Only fair, after I’d gotten to see him fight the apartment fire. Granted, putting ink on someone versus saving lives didn’t compare in the slightest. Like comparing apples to…well, maybe not oranges. Aubergines?
I prepped the tattoo gun and settled into the seat. “You’re getting the forearm, right?”
“Yes,” she said. “Be gentle on this old lady.”
I rolled my eyes. She wasn’t that old. “Either you’ll have a pain tolerance for it, or you won’t, but we can take as many breaks as needed.”
“Ready?” I asked as I turned on the machine and the gun hummed in my hand.
Mom was squeezing her eyes shut, teeth gritted. “Sure.”
I shook my head, a grin on my lips and my heart light as I set to work.
***
Both Mom and Dad had howled the entire tattoo appointments, but they survived the process, owners of fresh ink. I gave them each a huge hug and promised to meet them at the restaurant, which was the original plan. Drake had cracked jokes with my folks the entire time, blending in like he’d known them for years, rather than just meeting them. I loved every second of seeing him with them.
“Ready to go?” I asked Drake, who was chilling back and skimming through his phone while I sterilized the last of my equipment. He’d tried to help a few times, ended up contaminating things, and we’d agreed I was better off finishing the job up myself.
“Hell yes,” he said. “I’m starving.”
“Tell me about it,” I said, then looked up. His eyes gleamed, a wolfish grin on his lips. Heat bloomed between us, but we didn’t have enough time for a quickie. “Stop. Now. I refuse to sit through dinner with a boner.”
“Who has a boner?” Rory said, strolling into the room. “Don’t let me stop you.”
“That’s definitely stopping us,” Drake commented. He’d gotten used to Rory at once, and I loved seeing how he slotted into my life like he’d always been there. Every other relationship had involved more of a struggle or getting blindsided when I found out they weren’t asinterested as me, but with Drake, he met my energy every step of the way.
“We’ve got dinner with my folks,” I said, packing away the last of the tools and rinsing my hands again.
“Did you tell them?” Rory asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall.
“They’d already figured out,” I said. “Apparently I don’t hide things well.”
Rory barked out a laugh at the same time Drake said, “No.”
I shook my head, warmth welling in my chest. I’d rather people know me than feel misunderstood. And these people knew me better than anyone. I clapped a hand on Rory’s shoulder. “Thanks for the push though.”
Rory met my gaze. “Any time.”
Drake slipped up beside me and linked his hand in mine. “Let’s get out of here.”
The press of our palms together ignited the electricity inside me, and I reveled in the feel of it. We strode past Cas’s stall where he was hunched over, working intently on a sketch, past Nyx’s empty one, since she’d gone home to her girlfriend, Becky.
When we exited Alchemy Ink, the night sky greeted us.
Already, velvet dark stole over the landscape, the slight chill to the air caressing me. I paused for a moment and stared at the skyline. Kennett Square spread out before us, a small town that I’d carved my mark on from an early age. Headlights flashed by from the cars passing us on the road, but trees carved their silhouettes in every direction.
“A little surreal, right?” Drake murmured at my side, his palm still in mine.
That encapsulated how I felt perfectly.
Right now, I stood hand in hand with the man I was certain I’d someday marry.
And my past, my present, and my future rushed around me in such an intense swirl I couldn’t help but get caught up in it.
My dreams had always been simple ones. Chase after the art I loved. Find someone to spend the rest of my days with.
And now, standing in front of Alchemy Ink with Drake? My dreams had merged into one beautiful picture I couldn’t wait to paint.
