where both our careers and personal lives will not be infiltrated by scandals that have already been settled.
"We hope that these issues will not cause strife in our work and are left for us to deal with and not for the media to continue meddling in. We wish nothing for the best for Ms. Phan, who has proven to be a top-class designer and well onto her way at become world-renown. We thank her for her patience during this tumultuous time.
"We ask that everyone, including the public, leave the situations of the past in the past, and allow us both to raise our daughter without further invasive acts. There was an incident where our personal business was breached and at the moment, we would appreciate it everyone kept a distance out of respect for our privacy and safety."
"So, how did that sound guys? Peter? Ms. Wildes?"
Anya looked at the both of them as they sat across from her at the conference table. They had spent all afternoon conjuring up a statement that would best satisfy the public without giving away too much of their business. It was all a big risk—Peter could tell that by how much Trystan had been clicking her pen as they were there, but they both agreed they could not continue on in hiding. They had their lives to live and their daughter to raise without fear of judgment.
"I think it sounded good," Trystan replied, glancing at Peter to see if he had the same sentiments.
"Yeah, I do, too. Who would this be going to again?"
"To most of the major news outlets. We'll post it on SoulWork's main website and make some calls out to direct them to the page. Any further questions will not be answered by either of you—everything you wanted to say is in the statement. If there are any questions about either companies , SoulWork and Sovereignty, respectfully, they will be answered by myself and Aaron and Sovereignty's spokesperson. No questions involving your personal lives will be tolerated; whatever you both choose to share with the world beyond this point is entirely up to you."
Peter and Trystan looked at each other before nodding simultaneously to Anya. "We can work with that," Peter spoke, and Anya nodded as well.
"All right." Anya lightly tapped the pieces of paper in front of her. "The statement will be made tomorrow. SoulWork will do as much as it can to make sure this process is as painless as possible."
The couple left it into the hands of the professional, Anya packing her belongings to get back to her office and begin the process that would shift their lives yet again, but they were hoping it would happen for the better.
They had already gotten the news that Benson's whereabouts had been located, somewhere out in Europe, and within the week, he would be brought back to the states in handcuffs and hit with the same charges Christine had. Neither Peter or Trystan thought he would be found so quickly, but they were not complaining—another hurdle had been passed and they were on to tackle the next thing.
"Well, seems to me you two have gotten some things settled." Ron walked into the room, a grin on his face.
In the beginning, Trystan was nervous to meet a top-tier C.E.O like Ron. Even though Peter has assured her over and over he was a kind man, she was still apprehensive.
"I've studied you quite a bit, Ms. Wildes," he told her after they had shaken hands and he welcomed her to a seat across from him. To make sure no one would hinder their meeting, he had invited her into his office.
That had done nothing to settle her nerves, and at first she wished Peter had accompanied her, but with a light squeeze of her hand, he assured her that there was nothing to be worried about, and he was right. Ron was a very nice man whose only concern was to get to get to know her and make sure her image was taken care of.
"You're quite the spectacle—an award-winning songwriter, producer, and co-creator of a record label well on its way of being a staple in the industry. I'm impressed."
"Thank you, sir."
"Oh, no "sirs" here. Just Ron is fine." He grinned. "Now, I know you must be thinking I'm mad that this situation has caused some discord in relation to my label, but I want you to know I'm not. It's an inconvenience, sure, but after all Peter's told me about you and how good of a worker you are, I know this is something you've tried to control. Unfortunately, in this line of business, there'll probably always be someone out to get you."
That was not the most calming thought, but it was honest. "I really am sorry my and Peter's business getting mixed up with our work. We were trying our best to be discreet and come out about our relationship when the time was right."
"I know you two did, and I don't blame you for being secretive either. It's hard to keep personal business personal with the media sniffing about, but I can assure you that all this is in the past and I can't wait to see what you both have in store for the future."
"No hard feelings." Ron added and stuck out his hand for her to shake. She took the large appendage into her smaller one as she stood, thanking him for being so considerate.
"See, that wasn't so bad was it?" Peter jested after they left the office and were heading toward the garage.
Trystan ignored the onlookers who were witnessing them actually together, the couple that had been the topic of conversation for a week openly holding hands as they traipsed through the lobby. "No, it wasn't. Ron's really nice," she admitted.
