Chapter 20
CHAPTER
TWENTY
HARLOW
I hated not being able to go with Frankie to get his car, but I had a full schedule at work. When he gets home late, Ronny is frantic about needing his love and attention. So am I.
Staring at the clock on Frankie’s phone, I watch as it gets closer to when his alarm will go off.
I woke a bit ago and am too anxious to go back to sleep.
Luckily, I am comfortable as hell. My eyes trail down to the rings on my fingers.
Frankie’s family ring and my wedding band.
Husband. Frankie is my husband. My lips tip up.
He wouldn’t do that, wouldn’t legally tie himself to me if he didn’t intend to stay.
He supports me changing my name. I already filled out the paperwork. I feel like if I have to start writing Harker it will make it feel even more real—like he really plans to stay. Like he won’t make me go it alone ever again.
My eyes flick down to Cauldron. Prince Cauldron as Frankie has taken to calling him in the mornings. I even caught him saying ‘Your Majesty’ yesterday morning. He wouldn’t let my cat fall for him if he wasn’t inking himself into my life.
“Sexy girl, you are thinking very loudly,” his voice heavy with sleep.
“You love my cat,” I whisper.
“Our son, of course.” I catch his little smirk.
“You said I could take Harker.”
“You already have in my mind. Harry Harker.” He chuckles lightly, my hand bouncing with his chest.
“You let me tattoo a ring on you.” I brush my lips against the cap of his shoulder.
“Yup. The world needs to know that you own all this.” His hand motions down his body.
“My brother comes home Sunday. Your brothers all get home today.”
“Yeah.” His eyes open, he looks at the clock, then reaches over.
He clicks open the app and shuts off his alarm that was going to go off in three minutes.
He settles back turning his head toward me.
“I’m not going anywhere. I promise you get me forever, whether you want that or not.
I fucking obsessively love you.” I breathe his words in, slowly letting them out.
He shifts towards me, his lips pressing to my forehead. “Franco and Harlow Harker, forever”
“Forever us,” I whisper.
He grins. “Forever us.”
We finish up some breakfast, and I look at him. “You’re really going to let me have my car back?”
He chuckles. “My brothers being back makes me feel a lot better about your safety. So, yeah.”
I lift a brow. Then it sinks in, it has been four days since he brought me home. It was only five days ago that he was so freaking mad at me for being too cavalier with my own safety. Five days ago, he called me his woman. Now, he calls me his wife.
“What is it wife?” He eyes me and unable to help myself, I throw my biggest happiest smile at him. He chuckles. “Apparently, I did something right.”
“I like hearing wife.”
His lips kick up. “My wife likes hearing her title? You know what other titles you have?”
I shake my head.
“Mine. My woman. Old Lady,” he fills in.
“Am I your Old Lady?” I shift toward him.
“Just need the tattoo.” He grins. “Maybe a little black cat.”
“A black cat and a bat.” I start visioning it out.
“I’ve got some space for it on my body too.” He winks at me.
Grace, Paige and I hang out in the family room while the guys have church and council, even without everyone.
Grace and I have been seeing our guys this whole time, but Paige was angsty, so we wanted to hang out with her until they were done since Mickey is having a sleepover at Mouse’s parents’ house.
“Why aren’t we talking about the new ink Carbon has?” Paige asks, deciding she doesn’t want to watch the television show we put on. I glance over at her, and Grace is staring straight forward, trying to keep her face flat.
Paige shoots forward looking right at Grace. “You know about it. What do you know?”
Gracie’s eyes meet mine. Paige’s head jerks over to me. “No. But. No. Wait. Wait. Wait. Just… wait. That’s his ring finger. Shit. Oh fuck. Harry”—her hand slaps to her mouth and wide eyed she breaths through her fingers— “Harry.”
“You’re upset?” Gracie looks shocked as she throws her question at Paige.
Paige’s brows drop and she looks at Grace appalled. “What? No. Fuck no. Harry and Carbon are like fucking perfect in my head. But… if they are…” She eyes me. “Married? Did you get married?”
I nod my head.
“Girl. No. Oh. Em. Gee. Girl.” She jumps up and pulls me up, hugging me tight. “I fucking love this. You really did it?” She pulls back looking at me. “You really got married?”
“We did.”
Her voice drops and her hand presses to her lips. “Mint’s going to lose his shit. Hanger?”
“Dad is happy.” They both throw out brief smiles over that news before the concern moves back in.
“Mint is totally going to lose his shit,” Gracie whispers.
“Right? Fuck. That’s literally the only thing that’s worrying me. Meads is going to be so fucking happy, but Mint…” Paige tugs at a few strands of hair. “How do we mitigate this?”
I shrug. “I think he just has to… he just has to accept it. It’s my life.”
