Chapter 89

Many hours later, they were still on the couch, holding hands. Aurora rested her head on Tristan's shoulder, and he also rested his head on hers.

"I had an idea," she said.

"Here it comes," Tristan replied with a smile.

"Hey!" Aurora pulled away from him, indignant. "My ideas are always brilliant."

"And what's this one?"

"Well..." Aurora moved to sit on his lap, with one leg on each side of his body and her hands on his broad shoulders. "I thought we could invite our friends and have a non-traditional ceremony. It could happen here, or maybe in a hall. You would wear a suit, and I'd wear a beautiful dress... and some sexy lingerie for later."

He watched her closely.

"Aurora, are you asking me to marry you?" Tristan asked.

She blushed but managed to nod.

"Have you ever noticed that every time we go in opposite directions, and that's been happening since the day we met, we end up finding each other again without intending to?" Aurora began to explain. "I don't want to rely on luck again, and even if this keeps happening, if we still find each other in years, I won't be able to handle it. I don't want to be separated from you again. I don't want to perpetuate this cycle. I want us, Tristan, here and now. I want to go all the way with this time. Let's make this eternal."

The question hung in the air, tense, for what seemed like a long time.

"The part about the lingerie was serious?" Tristan finally broke the silence.

"Very serious."

He smiled and pulled her in, making her lean in to seal their lips with a kiss.

"Then let's do this, forever."

She smiled widely and captured his mouth, trying to convey with a kiss how fulfilled she felt.

***

At the company, Tristan was reading some papers at his desk, but every time he thought of Aurora, which was constant, he smiled.

"Good lord," he leaned back in his chair, smiling even more, realizing he couldn't concentrate on the papers. "Aurora, you make me look like a fool."

The office phone rang. Tristan shook his head before answering and pressing the speakerphone button.

"Mr. Tristan, we have a little problem," Chloe said on the other end of the line. He could hear a child's voice in the background. "It's literally small."

"Do you have a child with you?" Tristan asked.

"It's Christian. Genevieve had to bring him to work today. Apparently, Xavier was supposed to pick him up from her house this morning, but he didn't show up."

"And where is he?"

"I don't know. He didn't even show up here, from what I heard. I tried calling him, but... Christian, you can't go in there!"

Tristan looked at the living room door when he heard the doorknob turn. There was the little boy on top of a pile of books he had made himself to reach the doorknob. Christian had done all of this while Chloe was trying to call Xavier and during the phone call with the boss.

"Hi, Uncle Tristan," he got off the small pile and ran into the room, going straight to the large window. "Wow! It's really high up here!"

Chloe appeared at the door, ready to get the boy out of there, but Tristan waved her away with a hand gesture. She didn't question, though she was curious, and left, closing the door.

"Where's your babysitter?" Tristan asked.

"I don't know. She didn't answer her phone when Mom called."

"And wasn't there anyone else to take care of you?"

"Just Aunt Violet and Aunt Seraphina, but they're working right now."

"And your grandparents?"

"They don't live here," his big curious eyes roamed the whole room. "You have to take a train to get to their house, and it takes a looong time."

Christian went to a table in the corner, there were various decorative objects on top of it, and he reached out to grab one.

"Don't touch anything," Tristan scolded him, and he turned his innocent gaze to the older one.

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"Why?"

"You'll break something."

"No, I won't."

Already impatient, Tristan nodded toward the chair in front of him.

"Sit down and be quiet."

"Why?"

"Because I have to work."

"Why?"

He felt like jumping out of the window.

"What are you doing?" Christian asked when he saw him pick up his phone and bring it close to his ear while twirling a pen between his fingers with the other hand.

"Hello?"

"I need you. Christian is here, and he's driving me crazy," Tristan said, visibly frustrated.

"Driving you crazy?" Christian pronounced the strange word curiously.

"Don't repeat what I said."

"Why?"

"Or that."

Aurora was laughing a lot on the other end of the line.

"What's he doing there?" she asked.

"Xavier decided to disappear from the face of the earth."

Aurora sighed while talking to Tristan on the phone.

"Hm... I think I know where he is, or rather, with whom he is. I'll explain later. Just let him enjoy himself, just for today."

He looked at Christian, who was staring at him with the same curious expression.

"Can you help me, please?" Tristan asked.

She laughed again.

"Fear not, my Mr. Arrogant! Your savior is on her way to rescue you!" she teased him, something Tristan was sure she would do for the rest of the day.

"Was that Aunt Aurora?" Christian asked.

"Yes," Tristan replied, placing the phone on the table and looking thoughtfully at the little boy. What could he do to keep him distracted until Aurora arrived?

"Uncle Tristan," he poked the older one's thigh, "I can't see anything from here."

Tristan thought about getting a chair for Christian until he realized just how small the boy was. Even sitting in a chair, he wouldn't be able to see the computer screen.