"I told you," Peter chuckled. "Now let's go catch your mom before Oliver drops her off at the airport."
Yvonne, having not intended to stay the two weeks she did, decided it was time to go back to Brooklyn. "My poor flowers must've died by now," she snickered the night before as Trystan helped her get her things together.
"I'm gonna miss you, Mom. It's been great having you here and helping with Dew. I know everything that happened was a handful."
"Oh, hush that up, girl. You know I'd do anything for you three." Yvonne grinned and pinched Trystan's cheek.
"I'm upset I'll miss Dew's birthday, though. I thought I could stay a few more weeks, but I've gotta get back home and check up on Joel. He's still not doing the best with the cancer."
"Yeah, Bruno was telling me about that." Trystan slumped. "I've been trying to talk him into seeing him again, but he's not ready to forgive him about what he said about me and Dew."
"I don't blame him—I was upset, too. But I do want him to try and make amends soon. You never know how much time someone's got left."
Trystan nodded, understanding. Losing her father out of left field still pained her, and she remembered Peter still had to talk to Diane about their mother and the circumstances about her death. Alas, she told herself, one step at a time, and would bring it back up to him once things settled in Los Angeles.
When she and Peter arrived back at the condo, Raina was sitting on her grandmother's lap as she read her a story. It was The Cat in the Hat this time, and Trystan knew the child especially liked the parts when the silly cat was being the most mischievous.
At the sound of keys rattling, they both looked up, and Raina spoke, "Hi, Mommy! Hi, Daddy!" with a wave.
Yvonne closed the book. "Everything go okay?"
"Yeah, better than expected with Ron–,"
"The C.E.O one, right?"
"Yeah. And tomorrow," Trystan grunted a bit as she lifted Raina onto her hip after she hopped off her grandmother's lap and went to her, "they're gonna release our statement."
"What statement?" Raina asked, confused bout wha the adults were discussing. Like what happened with most things she didn't understand, her mother told her she did not have to worry about it and kissed her cheek, much to her disdain. What was the point of being around grown people all the time when you could not understand what they talked about?
Yvonne stood then, stretching a bit as she did before voicing, "Well, all right, y'all; it's almost time for me to head on home."
"No!" Raina whined, dropping from Trystan's arms to wrap herself around Yvonne's legs. "Don't go, Nanna!"
"I have to, my little Dewdrop." Yvonne eyed her sympathetically as she ran a hand over her hair. "But I promise you'll see me again soon, okay?"
The little girl did not nod in affirmation, but held onto her tighter and would hardly let her go until she had her suitcase in hand and was saying her goodbyes to the small family.
"Call me when you land," Trystan instructed her as she gave her mother a tight hug.
"You know I will," Yvonne affirmed and kissed her cheek before moving onto Peter.
"Thanks for everything, Mama Vonne. We couldn't of done this without you," he appreciated and let her embrace him in one of her motherly hugs.
"I was glad to help," she assured. "You take care now, you hear?"
Peter grinned and nodded. "I walk you downstairs; Oliver's waiting for you."
"Okay." Yvonne looked down at Raina, who twisted her foot glumly as she stood by her mother.
"Aww, give me smile, Dew. You know you're gonna see your grandmama again before you know it."
Raina lifted her lips just enough for her left cheek to print its dimple, but she burst into full-out giggles when Yvonne began to tickle her.
With the promise of seeing her again soon and enough kisses to last her until then, Raina was finally okay with Yvonne leaving, her father leading her out the door.
Once again, it was just Peter and Trystan parenting. They thought they would have to get used to the absence of Yvonne's helping hand, but instead, they fell right back into their pattern, this time even more comfortably. Raina was just fine with them resuming as her providers and her sadness for her grandmother's returning home melted away as the days passed.
Peter did not go into work the day the statement was released, and if it had not been for Trystan checking her phone every hour for updates, he would not have even known the reaction of everyone who read it.
There were some who bragged about knowing their truth all along, and some suspected they were lying about Kimioko's claimed joviality toward them. It had not been a complete lie—her people had contacted SoulWork saying the statement was fine, but Peter and Trystan both knew the woman would probably be just fine if she never heard about them again.
Because of the whole hospital fiasco, the get-together at Angelique's place had not gone on the weekend it was planned for. But, always making sure her plans were set straight, she rescheduled it and urged Trystan to attend it even though she still felt nervous about being around the friends she more or less ditched years ago.