“Harry, you married Carbon!” Paige squeals. Gracie joins in and they jump up and down, and dammit, so do I because I got married!
“Are you going to be his Old Lady?” Gracie asks.
“Yeah. He wants us both to get the tattoo I am designing for it. Black cat and bat.” I try to bite back the grin.
“That is so freaking perfect. Yes!” Paige claps her hands. “Oh my gosh, Michael is going to be so stoked.”
“You think so?” I ask.
“Khai was so happy, worried about Mint, but he was really damn happy last night when he told me,” Gracie offers.
“Harry, they are all going to love this, even Mint, when he has a chance to… calm,” Paige tries to assure us all.
“You two make sense. Also, the years of you guys ‘hating’ each other, I knew it couldn’t be hate.
I mean, yeah, you guys got into it, but it always felt like a precursor. ” She wags her brows.
Gracie snickers.
Since we are clearly hedging into the topic of sex… I turn to Gracie. “Hey… look, massive overstep here, but I have to know. There is a rumor going around the shop that FT did a very specific tattoo for Kev some years ago.”
Gracie’s cheeks turn pink and I know it’s absolutely true. Paige looks between us. “Obviously the rumor is true based on her face, but what is the tattoo?”
Gracie rolls her eyes. “My name.”
“Michael has my name on him.” She is clearly trying to puzzle why this would be embarrassing or weird.
I clear my throat. “It’s more where it is that’s…” I motion to Gracie’s red face.
Paige gives that some thought for a second before her brows go up. “Holy shit. Gracie Cao, are you trying to avoid telling me that your husband had your name tattooed on his dick? Holy fuck. That’s so damn hot.”
“It really is,” Gracie breathes the words out, her eyes go wide, her hand slapping to her mouth.
I burst into laughter. Paige nods as she laughs too. Gracie rolls her eyes again and laughs more. Gracie looks at us both. “I am so glad you don’t think it’s weird.”
Paige snorts. “Girl, Michael and I may or may not regularly fuck at work or in my car because we have a teenage son at home, and also… it’s hot as hell. And this one apparently waited for her brother to leave town to move in and get married to her man.”
“Well, if we are going with sex themes, then Carbon just learned he really fucking likes sex toys after we used a vibe in the shower.” I laugh.
Grace pulls us both into a big hug. “Thank you for your overshares. And yeah… sex at work is hot and uh, vibes are super good.”
Paige and I both howl and egg Gracie on. I fucking love these women.
Paige’s hand comes out, clasping my forearm. “What’s the plan with Mint?”
I shrug. “I really don’t know. Frankie doesn’t seem… I mean… I dunno. I don’t think he is dramatically worried, he seems confident that Mint will just get over it eventually. How has he managed hard shit in the past?”
Paige and I both turn to Gracie since she has known him the longest. Her head shakes. “I can’t really speak to that. I haven’t had to deal with that. Meads would know better, and we know she will be on your side of this so…”
Paige nods her head in agreement with Grace’s sentiment. “Meadow will be happy with this. She’ll get through to Mint. Your dad being supportive, that bodes well.”
“We are having dinner tomorrow, my dad and Roxie along with Frankie’s parents.” I rub my hands on my thighs, beginning to feel really nervous about when my brother comes back on Sunday.
Paige and Grace both take my hands, Gracie offers me her soft smile and words that help soothe me, “It is going to be okay. You and Carbon, that’s clearly like… forever. So, Mint will figure it out. Your dad is good with it which means Mint will… you know… accept things.”
“I’m sorry, but I need to ask, what changed?” Paige pitches in.
“Ah. Uhm. Well.” I think about how to word this and decide just to do what I’ve been doing—brush it off to deal with in one big go.
“When Ricky is back, I will tell everyone everything, but… I uhm… I did something dumb. Frankie tracked me down and stopped it from, ah, well, blowing up in my face. He was pretty dang pissed at me too. But… yeah.” I shrug.
“So, you almost got yourself killed,” Paige grits out, reading between the lines.
I shrug again.
Both of them give me nasty looks. Gracie’s hand darts out and she gives me a little knuckle punch to the bicep. “What the fuck, Harlow.”
Shock and embarrassment color my cheeks. “Wha?—”
“No. I’m glad Frankie tracked you down. You. Meadow. Paige. You are my sisters and I am not giving you up. Not a freaking chance. I don’t ever want to hear you have put yourself in danger again. Promise me,” Gracie demands with a vicious poke to my shoulder.
My mouth flaps as I flounder.
Her eye narrow on me. “Promise me. Right now.”
I nod. “I promise.”
Grace turns to Paige. “You too, dammit.”
Paige’s head bobs rapidly. “I promise.”
Grace’s shoulders relax. “Good. I need you.”