Page 17 of A Change of Heart

He sank onto a stool, rubbing the creases at his forehead. “It’s all pretty amicable. We still speak sometimes. I’ve been trying to give her space.”

“I thought things were definitely over,” Kit said.

“She says so.” Trystan took a slug of water. “But she’s said that before.”

“So, you’re still thinking you might sort things out?” Seren asked, looking confused.

“Maybe,” he said with a shrug. “Who knows?”

“Mum seemed to think it was over.” Kit idly tapped the envelope against his palm. “She spoke to Jenny.”

“I know.” He shook his head. “Itisover. But occasionally I wonder if I should have just given her what she wanted.”

Seren raised an eyebrow. “Like marriage and kids?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you really not want kids?” Kit asked. The whole situation with Trystan and Jenny confused him. They’d seemed happy together, and Kit had assumed getting married and having kids would be the next step for them.

“I’m not completely against the idea of kids. But I’m too busy with work, and Jenny’s committed to her career, so I’m not sure how we fit kids into that picture. There’s no point having kids if you don’t have time for them.”

“You could have married her and waited a couple of year to have kids,” Kit said. “Surely if you love her and want to be with her long term, you could have figured things out.”

Moving over to Trystan, Seren put an arm around his shoulders while surreptitiously glaring at Kit.

“I think you were right not to marry her if you weren’t comfortable with the idea,” she told Trystan. “It’s your life and you shouldn’t sacrifice your happiness for someone else. You’d end up miserable in the long run.”

“Yeah, but if you love her—”

“Kit!” she snapped, cutting him off. “Shut up!”

Annoyed, he cast his eyes down and opened the envelope in his hands. The sight of the tickets cheered him immediately. “Look!” he said, holding one up. “That’s way better than an e-ticket. It’s got gold embossing. That’s a keepsake if ever there was one.”

Seren rested her head on Trystan’s shoulder. “When I said it’s the sort of place you should take a child, I’m not sure what I was worrying about. I’ll have Kit with me!”

“Whatever,” he said, running his finger over the ticket. “I think it’s cool.”

“Because you’re a child,” she teased.

“Leave him alone.” Trystan reached over and took a ticket. “I think they’re cool too. Just because you’re too cynical to appreciate the small joys in life doesn’t mean everyone around you should be jaded too.”

She took the ticket from Trystan, turning it over to inspect it. “It’d make a decent bookmark, I suppose.”

“Does that mean you’re going to lend me those books?” Kit asked.

“I’m still undecided.” She managed a small smile, then finished her beer and declared she was hungry. They set off to the restaurant on foot and enjoyed good food and relaxed conversation. Mostly, Kit kept out of it and let Trystan and Seren chatter away.

He didn’t manage to get any time alone with Trystan until after they’d got home from dinner and Seren had gone to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

“What the heck are you playing at?” he hissed at Trystan.

“How do you mean?”

“The sleeping situation for a start.” Kit threw his hands up. “What happened to the air mattress? I can sleep on that and let Seren have the couch to herself.”

“I’d forgotten about that thing.” He gave an exaggerated shrug. “I’m not sure what happened to it. Maybe Jenny took it.”

“Come on … do you think I’m stupid? Noah spoke to you, didn’t he?”