"Didn't you call up Em a little while ago? I know she's excited to see you," Peter reasoned as he stood behind her to help clasp on a necklace.
"Yeah, and I know I'm overthinking it, it's just gonna be weird, y'know?" Trystan sighed, "I mean, how do I really explain why I left?"
"They probably won't even ask. They already know a little about what happened, but they won't pressure you for more. They just wanna move forward."
"If you say so." Trystan exhaled again, and Peter chuckled.
"They do," he insisted and kissed her cheek before stepping from behind her and heading toward the door of the bedroom. "I'm gonna go check on Dew so we can get going."
Trystan ambled over to the mirror, her feet still unclad with shoes, and looked into her reflection.
Running her hands down the sides of the sundress Angelique picked out for her, she saw that she was not the same woman who she had been months ago. Who she saw was much more confident, and she bid that confidence to overshadow her uncertainties about the future, especially about people who had been her friends.
Finding her sandals in the closet, she fought away her insecurities and was determined to believe that she had conquered much over the past few months, and this was only another hurdle.
"Mommy, whose house is that?" Raina pointed out the backseat window to a small yellow townhouse nestled in between trees after Peter slowed to a stop in the driveway.
Trystan turned around to look at her. "You remember Mommy's friend, Ms. Angelique? This is where she lives with her girlfriend. A few more of me and Daddy's friends are here, too."
"Oh . . . okay." Trystan saw her daughter cower a bit in her car seat, the thought of having to fraternize with some adults she did not know less than comforting.
"They're nice, I promise," Trystan attempted to ease her nervousness before stepping out of the car, inwardly reminded herself of the same thing.
"All right, you guys ready?" Peter asked as he watched his two girls walk hand in hand to join him at the front of the car.
"I am Daddy!" Raina affirmed, wanting to show her father how much of a big girl she was. Trystan wished she held as much gallantry, but all she could muster was, "Ready as I'll ever be."
She half-hoped that they were the first to arrive so that she could have a bit more time to prepare herself, but the scent of cooked food and laughter trailing out of the open front door, accompanied by Angelique's bright smile and excitedly motioning them inside told her she would have to face it head-on.
As Angelique spoke to Raina, asking if she remembered her and promising her a sweet dessert at the end of the night, Trystan gripped Peter's hand tighter. They were walking further toward the living room where the jubilant conversation was being had, and Trystan was only able to take in a half-breath before she was face-to-face with people whom she had never stopped caring for.
They all looked a bit different—Elle Marie had changed the most. The last time Trystan saw her, she had been only nineteen, baby-faced and wide-eyed. Now, the roundness of her cheeks had become more angular with maturity, her hair cut shorter and stopping just below her ear. She had an arm draped across Roger's shoulders, her engagement ring glittering against his sweater.
Trystan remembered the younger man as a jokester, hardly able to be taken seriously, but now, with his long hair tied in a bun on the back of his head, appeared to be trying to keep up with Elle Marie's development. His hand rested on top of his fiancée's knee, and if Trystan had not known any better, she would have thought they were already married, they looked so good together.
Neal was on the couch near them, nursing a beer as he laughed at something Melissa said. Trystan knew the brunette woman to be more reserved, but among the guest, she wore a wide grin.
"Look who's here!" Angelique announced, with a sweep of her arms. Raina, who had swapped hands with her mother to hold Angelique's as she spoke with her, quickly let go to return to Trystan to hide behind her leg, only letting her doe eyes to peek out to see everyone.
Trystan wanted to do the same thing with Peter, but she gathered the guts to breathe out a, "Hey, guys—long time no see."
A beat passed through the room, everyone taking in the woman who had disappeared so long ago and returned with a cute, little version of herself. Trystan felt her hand clamming up when no one immediately answered her, and she could not tell if they were stunned or simply did not want her there.
"Well, I'd say it's been," Neal finally said something and stood from his seat with a simper. He went over to her with open arms. "I thought you forgot about us."
Trystan chuckled a bit and accepted his embrace. "I could never. It's so good to see you," she told him over his shoulder and meaning it.
She found out a second later that Roger had not imparted completely with his joking ways. He jested, "You know how long I've had to go without your wisdom? A long time, Trystan. I'm gonna have to unload four years of my nonsense on you tonight."
