My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 1131

Tanner could see it now. His buddy was totally a goner, hopelessly smitten with Emily Blair. She had Tristan wrapped around her finger, and there was no way he was getting loose.

Emily sent a message, reminding Tristan to check for his birthday present so it didn't end up getting lost somewhere in the house.

Tristan smiled and typed back, “Alright, I’ll go look for it right now.”

Emily replied almost instantly, asking if he was coming home tonight.

Tristan had left his old job for good and thrown himself into his family’s business. The Davis Family headquarters and its branches were both pretty far from Emily’s place. The commute was such a hassle that Tristan only made it home on weekends before.

Emily’s question was just routine, no hidden meaning.

Tristan’s smile faded a bit as he stopped to think. Working at the family company was a solid reason not to see Emily for now. He figured he’d wait for the bruises on his face to heal, until they could be totally hidden by some foundation, before meeting up with her again.

At this rate, it looked like he wouldn’t see her until next weekend.

Tristan frowned, feeling annoyed. Seriously, what was the difference between this and a long-distance relationship?

Irritated, he messaged Emily, “Not tonight. Don’t wait up.”

Emily replied, “Alright, got it.”

Tristan scrolled through his phone and picked out a cute cat sticker to send her. “Cat likes you,” he wrote.

Emily’s reply came back fast. She sent a meme of a cartoon with a hammer, captioned, “Gonna smash you.”

Tristan saw it and finally broke into a real smile.

He grabbed his bag of makeup and got out of the car with Tanner.

Steven finally looked over, polite but distant. “Have a seat. Don’t mind him.”

Tanner grimaced, shot Tristan a helpless look, and waved his hands. “Oh, no, that’s alright. I can stand. Really, it’s fine.”

Steven’s voice got sharper. “Did he tell you to stand?”

Tanner blinked, thrown off. “No, sir, it’s just me. I’m totally fine.”

But Steven wasn’t even talking to him, not really. He was making a point for Tristan. “In this house, you don’t need to watch his mood. Just listen to me.”

Tanner felt even more awkward, wishing he could bolt for the car. “Really, I’m fine standing…” he mumbled.

He glanced over at Tristan, who was crouched by the pile of gifts, silently sorting through them like he hadn’t heard a thing.