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“What shop?” she whispers as we join the group. They look like the meanest bastards, with just as many tattoos as me, if not more, but are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I wouldn’t have hired them if they weren’t.
“My tattoo shop,” I whisper back. “Hey guys, this is Harlow.”
“Hi,” Harlow greets them confidently, even as she squeezes my hand. She shifts slightly when they all gape at her, nobody speaking. Even Tom, who saw her earlier, is frozen when she’s this close. The staring continues until I pointedly clear my throat, and then they all jump over each other to say hi and shake her hand. Fucking hell. At least I’m not the only one who’s a complete sucker for her, although I hope I pull it off slightly better than that. Harlow chats easily with them, and she has them all laughing and eating out of her hand in no time.
Liv steals her to introduce her to a friend at some point, and I don’t see her again until later, when I’m sitting on the sofa with Sawyer—who has managed to untangle himself from Liv’s friend for a minute—and Eli. The girls wander over to us, eyeing the space between us one of them could probably fit into, but I pull her into my lap instead.
“What are you talking about?” she asks as she settles into me. The party has died down a lot by now, and there aren’t too many people milling around.
“Just putting the world to rights.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“It’ll be girls,” Liv declares when she sits down next to Eli. “With guys, it’s always girls. Which lucky one they’re in love with today.”
The same girl from earlier comes over and plonks herself in Sawyer’s lap as both Sawyer and Harlow stiffen.
“Just one?” I joke, and the girl in Sawyer’s lap scoffs.
“That’s such a man thing to say.”
“Why? I don’t think you can only love one person,” I continue, slowly stroking Harlow’s thigh.
“Widows find love, even if they were married to their soulmate,” Liv adds.
“I mean at a time.”
“Like an excuse to cheat?” Liv asks, sitting up straighter.
“How do you not know this about him by now?” Eli asks her, and he’s right. I’m pretty open with my feelings, but I guess we’ve never discussed it before.
“No. Not cheating. You have two parents, right? Which one do you love more?”
“Neither,” Liv answers with a frown.
“Exactly. We have friends we love and family we love. Why do we have to only have one romantic love?”
Liv shrugs. “I don’t think I’d be happy with only half of someone’s heart.”
“It’s not a cake; it doesn’t need to be split. What if it’s infinite, it expands like the universe?”
“You’re such a player,” the girl on Sawyer’s lap says with a glare, clearly cynical. “Is this a line to sleep with whoever you want?”
“I said love, not just hook up with.” She’s not happy with that, though.
“Men are pigs. What do you think?” she asks Harlow, who’s been quiet so far.
“I can see both sides,” she says thoughtfully. “I need time to think on it.” I wonder what she really thinks.
“Whatever. Shall we get a drink, Sawyer?” the girl asks as she stands, hand outstretched to him, but he doesn’t take it.
“I’m good, thanks.” Her mouth purses before she drops her hand and walks away, and the group seems to relax without her here.
It’s a few more hours before Harlow and Sawyer go back to their own apartment, and I keep Harlow on my lap the whole time. We don’t get any time alone, but that’s okay. I have big plans for us tomorrow.