She laughed, relieved that his humor did not have a real bite to it. He rose and gathered her into a hug, too. "I'm sure Elle Marie's been keeping you in check while I was gone."
He whispered to her, "If you ever get a call in the night from me asking for help, just know I'll need you there pronto–,"
"Whatever he's telling you, it's not the truth!" Elle Marie defended herself as she stood, her fingers ready to pinch her fiancé's arm. She walked over to them both. "He has been a handful, though."
Trystan hugged the younger woman. "Don't worry, girl, I'll teach you some tricks."
They both shared a laugh as Peter greeted his friends and Melissa. Raina still stood behind her mother, taking in the warm accosting and wishing that she were not so shy so she could join in.
"And we finally get to meet this little one?" Elle Marie saw the little girl looking too nervous to approach them all. Raina clung a bit tighter to her mother's dress.
"Yes, sweetie?" Peter looked down at his daughter and urged her to come from behind Trystan. She did so, slowly making herself present between her parents. She held Peter's hand along with Trystan's and tried not to look anyone directly in their face.
"This is Raina," Peter introduced, tugging at her hand a bit to relieve her anxiety. "You wanna say hi?"
The child gave them all once-over before finally deciding she was going to be a big girl for her parents. She let go of Trystan's hand to wave, and peeped out a small, "Hi."
They all greeted her back with big smiles, hoping to gain her affection by the end of the night. Elle Marie stooped down to her eye-level.
"I'm Elle Marie, but you can call me Ms. Em."
"Hi, Ms. Em." Raina waved again shyly, quietly gladdened the older woman took the initiative to speak to her first.
Elle Marie chuckled before pointing up to the man above her. "And this is my fiancée, Mr. Roger."
"What's a "fiancé"?" Raina questioned, and Trystan knew from experience that her open curiosity meant she would soon become more comfortable.
"It's like a boyfriend, but I'm getting married to him soon."
"That's kinda like my mommy and daddy, but they aren't getting married yet."
The subtle yet left hanging in the air was different for Peter and Trystan than it was for everyone else, who laughed at the response.
"Raina, why don't you go with Melissa and play Go-Fish?" Angelique tossed her head in the direction of her girlfriend.
Raina grinned, "I like that game! 'Cept every time me and Daddy play it, he always beats me."
"I'll teach you some tricks so he never beats you again. How's that sound?" Melissa stepped closer and asked, and at the sound of having a chance of finally defeating her father was enough for the small girl to let go of his hand and place it into Melissa's extended one.
"Okay," she agreed, and they both went to the coffee table of the living room while everyone else went into the dining room, places already set for the forthcoming food, to really get into what they wanted to talk about while the child was out of earshot.
"All right, we're not gonna beat around the bush, Trystan," Neal spoke up first. "Where'd you run off to?
Trystan inhaled and exhaled, already aware that the inquiry would happen sooner or later.
"It's a long fucking story."
The clinking of dishware and exuberant conversation sounded at the table, the aroma of homemade Chinese food a far cry from what people got at a takeout restaurant. If someone was not stuffing their face with seasoned meat and noodles, they were either nibbling on an egg roll or teasing someone about their haphazard way of using chopsticks.
"You're supposed to do it like this!" Angelique insisted as she demonstrated the technique. "The lady at the cooking class told us so!"
"She told you guys wrong then," Roger disagreed, "It's supposed to be like this," and demonstrated a different way of doing it.
Raina thought both of their ways were much better than hers. After failing to get her fingers right even after her mother showed her how, she had settled with holding one stick in each hand and stabbing them into whatever she wanted to pick up.
Trystan felt comfortable amidst the exchanges around her. While she did not go into explicit detail about what had happened to her the four years she was gone, no one had judged her. They simply asked questions and she decided whether or not she wanted to answer them, and whatever decision she made was taken with a nod of respect. She did not think she would be eating dinner with them as if she had never left, asking for her opinions to squash disagreements and laughing at the stories she and Raina shared. These people felt like and treated her like family, and she wondered what she had done to deserve them.
They sat at the dinner table long after everyone had their fill. Sleepy and probably a bit bored with the adults' conversation, Raina climbed down from her own chair and reached up for her mother. Trystan pulled her into her lap, and the small girl got comfortable against her chest.
