“You should add something,” I said.
She sighed.
I studied her, noting the way her gaze drifted up for a second.
Her shoulders slumped a bit, but then she snapped out of it and raised her glass. “To no more bullshit.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Mason lifted his glass.
“I think we all will,” Ryder added as he held his shot up.
We clinked glasses then I gulped the pale yellow liquid. Ryder had chosen something sweet and not too strong for my benefit but it still burned going down.
Ryder turned toward me. “So I’m calling my tattoo guy to set up an appointment to get some more work done—if you’re still interested in that kitten tattoo, now’s your chance.” He grinned.
His smirk was ridiculous sexy, and my attempts at a scowl were useless. “You still don’t think I’ll do it. Well, for your information, I’d love to go with you. Set me up an appointment too.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. I want one. Hopefully you won’t be too disappointed that I’m not getting a kitten. I have something else in mind.”
“Unicorn?”
“Pegasus.”
“Perfect.” He chuckled. “Okay. I’ll tell him you’re interested but when we get there if you change your mind or aren’t ready to get one, there’s no pressure. I don’t want you to rush into something permanent.”
“Maybe I like the idea of permanent.”
Ryder leaned back. His lip ring vanished into his mouth as he studied me. A slow smile spread across his face and he leaned toward me.
The warmth of his mouth on my neck sent a chill racing down my back. His lips brushed my skin as he moved to my ear.
“If it involves you,” he whispered, “I love the idea of permanent.”
Epilogue
“What do you think?” Brinley angled her body sideways. Her shirt bundled under her arm as she hugged it around her chest.
My finger grazed her ribs, coming to a stop just under her newly inked skin.
Dane, my tattoo guy, had done excellent work, as usual, but I hated the way her skin puckered and reddened, angry from the needle’s relentless pricking. She hadn’t complained though. I was impressed with how well she held it together. Though I don’t know why; she’d more than proven her strength.
The small tattoo resembled an infinity symbol with a spirally number three intersecting it. It stood for new beginnings. It was beautiful. And perfect.
Like her.
“I love it, even if it’s not a kitten.”
Laughter floated from her lips, carrying my heart with it. This girl had me so wrapped around her little finger, it was almost embarrassing. But truth be told, I didn’t mind. I loved being entwined with her. I loved her.
“Let me see yours.” She slipped her hands under my shirt and raised it over my chest.
She ran a fingernail under the freshly applied bandage and gently peeled it back. One touch from her was all it took to lose my mind. She knew it too. We stood near the shop’s entrance, but being the middle of the day, and a Wednesday at that, the store was empty except for a handful of artists. Too bad we weren’t alone.
“I love it.” She tilted her chin and smiled. Through the window-filtered sunlight, the light sprinkling of freckles over her nose was visible. All seventeen of them. “What do you think?” she asked.
I glanced down at my redone work. The newest blackbird represented my fuckup, but after some fine detailing thanks to Dane, it was now a sparrow. My Brinley-bird. What I once wore as a reminder of my pain, I now wore as a symbol of freedom. Some people say sparrows also represent true love. To me, it will always represent the girl who, thanks to a little game of chance, swooped into my life and tattooed my soul.