Page 96 of Possessive Ink

Shrugging, I shake my head. “To be honest, I haven’t put as much effort as I should have to get to know people here,” I admit.

“God, I fucking love how crazy this town is,” Octy gushes. “Okay, so the gist is that Daddy Barnett met Mama Barnett and knew the very first time he laid eyes on her that he was going to marry her. He said it was instantaneous, that he knew she was his, and they got married right away and had seven baby boys. After both of their parents died, all seven Barnett brothers were confirmed bachelors. They all lived in the house their dad built for their mom up on the mountain, man-whoring about, but never settling down. Then, one by one, they got struck by the family legacy, and they found their women. All seven of them tell the same story—that the moment they saw their future wife, they knew she was theirs and that they were meant for each other.”

“I’ll tell you what I told my sister,” Atticus starts. “I’m not a Barnett.”

“Neither were all seven smoke jumpers,” Octy says smugly. “But it all happened to them too, and now it’s happened to you. I swear I fucking love this town.”

“You think some mystical family myth from a family neither of us are related to is why we’re together?” I ask dubiously.

“Trust me, I know it sounds crazy, but I swear it’s true. It happened to Betty, it happened to Tori, it happened to me, and now it’s happened to you guys. God, I really hope that Cyrus is next.” Chuckling, she jumps out of her seat and is immediately scooped into the arms of her husband and gently placed back into the chair again. “Knight,” she gasps impatiently.

“Sit,” he growls without an ounce of remorse.

“I’m not an invalid.”

“You’re growing our baby, so you’ll sit,” he says, his tone stern and unyielding. But despite his demanding behavior, his touch is gentle, reverent even.

“Urgh,” Octy groans, rolling her eyes at her husband before she turns to us, her expression immediately morphing into a smug grin. “I’m so happy for you guys. Att, are you working tomorrow?”

“Yes,” he says with a nod.

“Is your station set up?”

“That’s why we’re here,” he tells her.

“That makes sense. Do you need me to show you where everything is kept?” she asks.

“That’d be great.”

Octy moves to stand up again, but Knight places a careful hand on her shoulder, keeping her in her seat. “You can sit. I’ll show him,” he says, stroking a finger over his wife’s cheek as he starts to walk away.

“I won’t be long,” Atticus says, kissing me quickly before he strides after Knight toward the rear of the studio.

“Wanna sit? Knight will know if I get up,” Octy says, gesturing to the tattoo couch beside her. “I’m hoping he’ll chill out soon, but knowing him, I doubt it,” she says with a soft, fond smile.

“How long have you been married?” I ask.

“Five months, about the same number of weeks I am pregnant,” she says with a giggle.

“Oh,” I say, trying and failing to make myself seem nonchalant.

“It wasn’t a shotgun wedding. It could have been a wedding night baby, I suppose, but honestly, things with Knight and me happened quickly. By the sound of it, about as quick as with you and Att.”

“Yeah,” I admit quietly, not really wanting to have this conversation with a total stranger.

“You should come on the next girls’ night out. We usually go to the Mexican restaurant in town because at least one of the Barnetts is always pregnant, and the guys lose their shit if we even suggest going to a bar without them.”

“Oh, that’s—” I start.

“We all know how it feels to fall for a guy so quickly that it feels wrong. We’ve all been through it and learned how to accept that these alpha guys just go all in. Honestly, it’s kind of an exclusive club, because I’m betting your normal friends have probably told you that meeting and getting engaged to someone so fast is crazy and that you need to see a therapist or something,” she says, arching an eyebrow at me.

Sucking in a sharp breath, I shrug. “To be honest, I’ve been living here for a couple of years now, but I’ve only recently realized I don’t really know anyone in town,” I admit, feeling utterly pathetic.

“Are you coming here with Att tomorrow? I can introduce you to Betty and Leo, then we’ll get you added to the group chat, and your cell will drive you insane with all the notifications.”

“I’m actually starting a new job working with Tori at her store in the morning.”

“Oh, awesome. Well, Tori will more than likely add you to all the chats tomorrow, but you should still head over here once you’re done for the day anyway,” she says cheerily just as Atticus and Knight appear, both men’s arms laden with boxes.