Page 50 of Wallflower No More

As the waitress hands Toby the menu, we all groan. I've been to a few restaurants with him, and he takes forever to order anything. We didn't eat lunch, and my stomach was all kinds of hangry. Toby looks up with a raised eyebrow. "If y'all keep on, we can be here all night."

Hector, who is sitting next to Toby, gives him a look. "I rode with you, bro, but I don't have to ride with you to the tattoo shop. Hell, we hungry."

"Hell, yes, we are!" Axel agrees.

Toby rolls his eyes. "They have like five new choices on the menu. Guys, give me a freaking break."

Dani pats her cousin on the shoulder. "Poor baby, but you need to decide because you may start a riot here if you don't choose soon."

I put my menu down, not even having to look at it. "I, for one, am getting the pancakes, and they better be good, or y'all can cashapp me your condolences."

The table laughs. Dallas puts his arm around Sasha. "Believe me, Scarlett, the best thing you've ever had the pleasure of tasting."

Axel grabs my knee under the table and stares longingly into my eyes. "It's not the best thing I've ever eaten."

My face turns so red that it's purple, and the table erupts in laughter. "Really, Axel? That's not polite conversation."

"Whatever gave you the impression that I'm in any way, polite?" He laughs, then kisses me gently on the lips. The waitress comes back, and we all order. Toby just happened to be in the bathroom, so Jaxon took it upon himself to order for them both. No one can hold in their laughter when Toby returns to the table. His expression is one of devastation when he realizes the menus are missing.

Toby stomps on Jaxon's toes. Making him yell, "How do you know it was me, bruh?"

He gives him the stank face, which makes Jaxon laugh. "Because when something annoying happens, you or Dallas have done it. And Dallas is too busy making goo-goo eyes at Sasha right now."

Jaxon shakes his head back and forth. "Damn, young love."

Axles hand on my leg starts to move further up. I try yanking my leg out of his grasp, but he's having none of that. His hold is firm and always in control. Axle never moves his hand up any higher, but his grip never loosens, not even while we eat. A moan escapes my mouth, which should embarrass the hell out of me, but it doesn't. These pancakes are exquisite. It's better than my favorite diner back home.

Dani looks up from her plate with a smile on her face. "Told you, girl, the best in Austin. If not the world."

Rylee Lynn elbows Jaxon in the abs. "I guess you do know what you're talking about every now and then."

Hector laughs. "I like her, Jaxon."

He just rolled his eyes and continues stuffing his face, but Toby grumbles under his breath. Which makes Dallas have to add to the conversation. "What was that, Toby?"

He very dramatically reiterates what he said very loudly. "I said my pancakes are amazing, but I wanted to try that new buffalo chicken wrap. I guess I'll never know how that tastes now."

That makes me giggle. Even Axel is amused. “Toby, you do realize they have a menu on their website. So, you can take two hours and decide what you want before we even come.” My man teases him.

Toby sucks in a breath. "Yes, I know that, but it's not the same as deciding in the restaurant." The rest of the dinner is filled with banter and making fun of Toby. I look around at my newfound group of friends, and I'm happy to be here in this moment with them.

Butterflies quiver inside my belly. I've decided to get my first tattoo. Axel whispers in my ear as he holds the door open for me as we all walk into Murders Ink. "What's wrong, Wallflower?"

I whine. "Nothing, really. I'm just being a big baby."

He rubs my back in support. "So, you're going to get the tattoo?"

I nod. "Sure am."

He stands behind me and massages my shoulders. "That's so hot. It'll be fine. The pain can be a little rough, but when it's over, you'll have something to remind you of your mother." Hot tears threaten to fall down my cheek, but I can reign them in as I put all my focus on my surroundings. Murders Ink doesn't exactly look like I thought it would. The modern light fixtures and furniture give it a classy feel. However, the decorations on the wall and the music playing softly in the background give off all the rockstar vibes. And we're here for that.

Axel walks up to the front desk. A beautiful, voluptuous woman is behind the counter. She could definitely win a curvy pinup photo contest. "Hey, Axel. You got the whole crew here today." She peers around him at me, and her smile grows. "Is that her?"

Axel turns to me, and a tiny blush stains his prominent cheeks. "Yes, ma'am."

"Hi," she says shyly. "You're just as pretty as he said you were."

"Thank you, I'm Scarlett." I walk up to the desk to introduce myself but stop in my tracks when she turns her head to the side, and the scars that her long hair covers up are exposed. Starting at her temple and going down to her jaw are nasty faded red claw marks. It doesn't cover her cheeks, and it's only in that one section. What has this beautiful woman survived?