Again, Zee was the first to go to sleep, followed by Tristan, leaving her restless wanting to stay up all night and read a book. She decided reading her grandmother's journals was better than any book.

Dear Diary,

I am now Mrs. Daniels. I'm married! I'm a wife! Gregory is my husband. It was like a dream come true. So many years of hoping and wishing and now I have what I wanted.

Married to the man I love.

I can hardly believe it. I keep pinching myself. Wasn't a big wedding, but Gregory looked so handsome in his uniform and all my sisters and brothers were at the wedding as well. We took lots of pictures, ate lots of food and had a nice big cake.

One thing I was not nervous about because we already were doing it, was our first night as husband and wife. I did not expect it to be any different. The only thing now is we can have sex without worry of me getting pregnant. I want to have a baby as soon as possible. Why wait?

Okay, maybe I have college and Gregory is finishing his last tour in the army, but if it happens it happens.

Even after all the times we made love, Gregory still gives me chills. How lucky am I to have a man who knows what he is doing and satisfies me in so many ways? For the rest of my life, I will love this man.

Signed,

Mrs. Daniels

Once she knew Zee was sound asleep, she tiptoed through her bathroom to go into Tristan's dark room and climb into his bed.

"I was waiting on you," he said, holding the covers for her as she slipped into the bed.

"Missing me?" She moved close to his bare chest, warming her body up.

"Yes." He planted a kiss on her lips. "If Zee walks in and catches you in bed with me-"

"Why would she ever do that?"

"She could."

"You want me to leave?" They were talking in hushed tones, but she already knew the sound did not carry from room to room. The only time you could hear what was going on from room to room was if the door was open or they were yelling.

"No, stay." He wrapped an arm around her. She would not remind him he did not like to cuddle. "Don't keep me up all night. I like to wake up early and get my workout in."

"Okay." She kissed him on the chest. "But can we make out a little?"

No words were needed as he began kissing her and soon she felt his arousal. She remained close next to him, feeling him and wanting more of it. She caressed down his chest. His body felt so good to her. He was like a hard statue of perfection.

She felt his hand cup her butt, firmly, not too hard. Still, his kisses could make her forget who she was, where she was, and what she was doing. She wanted to go all the way with him, right there and right now. Her hand slid down his chest, caressing his rippled abs and the little hairs there. Slowly she went for the prize, her hand sliding inside his pajama bottoms.

Tristan quickly grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Stop!" he hissed at her.

"I just want to touch you. Please!"

"No." He held her arm back, away from his body.

"It's not sex, it's just touching."

"That leads to other things."

"I can control myself, can you?"

"No." He moved away from her. "We're not having sex with your sister right down the hall."

"Okay..." She bit her lip. "Then when she is gone? Tomorrow?"

He chuckled at her. "Now didn't we just have this talk today?"

"Tell me again why we're waiting? If I was any other girl you wouldn't wait."

"Because you're not any other girl." He moved close to her again, putting his arms around her, held her and she could feel his eyes boring into her even in the darkness. "Jo, you know I want to, but this is different with you. You're not just some girl I can fuck and move on. I don't want you to be that way."

That was the sweetest thing he ever said to her. She snuggled close to him, resting her head on his chest. She would give up trying, for now. Work on building a relationship with him first.

In the morning, again she woke up all alone in the bed. Tristan could have waken her when he woke up. Since she went to bed earlier than normal she could stand to wake up early. She stepped out of his bed and looked out the window. His truck was there and not Zee's car. They would have alone time again.

She showered, brushed her teeth, combed her hair, and put it in a bun. Then she dressed in shorts and a tank top. She headed downstairs to see what Tristan was doing. Of course in the basement getting another workout in. She decided not to bother him. After making her breakfast oatmeal and eating it alone at the kitchen table, Tristan finally made his way upstairs.

"Hey. You could have come down and watched me work out."

"It's your you time, as you said, to get your head right."

"All right, you do listen to me then." He chuckled and came over to kiss her neck. "Let me shower and then it's all you and me."

Oh how she wanted to peek into his bathroom and watch him shower, but she was not a pervert. She walked away and left the kitchen to sit in the living room and watch TV. When he finished his shower, she heard him making a shake before he made it into the living room with her.

"So, when are we going to tend to that garden? I need some fresh veggies for my shakes."

"Oh, you're trying to rush the process?"

"Not rush, but I'm sure some of it is ready."

After he finished his shake and dressed, they headed out to the backyard. Tristan went into the basement to grab some tools and her grandmother's basket. Sure enough, there were lots of veggies to be picked.

"Ooo, I cannot wait to eat these tomatoes. I think I will have that for lunch. And look, baby cucumbers."

And she thought she planted the full-size ones but this was even better. Tristan was excited about the spinach and all the greens.

"My momma used to make the best mixed greens for the holidays. I might ask her for the recipe."

"My grandmother too! I mean, she did not mix the greens. Her favorite was collard greens. So good! And she made them vegan for me."

"My momma's weren't vegan. Smoked turkey I believe."

They picked all that they could, most of the greens, lots of tomatoes and cucumbers, and a few peppers were ripe to pick. In a few more days there would be more ready. For now, this was a great start.

They headed inside and she washed her hands before she put away some of their vegetables. She grabbed a nice big tomato and rinsed it off.

"Want to try one of these?"

"You making a burger for me with that?"

"No silly, just take a bite."

"Of a plain tomato?"

"Yes!"

"Stop playing."

To show him, she took a bite of the juicy tomato, juice dripping down the side of her mouth. He watched her with a big smile.

"I have never seen something so sexy in my life." He pulled her to him and planted a long kiss on her. "What are you doing to me, little girl? Driving me insane."

"Same."

"No serious Jo...I like this, I like us." He rubbed his nose against hers. "I feel comfortable with you in a way I've never felt with anyone else. At the same time, I just want to protect you, even from myself."

No words she could think to say.

"How about this..." He looked down at her. "We take things slow, step by step."

"Okay." Not that she knew what that meant.

"There are several things we can do before we get to the sex."

"Like what?"

He gave her a grin. "Oh, I'm going to have fun teaching you."