Chapter 6 #2
“You would’ve been working at Ink Me when Matthew died. How did we not know?” Jaxon says, his voice empathetic.
“Growing up in the system, I learned to keep a lot of things to myself. When I first started working for you, I wasn’t quite ready to explain everything.
I was still coming to terms with a lot myself.
I had these three amazing men come into my life.
My view of the world was changing. I graduated from high school.
I was finally seeing things differently, and then Matthew died.
There was a lot to process, and a big part of me didn’t know how. ”
Jaxon stands up. “You’ve always been family to me, from the second you walked through the front doors of Ink Me, whether you realized it or not. That’s never going to change. Every single one of you.” He looks at each and everyone of us, but I see the way he lingers on me.
His sense of responsibility to me is both a comfort and an annoyance.
It’s right there that I see it. I look around at this mix of characters.
None of us are the same, but yet we’re not so different either.
We’re all just trying to find our way through this messy life.
I’m proud of Finn for having the guts to walk away from blood, knowing he needed to save himself first. And he just happened to find love along the way.
I look over at Jaxon, who’s only got eyes for Alex.
Seeing the carefree smile on his face fills my heart.
He finally allowed himself the chance to see what love for himself looks like, instead of his overwhelming need to watch over all of us.
Now he has the love of his life to watch over. It’s a win-win.
“That first day you came in for your so-called tattoo,” Dom says. “I knew you needed Ink Me just as much as Ink Me needed you. You left that day, and I called Jaxon as soon as you walked out the door. I told him I didn’t care how, but he needed to hire you.”
I study Dom, taking in his admission. I didn’t realize he’d played such a big part in Jasper’s hiring.
Jaxon laughs. “Yeah, the fucker even threatened to quit.”
I glance in Dom’s direction. I’m learning new things about him with each passing day, and it’s always something uplifting, never disheartening.
“Dom, that’s… You should not put your job on the line for someone you don’t even know,” Jasper says.
That just makes them laugh even harder. “Please,” Dom says between fits of laughter. “Like Jaxon would ever fire me.”
Never, you say?
“So you don’t think there’s anything you could do to make Jaxon fire you?” I say in challenge, eyebrow raised.
“No,” Dom and Jaxon say at the same time, but the look on Dom’s face tells me he knows he just lost that excuse.
“Good to know,” I say.
Checkmate, big man.
“Beckett, you have to try this lotion. It smells divine.” Lucas appears at my side like a shopping fairy, thrusting out his hand. “Lavender honey, with goat’s milk soap. You know how wrecked our hands get from washing dishes all day.”
He’s not wrong.
“See? Smooth as a baby’s bottom,” he says, dragging the back of his hand across my cheek.
I jerk my head back. “Jesus, warn a guy before you blind him with moisturizer.”
His laugh bubbles out, bright and unbothered.
And there, a few feet away, is Dom.
I can feel his stare before I fully look—sharp, heavy, all carved jaw and clenched shoulders.
Jealousy looks annoyingly good on him. Too bad he doesn’t get to wear it without owning the reason.
You don’t get to kiss me, bolt like I’m a crime scene, and then glare at my very attractive friend for touching my face.
You want to play, big guy? Come get me.
“Oh my God, and then I met these two old ladies,” Lucas continues, cupping a hand around his mouth like we’re trading state secrets. “If you need wine, let me know. I’m ninety percent sure they’ve got a bootleg operation going on.”
I snort. “Yeah, that tracks.”
Dom takes a step closer. I catch it in my periphery and pretend I don’t.
“Do you know what we really need? Cupcakes!” I grab his hand and pull him away, fully aware that Dom is ten steps behind. “Olly makes the best cupcakes. Don’t even get me started on his toffee bars.”
“Hey Beckett, how’s it going?” Olly asks as we reach the stand.
I lean in, placing my hand on Lucas’s chest. His eyes go wide at the contact. “Just go with it, please?” I whisper.
“Fine, you owe me.”
I turn back to Olly. “I was just telling Lucas here about how amazing your cupcakes are.”
“Oh, fuck,” Jasper whispers. “Incoming.”
Just what I was expecting.
“I’ve heard amazing things about your baking skills,” Lucas says.
“Lucas is a baker I met while living out in LA,” I tell them.
“LA… Of course, because the people you hung out with in LA were all winners,” Dom says, coming to a stop next to me.
“And here we go,” Jasper says quietly.
My frustration is at its boiling point. “You know what? There are good people everywhere, Dom.” I narrow my eyes and point. “Maybe you just don’t see it.”
“Lucas, wanna share a vanilla cupcake?” I turn my attention back to my guest, who I’m pretty sure is silently begging me not to get him killed.
He clears his throat. “Of course, I would love a cupcake. But I’m actually not a fan of vanilla. Can we share a chocolate one instead?”
Pretty sure I just heard Jasper let out a growl at the word chocolate.
“And maybe I see good people everywhere, but that doesn’t mean I’m one of them,” Dom says.
Shit. I whip my head toward Dom. He can’t truly think that, right? He is one of them.
“Umm, sure. Let me just get that for you.” Olly reaches into the display case and grabs a chocolate cupcake, handing it to Lucas.
“Dom… I didn’t mean…”
Dom turns on his heels and stalks off.
Hanging my head, I let out a curse. “Shit!”
“Yeah, you just fucked up, buddy.”
“Thanks for being Captain Obvious, Jasper.”
“You’re welcome. And you kinda deserved that.”
“Fuck, I know. Come on, Lucas. We have some groveling to do,” I say, pulling Lucas by the arm.
“We? What is this ‘we?’”