I couldn't help but giggle. Sometimes he was so serious. "No. I was making a reference to the turtle in Finding Nemo. You know? The one who talks like a surfer?"
"Finding who?"
"Finding Tristan Stone's sense of humor. It was a huge hit," I teased. "I can't believe you never watched that movie."
Before I could explain any more about the cartoon or the turtle paintings, his phone vibrated inside his jacket and all traces of any happiness slid from his face as he rose from the bed. "I have to take this."
Like always, I wanted to ask who it was who could make him instantly miserable every time they called. I didn't, though, silently swearing that one of these days I would find out who the bastard on the phone was who ruined so many nice moments between us. He walked out of the room and I heard the door to the suite close behind him, but something inside told me to follow him this time. I wanted to know now who was haunting him.
I flung open the door to find him standing in the hallway with a man who looked to be about fifty or so. He was thick and reminded me of a police detective from a TV show. He stood too close to Tristan, like he was trying to intimidate him, and although I couldn't hear clearly what he was saying, it sounded ominous.
"Tristan, is everything okay?"
He spun around, his eyes flashing angrily, and for a second I recoiled back into the room, afraid of what I'd interrupted. Stepping toward me, he took my hand and squeezed it tightly. The other man followed him into our suite, and we stood awkwardly for a moment before Tristan finally spoke.
"Nina, this is the Vice President of Operations for Stone Worldwide, Karl Dreger. Karl, I'd like to introduce you to my fiancée, Nina Edwards."
Karl extended his meaty hand and shook mine. "How very nice to finally meet you, Nina. I've heard a lot about you."
Smiling, I pulled my hand away as soon as I could. "It's nice to meet you too."
"I'm so sorry to interrupt your little getaway. I just needed to remind Tristan of a deadline. Now that I have, I'll leave you to your evening. I hope you have a wonderful holiday, Nina."
His voice made my skin crawl. It was smarmy and threatening at the same time. Tristan's hand continued to clutch mine tightly, as if he was afraid to let go. I was glad for the feel of him holding me, protecting me from this person. This man he worked with was only in the room for a few moments, but I was left with the surest sense that he held something dark or evil inside him.
As the door closed, Tristan pulled me close to him, wrapping his arms around me. "Nina, you are never to be alone with him. Please don't ask me to explain. Just promise me that if you ever see him again without me, you'll get away."
My ear pressed against his chest, and I heard his heart race wildly. "Tristan, is he the person who calls and ruins your mood every time? I won't ask you to explain, but tell me if that's him."
He was silent for so long I wondered if he'd heard me over the pounding of his heart, but finally, he said, "Yes. I'm sorry."
I squeezed him tighter. "You don't have to be sorry. I just wish you felt like you could tell me what's wrong."
Tristan stroked my hair and back as his heartbeat settled into its normal, slower rhythm. Kissing the top of my head, he said sadly, "Someday when you have your memories back, I'll tell you."
"Okay." Hoping to change the subject to lighten our mood, I looked up at this face etched with a frown and said, "I liked the way you introduced me. Fiancée. I don't know if you said that for some other reason than wanting me to be that again, but I'd like it to be true."
His eyes sparkled as he smiled broadly, looking more gorgeous than I thought I'd ever seen him look. "I'd like nothing more in this world, Nina, than for you to agree to marry me again."
Even as he smiled and told me he wanted more than anything to hear me say I wanted to marry him, his voice was still weighted down with a sadness that made me wish he would tell me whatever was eating him up inside. I so wished I could make him as happy as he made me.
"I'd like to wear the ring again too."
"You don't remember this, but we were supposed to get married on December 14."
"Are you asking me to run off and elope, Mr. Stone?" I said in a playful voice.
"Yes. Marry me. We can leave tomorrow from here and go wherever we want."
I leaned back away from him, shocked that he was serious. "You're not kidding? Can you do that? Don't you have to run a huge company?"
"Nina, I can do what I want. Part of being the CEO. Marry me."
I couldn't say no. Looking down at me, he was so cute I didn't want to say no. "Okay, let's do it! I need to go back to the house, though. I only need a few things and we can leave right after that."
"I can get you whatever you need so we don't have to go back. We'll leave from here tomorrow morning."