When Trystan could hear her labored breathing, she alerted everyone that she was fast asleep and would be oblivious to any discourse not fit for a child's ears.
"So, are you thinking about having anymore?" Elle Marie nodded toward Raina, her chin settled a top her hands as if she were smitten. "I just love kids."
"Don't get any ideas just yet," Roger muttered over his sip of water, and Elle Marie hit his arm lightly with the back of her hand and rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to Trystan and Peter.
The couple looked at each other and shrugged in unison. "I'm not opposed to the idea," Trystan admitted. She did not see any physical inclinations that Peter was against the statement, but just in case he was and was not expressing it, she bandaged, "'But we've got our hands full right now with this one." She bounced Raina a bit to emphasize the point.
"I want a big family, with like six kids," Elle Marie said. "Roger only wants one, but I think I'll be able to convince him otherwise when we're ready for them."
Roger gave her a look that said, good luck, before shaking his head and chuckling.
"Well, while we're on the topic of kids . . ." Angelique began and reached for Melissa's hand. "We were actually thinking about adoption."
Noise of felicitation and interest came from around the table. "It's not happening right now, but we've been looking into it," Melissa co-signed.
"Do you want a boy or a girl?" Peter queried.
"A boy," Angelique and Melissa simultaneously and then laughed. "Sometimes we need something other than female energy in this house," Angelique reasoned with a congruence from Melissa.
"I really hope you guys do it—Raina would love a new little friend, too," Trystan replied.
"Yeah, but I don't know how often they'd get to see each other if you're out in Georgia," Angelique pointed out, and Trystan did not counter the point, only nodding and responding, "Well, every time we come out here, we'd definitely stop by."
The night ended at almost midnight, and Trystan was glad Raina slept through most of their conversation, otherwise she would be sleep until the next afternoon.
Their goodbyes were long and full of promises of seeing each other again before Trystan left back for Georgia. Elle Marie wanted to talk to Trystan more about the weddings, and Angelique wanted some tips on parenthood.
"I would guess so—you just become a godmother, now you wanna be an actual mother," Trystan teased.
"You know how impulsive I can be!" Angelique defended and snickered. "But I'll see you soon, girl. I know you're going back home next week, but don't be a stranger. What am I supposed to do without my best friend?"
Trystan grinned. "I promise, I won't. You're gonna get a call from me every week."
"I'll hold you to it, girl," Angelique chortled and pulled her in for a hug. "I'll hold you to it."
Raina's birthday came three days after, on a Tuesday. She still did not know all her months and days of the week perfectly, but it was the first time she could feel it was approaching. She told Trystan during her bath time two days before that she did not know what she wanted to do for her fourth birthday, but she surely wanted cake with a bunch of chocolate icing.
"I'll see what me and Daddy can do," Trystan had winked, and the same night, she told Peter that she thought it would be the perfect opportunity to take Raina to the beach.
"We can make a little picnic and have her cake ready. We'll bring Jewel along too so she can play."
"Trys," Peter exhaled, not persuaded. "We still have to worry about paparazzi–,"
"We can go in the morning and in a secluded area. And if someone did take pictures, what would they really show anyway? That we're a family? Everyone already put that together. Plus--," she jabbed a finger into his chest, "–you promised you'd take her before she left." Trystan was growing tired of having to be in the shadows, and she began to take on her mother's rhetoric—no reporter was going to stop her from living her life and loving her family.
Peter sighed, mulling it over. "Are you okay with me hiring some security? They wouldn't be near us, just around the perimeter to make sure nobody comes over."
"As long as they don't scare my baby, that's fine. I just want the first birthday she remembers to be a good one." She grabbed one of his hands into hers and squeezed it. "For her first birthday to be with you to be a good one."
Peter eyed her for a moment, then ultimately shook his head and chuckled. "You don't even have to try hard to be persuasive."
Trystan laughed and draped her arms across his shoulders. "It's gonna be a good day; I believe it."
The night before Raina's birthday, Trystan stayed up to make chocolate cake with enough icing to put someone in a sugar coma, and packed a light picnic of sandwiches, fruits, and drinks. Peter loaded his Cadillac with all the beach materials he could get his hands on, and slipped put into the dark to find and all-night Rite-Aid to get some trick candles.
