Page 51 of Wallflower No More

Before she turns back to me, I’m able to mask my surprise with a genuine smile. The scars do nothing to take away from her beauty. "Nice to meet you. I'm Charlie. You and Axel are with Dex. Jake and Dani, you're with Ridge, and Toby, Jaxon, Dallas, and Hector, y'all are with Nathan." Charlie turns to Rylee and Sasha. "And girls, since you're getting piercings, you're with me."

We walk down an arched hallway until we reach the spacious tattoo room. A waiting area of chairs lines one side of the wall, and in the middle of the room, three tattoo recliners sit. My stomach falls to my ass when I see them. This is it, I'm finally getting the tattoo.

Dex saunters over to where we stand, bypassing Axel and stopping in front of me. He's even more striking up close. If danger and rough sex had a baby boy, then this would be what he looked like. My big bad wolf moves to stand behind me, wrapping his muscled arms around my pudgy middle. Dex laughs. "You must be the beautiful Scarlett."

I smile and hold out my hand for him to shake. "Nice to meet you." Then I look up into Axel's face. "You talk about me a lot or something?"

He looks down, giving me a wink. "Yeah, something like that."

The two remaining tattoo artists walk into the room. Both come and give Axel a bro hug and the taller of the two comes to stand in front of me. "Hello, gorgeous."

"Hey, I'm Scarlett, and you are?"

A dimpled smile splashes across his devastatingly handsome face. "Nathan, but feel free to call me Nate."

I giggle because he is a flirt and a half. Of course, Axel interrupts. "She'll call you Nathan." Nate absolutely loves Axel's jealousy. Something is obviously wrong with me, but I love it, too. The ruggedly hot guy behind Nathan is more reserved. His chestnut brown wavy locks give him that just got out of bed look. He gives me a polite nod. "Ridge." His tone is terse, but his expression seems friendly enough.

I greet them shyly. "Nice to meet you both." Axel steers me away from them and leads me to the tattoo chair. Mild panic sets in. "Don't you want to go first, babe?"

He chuckles. "Nope, I want you to get yours first. Mine is a surprise, and don't worry, I'll hold your hand the whole time."

I take a deep breath. I can do this. Dex comes to sit beside me in his chair. His intensity level reminds me of Axels. "Your possessive asshole of a boyfriend has explained to me that this is your first time. I will care for you and ensure it's a pleasurable experience." Axle growls, making Dex chuckle, but he quickly continues. "So, what would you like to get today, Scarlett."

Pulling a piece of paper from my jeans pocket, I hand it over. It's a copy of the last letter my mother ever wrote me. I explain that the 'Love, Mama' part at the bottom is what I want tattooed on my wrist.

Dex looks at me and smiles. "That's beautiful. I'm glad I can be a part of this. Let me go make my sketch, and I'll bring it back and get your opinion."

Axel holds my hand, and somehow, he realizes I need to just BE right now, no words, just thoughts. My mother, Stephanie Quinn, was wholesomely good, sweet, caring, and genuine—a brilliant, beautiful light. At first, with her cancer diagnosis, she could continue with all her charity work, and everything was normal. Mama helped run a daily soup kitchen and even stopped by the local orphanage twice a week to read to the kids. But then she died, and a part of my world went pitch black dark. For a couple of years after her death, I was mad at God, my father, and anyone who tried to get close to me. But now I understand she was too good for this world. After my mother's passing, the Channel 10 news in New Orleans picked up the story somehow because she was a local hero. The mayor designated the day she died as a local holiday for our town. So, on that day every year, people go to the soup kitchen or the orphanage and volunteer. The worst day of my life was turned into a beautiful blessing. Through the darkness, a seed was planted, and something grew through the turmoil and turned into something beautiful.

Axel begins kissing away the tears I didn't even know had started falling. My big bad wolf is a complicated man, and regardless of how he feels about himself, he's also a good man. My quivering lips kiss his cheek in return. Letting my emotions settle, I survey the room and see that Nate and Ridge are both in the corner doing their sketches of what Dani and Toby are getting.

"What are you two getting?" I called to the side of me.

Dani play punches Jake's arm after he grumbles about something under his breath. She said, "I'm getting my survival dates tattooed on my hip bone."

So that's why Jake grumbled. He probably doesn't like the reminder that he almost lost her. Toby is in an incredibly grumpy mood himself today. "Yo grump, what are you getting?"

He rolls his eyes at me, and I wonder if Karen has pissed him off about something. "Well, nosy, I'm getting my scars from the surgery that took me out of baseball my senior year tattooed. What about you, Scar?" He asks.

"The last note that my mother wrote me, she ended it with 'Love, Mama.' I'm getting that tattooed on my wrist in her handwriting."

Toby looks up at me from his phone and smiles. "That's beautiful."

"Well, I think all three of us are getting beautiful, well-meaning tattoos." I squeeze my Axel's hand.

"Hell yeah," they shout in agreement.

Chapter 29

Little Fires Everywhere

Everything Fearless 24/7

Has anyone heard about the student who was found dead tonight? A hanging suggests suicide, but there are whispers of foul play. Stay safe!

Scarlett

Dex gave me a piece of my mother to keep with me daily. It's beautiful and looks exactly like she had written the words on my skin. I sit next to Axel, his hand firmly in mine. He's not scared, but I'm emotional. Dex swings his chair to mine. He hands me a small bowl with a putty-like substance inside. He chuckles when he sees my surprised expression. "Axel, tell your girl what you're getting."