With no other option, Tristan picked him up and sat him on his lap, letting the video play on the computer screen. Christian was quiet, completely absorbed in the content, and so was Tristan.

Half an hour later, Aurora walked through the door and smiled at the adorable scene. Tristan and Christian were both so quiet and well-behaved, their eyes fixed on the screen.

"It seems like nobody here needs to be saved," she teased.

For the first time, both of them turned their eyes to see the girl in the middle of the room.

"Enough, kid," Tristan said, putting Christian back on the floor. The boy ran over to Aurora and held her hand.

"Let's go, Christian, let's get some paper and make paper airplanes," Aurora suggested, heading for the door. However, she bumped into someone else.

"Lucca?" she exclaimed, confused and surprised to see her friend there, all dressed up and pompous. "What are you doing here?"

Aurora glanced briefly at Tristan.

"Is that so?" she questioned. "And what kind of business is this?"

Lucca responded with a mysterious air, "It's a super-secret project, can't be discussed with just anyone, if you know what I mean..."

Tristan intervened from his desk, saying, "You can tell her, Lucca. I don't hide anything from my fiancée."

Lucca looked visibly shocked at the word 'fiancée' and tried to correct himself. "Fiancée...?"

She blushed with her friend staring at her in astonishment, and Chloe did the same from her desk.

"Sorry for my ignorance," Lucca hurriedly apologized, making an exaggerated bow that made her even more embarrassed. "Forgive me."

"Why this fuss? Straighten up!" Aurora said, trying to ease the situation.

"Sorry, Miss," Lucca replied, showing so much admiration and respect for Tristan that he wouldn't allow himself to treat her otherwise, even though they had been friends since college. "Regarding the project, Mr. Tristan wishes to expand the business to other parts of the country, and I am the Director of Works, planning and organizing the entire project."

"I see... so I'll leave you two alone to discuss the 'super-secret' project. Come on, Christian."

She left the room with the little boy, and Lucca entered and closed the door.

"Should I start calling her Mrs. Callahan?" Chloe asked with a smile. "Well, I'm going to do it anyway, and you'll have to get used to this kind of thing," she teased, pointing to the office door.

"What do you mean?" Aurora asked.

"Make the boss's wife happy, and the boss will look at you," Chloe explained. "Get ready, after Tristan makes the official announcement, a bunch of sycophants will approach you."

"He's not going to make an announcement. You know, he's not one to talk about what he does to everyone."

"So are you going to get married in secret?" Chloe suggested, her eyes sparkling. "That's so romantic!"

Aurora chuckled. "No, Chloe, we just won't keep commenting. Sooner or later, everyone will find out in some way."

"May I have the honor of starting the gossip with the annoying girls at the café?"

"Go ahead," Aurora replied.

The secretary clapped her hands excitedly, but stopped when the phone rang.

"Yes, Mr. Tristan? No, I haven't been able to reach Mr... oh, okay, I'll do that right away," Chloe said into the phone and then hung up. "That's strange. He said Xavier isn't coming to work today and that I should let Genevieve know that she's free after lunch."

Aurora smiled to herself. "Obedient Mr. Arrogant."

Christian heard her whisper and exclaimed, "Mr. Arrogant!"

"Did you hear that?" Aurora asked.

He nodded, "I have great ears!"

***

Aurora took the boy to the Callahan's dining area, choosing a table and ordering a meal for the two of them. Christian couldn't stop talking about what he had just learned in a documentary. His excitement was so pure that Aurora tried her best to pay attention, charmed by the boy's enthusiasm. He only stopped talking when their food arrived.

"Darling, do you like Aunt Amelie?" she asked.

He nodded, swallowing all the food in his mouth before answering. "Auntie is nice, she's just not very smart, but that's funny. Did you know that Dad called me last night and asked the same thing about Auntie?"

"Really?" Aurora replied with a smile.

"Yes! He also told me that we're going to have a man-to-man talk tonight."

She smiled, recognizing the importance of that for the boy. He took another bite of food and made a satisfied face, showing that he really liked the meal. However, his mother, Genevieve, found them.

"There you are!" Genevieve said in a hurry, not bothering to be polite in returning Aurora's gesture. She took the utensils from Christian's hands and made him get up.

"Are we leaving already, Mommy?" Christian asked.

"Yes, my angel, we're going home," Genevieve replied hastily, almost forgetting the little backpack hanging on the chair.

Aurora waved to Christian. He was already far away, but turned his head to look at her and tried to wave back. However, Genevieve grabbed his hand and forced him to walk faster. Aurora shifted her attention from the two of them to her phone, which had been left on the table.

"Hi, Thomas..."

Thomas, on the other end of the line, seemed to explode with excitement. "You're engaged, woman?"

Aurora was impressed with how quickly Thomas had found out the news. "Yes, I..." She was interrupted again by Thomas's deafening yell.