"Maybe the wind won't them out as easily," he reasoned when Trystan had questioned them.
When everything was set up to how they thought the child would appreciate, they only slept for five hours before they arose again, right before the sun peaked passed the skyline.
Raina was still fast asleep when Trystan crept into her room, and she only halfheartedly complied with her mother when she slipped on her bathing suit and shoes, her head resting on Trystan's shoulder the whole time.
"Where are we going, Mommy?" Only half-aware of what was going on, she asked drowsily as Trystan carried her to the garage where Peter and Jewel were waiting with the picnic basket and cake.
"You'll see in a little bit, honey. Just go back to sleep, okay?" Trystan told her, and the girl nodded and allowed to be put in her car seat. She shifted about until she got comfortable, and went right back to resting. Trystan feared Jewel would begin barking, excited to see her little playmate, and wake her up completely, but the dog simply sniffed at her knee before settling onto the floor.
Trystan got into the passenger side, and they were off.
A sixties song Trystan was not familiar with, but Peter seemed to be as he sung quietly along to the lyrics, played on the radio station as they drove along the mostly-empty street. There were some bar patrons staggering on the sidewalk, and some early work-goers trying to be the first people in the office.
Trystan liked it when they were out of the city and began passing fields with small farms, then roads near hills where the ocean was painted as a navy blue line in the distance. It was peaceful, a huge step away from what they had all grown accustomed to.
The sun finally began to reveal itself around seven o'clock, its pale orange glow blanketing everything in its path. Trystan looked behind her to see that Raina was still sleeping, and Jewel had her head resting on the seats, looking as if she could not wait until she woke up. Trystan smiled, looking at her baby who was not really much of a baby anymore.
Peter could smell the ocean long before he had been able to see it, and when they approached the beach line, the sand heated by the warm March day, he heard the familiar crashing of waves and was reminded of the last time he and Trystan had gone to the beach when they were in Greece.
It felt like such a long time ago, their tryst full of longing, naïve in their youth. However, one thing that did not change was how much he had loved her, and he thought he loved her even more in the moment. She was able to be honest and fix her mistakes so much that they did not even appear to be there anymore, and their greatest joy was in the backseat, made up of all the adoration they had for each other.
Peter drove onto the loose land and found an empty spot on the beach, hidden behind some large rocks. He put the car in park, and Trystan finally reached back to touch Raina's leg.
"Baby, wake up—we're here."
"We're where?" Raina awakened and rubbed at her eyes."
"Look our the window, Dew," Peter instructed, and with squinted eyes, the girl did as she was told.
The widening of eyes, squeal, and hurrying to unbuckle her belt was all but expected.
Peter and Trystan when Raina chanted, "We're at the beach! We're at the beach!"
"Surprise! Happy birthday, sweetie." Trystan got out the car and planted a big kiss on her cheek before helping her out of her seat.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, Raina tried to take off running toward the water.
"Slow your horses, kid." Peter caught her before she could go sprinting into waves that were nearly taller than her. "We gotta get you ready first."
"But Mommy already put on my bathing suit." Her eyebrows scrunched together as Peter carried her over back to Trystan, who was inside the trunk pulling out things they brought.
"But you need some sunscreen." Trystan was already squirting some of the lotion into her hands. "And some arm floaties."
"And you can't forget Jewel. She's never been swimming before—we're gonna have to teach her, right?"
Peter set her down and she nodded her head, impatiently bouncing from foot to foot as Trystan lathered her with enough of the protective lotion she would need before finally letting her loose with Peter.
The three bounded onto the open space of the land—daddy, daughter, and dog. Jewel looked as if she were born for the water, galloping straight into it and having little problems with instinctively doggy-paddling, but when Raina realized just how different waves were from the stillness of a two-foot pool, she clung to Peter for dear life.
Trystan watched from ashore how Peter easily coaxed her, assuring her that she would be okay as long as he held her in his arms. Jewel barked, urging them to go further out into the water.
"Not too far, Bruno!" Trystan reminded when the waves dipped by his waist.
"I got her!" he called back, holding Raina a bit tighter.
Trystan, knowing Peter would not let anything happen to her, exhaled and began to set up things in the cove. She lied out a expansive blanket, the picnic basket, the cake she knew Raina would want to eat first, and an umbrella. The pail and shovel Raina had insisted on bringing from their Georgian home would finally come to use, and so would the beach ball that Peter had stowed away, bereft of air, in a storage drawer at his condo.