"Tristan, it will only take me a few minutes at the house and then we can go wherever we want. I promise I won't be long."
"Okay, but we'll go back and leave tonight."
I stood on my toes and kissed the tip of his nose. "You drive a hard bargain, sir. You have a deal."
"Good. Pack your things and I'll let the pilot know we're leaving."
Tristan headed into the other room to get things ready for us to fly back to New York, and even though things felt like they were moving a hundred miles a minute, I was ready to do it.
I was ready to marry Tristan and begin our life together.
Chapter Twenty
Nina
My hands shook as I gathered up my makeup and dumped it all into my suitcase. I grabbed a few dresses from my closet, folding them hastily, and stopped to take a deep breath. Tristan and I were eloping in the middle of the night like two kids in love. This was really happening.
It's not that I didn't want to marry him or that I wasn't in love with him. I was crazy about him and nothing had ever felt as right as when I said yes to becoming his wife. But my sister's scolding echoed in my mind, sowing the seeds of doubt like they always had. I didn't want to think like that, though. She wasn't me. She'd never fall for someone like Tristan and elope in the middle of the night. It was far too risky for her.
But I wasn't her.
I wanted to take a chance and be daring. I'd never really done anything wild or crazy. I'd been the good daughter, always getting good grades and doing just as my father told me to. Even that hadn't been enough for Kim, though. My artistic side had always made me "flighty," according to her. She didn't understand viewing the world through eyes that wanted to see beauty. All she wanted to see was the bad—bad people, bad situations, and mostly, bad men.
Whatever she thought she knew about Tristan, I knew in my heart he wasn't a bad man. Did I know everything about him? No. But who knew everything about the man or woman they loved? I accepted the reality of his life, and that meant I might never know more than I did now about him. That was okay.
What I knew, I loved. What I didn't know, I'd have to deal with if and when the time came. That was part of what you did when you loved someone.
Zipping my bag, I took one last look at my single girl face in the mirror. Oh my God! I hadn't told Jordan. I grabbed my cell phone and quickly called her, not caring that it was ridiculously late to be calling anyone with a job.
She answered in a groggy voice. "Hello?"
"Jordan, it's Nina. I'm sorry for calling so late, but I wanted to tell you that Tristan and I are eloping. We're leaving in a few minutes for an island in the Caribbean."
I heard her make a noise like she was sitting up in bed. "What? Who calls someone and says something like that? I thought you were still planning on a big ta-do on the island like before your accident."
"He asked me tonight if I'd elope with him, and I said yes. I didn't call anyone else but you. Please don't tell me not to do this. I already know Kim would say that."
"I would never do that, Nina. Tristan is crazy about you, and you're crazy about him. I'm just bummed that I won't get to do the whole island thing."
"Thanks, Jordan. We'll do the island thing another time, I promise. I'm just glad you aren't trying to talk me out of it."
"Oh, honey, I wouldn't do that, and don't let Kim do that to you anymore. You live your life and know that I'm here in good times and bad. Now go get married, you crazy kids, and call me when the honeymoon haze wears off."
I choked up at Jordan's words and swallowed hard. "I love you, Jordan. I wish you were my sister instead of Kim."
"I am in every way that's important. A sister from another mother, like we always said. Now go enjoy yourself and don't give Kim another thought. Got it?"
"Got it. I'll call you soon."
"I love you, Nina. Tell Tristan I said congratulations."
I hung up and told myself Jordan was right. No more thinking of Kim and all her negativity. This was my life, and I was going to live it the way I wanted to.
Dropping my bag off in the entryway, I looked for Tristan in his office and his room but didn't find him. I'd taken longer than I'd promised, but I'd expected he'd be waiting patiently for me at the end of my hallway. When I didn't find him in the kitchen, I began to wonder where he was and why no one else seemed to be around either. Where was Rogers and his popping up out of thin air trick?
A noise that sounded like angry voices hit me as I turned to make my way down to the pool area. Rogers' area of the house was directly to the left of the stairs to the lower level, and I stopped to listen, straining to hear if the voices were someone in the house or on TV. I couldn't decide which, so I slowly walked down Rogers' hallway, uneasy since I'd never felt welcome enough by Tristan's butler to visit him in his private quarters.