Gently, reverently, I reached out and traced a finger over the ace card etched into his skin.
There was only one reason he’d havethat.
I looked up, and he was already watching me—eyes wide, worry stitched into every line of his face.
“This is…” I breathed out, smiling as warmth bloomed in my chest. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. “When did you get it?”
“I was going to tell you. Show you. I just… never found the right time.”
“It’s incredible.” I couldn’t stop staring at it—the deep red outline of the card, shadowed and lined with black.
“I got it a few years ago,” he admitted quietly. “It’s our inside joke.”
“It’s also what you call me,” I said softly, lifting my gaze from the tattoo to the man who wore it.
“That too.”
My chest tightened, swelling with so much emotion I didn’t know where to put it—happiness, gratitude, longing.
The unspoken declaration was so loud, yet meant only for him, becauseIwas what mattered to him.
I wondered who else knew.
“No one’s ever gotten a tattoo for me before,” I whispered, still smiling.
“Good,” he replied. “You mean a lot to me, Ace. I got it because I knew, no matter where I went, I’d always have a piece of you with me.”
Swallowing suddenly felt impossible. My heart ached in the most beautiful way. I stood and surged forward, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest.
I held him like I never wanted to let go.
Because Logan Walker cared for me in ways I didn’t know I deserved.
His arms closed around me just as tightly, and I felt the long breath he’d been holding finally escape his lungs.
Relief.
“I’m never going to forget this,” I whispered, pulling back just enough to see his face. “This is officially going in my next two truths and a lie.”
Logan laughed and pressed a kiss to the top of my head.
I smiled and finally broke away, walking over to dig through my suitcase.
He had chosen to mark his body with something that reminded him ofme.
The irony wasn’t lost on me, how the last man I let in left behind red marks, not symbols.
And the one before that declared me as not good enough the minute he brought infidelity and mistrust into the relationship.
It wasn’t anything I did wrong. It wasn’t me in the wrong, because Logan saw the good, and to me, that’s what mattered.
Logan made sure I’d never forget I mattered.
“Oh, El?” he called out behind me.
“Hmm?” I turned, a pair of underwear in hand.
“I planned something for us tonight, so wear something comfortable. We’ve got dinner reservations and a surprise after.”