She had brought a book with her to read beneath the umbrella, but she found greater entertainment in watching Peter and their daughter bond.
After her moment of fright and reluctance to literally rest new waters, Raina was completely enjoying herself, screaming as her father twirled her in the water and taught her how to float on her back. Trystan was not sure she would ever be able to rinse the salt out of her polkadot bikini due to her refusal to get out of the water.
Almost three hours passed before Peter was able to get her out of the water to eat. Jewel trotted alongside of them with a shell in her mouth. She shook her body free of water and Trystan chortled and shielded her face to keep any from getting on her.
Raina's hair stretched down her back as it was soaked with water, and when she neared Trystan, dripping onto the blanket, she enticed, "Mommy, you have to get in the water with us! You get sand everywhere!"
Both Trystan and Peter laughed. "After we eat and rest for a bit, I promise I'll get in with you guys," she said and doled out plates. "But right now–," Trystan pulled the lid off of the cake container, "–I thought you'd like a piece of cake."
Raina clapped and dropped to her knees, ready whenever her parents were to get on with the birthday proceedings. Jewel went and sat beside her, her head tilted to the side as if she were equally enthralled.
Peter got his lighter from out the car and lit the four trick candles Trystan had stuck into the cake. They both laughed after singing happy birthday and watching Raina struggle to blow them out. After almost ten tries, the only remnants of the fire was the plumes of smoke snatched by the breeze.
"I'm a big girl now! I'm almost a whole hand!" she surmised after Peter asked her what it felt like to be four-years-old.
They ate, drank, and laughed heartily, simply enjoying being in the presence of one another. It had been a long time since Trystan had a perfect day, so it felt good to know what it felt like again.
With Raina settled little ways away and building a sandcastle with Jewel watching protectively, Peter lied his head against Trystan's lap, her fingers tangling themselves in his hair as they looked out across the aging morning.
"I'm glad we did this," Trystan said she she gently scratched her nails across his scalp. "She's so happy."
"I'm glad you talked me into it. It's almost noon and it doesn't look like she has plans on leaving anytime soon."
"Thanks for helping me with it." Trystan leaned down and pecked his lips. "I didn't even see those security guards you hired."
"Only the best for both my babies," Peter grinned.
Trystan suddenly got quiet, her eyes on neither Peter or their daughter, but off somewhere she was not focused on.
Peter noticed her sudden silence, and glanced up at her. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head, her line of vision still not meeting his. "Things are gonna change again when Dew and I go back to Georgia."
"But they don't have to," Peter reasoned, sitting up so she would be forced to look at him. "We'll keep in contact and work out all the visits and stuff."
"It's just too much work, Bruno—having her fly from there to here, is doing the same thing while trying to keep up with our careers. It'll just be too much with us living on different coasts of the country."
"So . . . what are you saying?" Peter's brows furrowed and he sat up a bit straighter.
Trystan looked between he and their daughter, a sullen expression on her face.
"What I'm saying is . . ." she twiddled her thumbs. "Is that I don't wanna keep flying back and forth when we could just stay here with you."
A sly smile crept across Trystan's face when Peter's eyes widened.
"Bruno, I love you, Dew loves you, and . . . I'm tired of living a life where you're not by my side. I see our friends and our jobs and our lives are just better out here. I went to Georgia to escape, but I want to come to California to have a home." She grabbed his hand. "And I want that home with you."
Peter grabbed her face into his hands and kissed her. That was the best news he had heard all day. Trystan had finally decided that their hearts were much too big to live so far apart, and they would no longer have to torment themselves. They wanted the ins and outs of each other. The good and the bad. The sickness and the health. They wanted it all, and there was nothin short of death that Peter would not do his best to provide his girls the best life.
"Mommy! Daddy! Can we go on the water now?" Raina called from the middle of the land, sand magnified to her skin as she looked on at them expectantly.
With another smile and kiss, her parents rose hand-in-hand and walked over to their daughter, ready to begin life anew.
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Thanks for reading! ^_^
I appreciate you guys for being patient with me with this chapter! School started and I was going through some personal things, but it feels great to be back!
And don't think the party's over just yet—Trystan and Peter still have some living to do ;) See ya soon!