AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Just Monroe.
I’m fucked. This is going to be the hardest and probably the best eighteen or so months of my life.
“You’re all set,” I tell my client. He’s a regular who just had a baby and wanted to add his name to his tattoo with his other kids’ names. “You know the drill,” I tell him.
“Thanks, man.” He slides his shirt over his head and stands at the same time Monroe walks into my room.
“Hey, babe.” She smiles. “You ready for lunch?” She holds up a bag from the deli down the street.
“Babe?” Martin asks. He looks from me to Monroe. “You didn’t tell me you had a steady girl.”
I hold my arm out for Monroe, and she steps into my side, wrapping her arms around me. “Can you blame me for wanting to keep her all to myself?” I ask, placing a kiss on her temple. Her body relaxes into mine as if she was always meant to be there.
Martin chuckles. “You got to show them off, Legend. Let her know you’re proud to be her man.” He winks at Monroe, and she laughs.
“We hid it for so long because all of our friends are friends. We just wanted to see where this was going before adding more complications,” Monroe explains.
Martin nods. “Makes sense. Not hiding now?”
I look down at Monroe as she peers up at me. “Nah, not hiding.” I brush Monroe’s hair out of her eyes.
Martin huffs out his approval. “Enjoy your lunch.” He waves and makes his way out to the desk, where Lyra is working today.
“How did I do?” Monroe asks. Her arms are still wrapped around my waist, and my hand is still sitting firmly at the small of her back. Before I can reply, we’re interrupted.
“Hey, Legend.” Lyra walks into the room and freezes when she sees us. “Oh—I—I’ll just — ” She points over her shoulder.
“It’s fine, Lyra. What’s up?” I pretend like having Monroe wrapped up in my arms is a normal everyday occurrence. Maybe on a day when we’re teasing and flirting, but every moment since the words “your wife” fell from her lips last night has felt different.
“O-kay. What did I miss?” She waves her index finger in a circle, pointing at the two of us.
“You’ve met my girlfriend, right?” I ask Lyra. I ignore the way my chest wants to expand, claiming Monroe as mine.
“Girlfriend? How did I miss that?” Lyra places her hands on her hips and tilts her head to the side as she studies us.
“We were keeping things quiet until we knew what this was.” Monroe smiles up at me. “Until we knew we were going to last.”
A huge grin breaks out across Lyra’s face. “So, this means you’re going to last? Are you playing a trick on me? Is there a camera in here?” She twirls around, looking at all four corners of the room, searching for cameras.
I can’t help but laugh at her. “Stop being so dramatic. We’re not playing a trick on you. We actually told everyone last night at Rome and Em’s place. We’re going to last.” My voice is strong, and if I didn’t know better, I’d believe me. Maybe this won’t be as hard as I thought.
“That’s awesome!” Lyra rushes toward us and pulls us into a hug. “Two down, and three to go.” She grins.
“What?” Monroe asks.
“The men of Everlasting Ink are dropping like flies. Roman’s married. You two are going to last.” She winks at us. “That just leaves Forrest, Lachlan, and Maddox.”
“What about you?” Monroe asks her. “You’re still single.”
Lyra waves her hand in the air. “Meh, I’ve had my fair share of dramatic relationships. I’m good with sitting out a few innings. Besides, these guys don’t really date, so for them to acknowledge a relationship is a big deal.”
She’s not wrong, but I’m not going to tell her that. We’ve all dated casually, but never enough to claim an actual relationship. “You don’t know us that well,” I tell her.
She rolls her eyes. “I watch. I listen. I learn.” She cackles at herself. “But for real, congrats, you two. This is the best news I’ve heard all day.”
“Did you need something, Lyra?” I ask.
“Oh, yeah. Martin’s all taken care of. He said he’ll call you when his wife is ready to schedule her tattoo.”
