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“Will!” Jackson shouted.
“Coming.”
Will walked into the room with a beer in his hand. He ditched his jacket and was in a black T-shirt that clung to his frame. Jackson nodded toward the chair. Without hesitation, Will stripped his shirt off. His chest was magnificent. The hard lines of muscle were covered in ink, most of it black and gray. He had more tattoos than I would have expected, but they worked for him. The only things not tattooed on his upper torso were his neck and hands.
“You getting something too?” Jackson asked. I peeled my eyes from Will’s chest and realized he was talking to Sid.
“I think so. I only have the one, and my brothers have been hounding me for a while to get more. Do you have time?”
“I’ve got all the time in the world to do what I love,” Jackson said. “Especially when it’s in my home. I won’t be able to finish both of you in one sitting, so you’ll have to come back. It’ll take me a few hours to get the outlines down for each, and then you can come back for the rest.”
Sid nodded. “Let’s do that.”
I forced myself to look through the sketches and not to think of Sid in the chair, half naked and getting a tattoo. It was hot as hell, and I felt flushed.
“Could I have some water?” I asked.
Sid came over and kneeled in front of me. “Are you nervous? We don’t have to do this.”
“No. It’s not nerves,” I whispered. “I’d like some water.”
Sid nodded and then leaned forward to kiss my forehead and left the room.
“Are you guys a couple?” Jackson asked. His head was down, eyes on the lines he was drawing into Will’s skin.
“Yes.”
“Kat is my future sister-in-law,” Will said.
“I think you like saying that,” I teased.
He chuckled, and Jackson yelled at him for moving. I laughed.
Sid came back with a glass of water and handed it to me. He kneeled and looked through the book with me, commenting on what would look good. We talked about placement and about what he wanted to get, and before I knew it, Will was done.
“Sid, I have a drawing for you. Let me know what you think. I drew it a few weeks ago and pictured you immediately. I really think you’ll like it,” Jackson said. “And Kat, how do you feel about cherry blossoms?”
“They’re pretty. Why?”
“Have a seat.”
I hopped into the chair again and clasped my hands together in my lap.
“Relax. If it’s too painful, we’ll stop.”
I nodded. Jackson showed me the design and then where he thought it would look best. I was a little leery because I’d heard ribs were painful, but oddly enough, I trusted him. Once we got started, it wasn’t that bad. The initial few passes of the needle felt like a bee sting, but then the pain was tolerable, and I got used to it. There were a few sensitive spots, but nothing I couldn’t handle.
“Do you know what the cherry blossom represents?” Jackson asked.
“No.”
“It’s the national flower of Japan, and they believe it to be a symbol of the cycle of life. But it’s also been used to symbolize love, beauty, and new beginnings.”
My eyes burned with tears. Oak Springs was like a new beginning for me and my feelings for Sid were growing. I wouldn’t say love, but I could see us getting there one day.
“That’s perfect,” I said.
Jackson looked up and smiled. He winked and got back to work. I put my head back and concentrated on the buzz of the tattoo gun instead of the pounding of my heart.
