Epilogue
THREE YEARS LATER
“Tyler, can you please stop hitting your brother?” Jade’s mom voice rings out through the shop as she speaks into the portable baby camera monitor that she and Asher set up in the playroom.
To be so completely fair, she did decide to bring a four-almost-five-year-old and a two-almost-three-year-old into the backroom-turned-playroom of the tattoo shop and then turned her back.
What else was the poor kid to do when the three year old took his toy?
“We need a TV back there,” she mutters and I can’t help but laugh.
“Oh, how the times have changed!” I say joyously. “Don’t you remember when Tyler was just a baby and you swore up and down that babies watching TV would stunt their growth and you made us all promise to never let them watch it.”
“Yeah, and you saw exactly how that turned out.” Jade wipes off her client’s arm.
“No one listened to me, and you know, it’s necessary in some situations.
” She looks at the monitor again, and growls.
“Like right now. Rory is fucking jumping on Tyler now like they’re in a wrestling match.
I’m so sorry, I’ll be right back.” She pulls her gloves off and runs to the backroom.
“She’s kind of a badass, huh?” I say to her client, standing next to them to keep them happy and engaged. I know Jade offers a discount or books extra time when she has to bring the boys, but I’ve always offered to watch my godsons whenever she needs.
Today is annoying because we both had the same timeslot today, my client’s just late.
“Yeah, she is.” The girl nods, and looks down at her tattoo. “Super talented too.”
“That’s why I poached her from the business department at the college and made her see the light of the tattooing world,” I say dramatically, winking. The doorbell rings and I hope to fuck it’s my client.
Wait, if she doesn’t show up, I can go into the backroom and play with Tyler and Rory.
But when I turn, I’m greeted with the absolute delight of seeing Asher walk in alongside my husband.
That’s right, bitches. I locked it down. Til death do us part.
Actually, scratch that.
His ass is stuck with me until eternity burns.
I run past the reception desk and jump into the air just as Ty drops his backpack to catch me.
The moment my body meets his, he turns me around in the air. My black hair fans out as he spins me and I laugh. I colored the blonde in black about two years ago. It was time for a change. A new look, a fresh start.
Now I just look even more badass. If that was possible.
I tuck my face into his neck and breath in the familiar smell of his cologne.
“It’s been a long two days,” I say, huffing his neck like I’m trying to get high.
“I know, baby. I know,” he whispers softly, patting my back gently. “At least you got to sleep in our bed. I had to share a room with this big oaf.” I feel him tip his head towards Asher, who scoffs. “I’ve missed you.”
“You were gone two days!” Asher says exasperatedly.
“Not a month. Now, where’s my wife, I need to see her.
” Ty and I pull back enough to watch Asher storm through the shop towards the backroom and hear a familiar cry of, “Asher!”, “Baby girl,” and “Daddy!” being yelled from their two little mini-mes.
“He complained all day. ‘Can we go now? How much more do we have to do? Why are we even doing this, we’re happy where we are.’ Just incessant.” Ty smirks, turning his attention back to me. “As if he doesn’t think the expansion was his idea.”
“How’d it go out there?” I ask, sliding down so that my feet touch the floor, but I don’t step back.
Asher and Ty sat down with Roxie and I last year and had this whole adorable powerpoint and presentation about how great the shop is doing, how we’re on budget and our profits are great. So great in fact, that they had enough money to look into expanding From The Ashes.
Jade and I immediately jumped up and were–are–so proud of them, but my mind immediately went to how this might break the four of us up.
We’re a little family, the four of us. A complete unit.
And if we open another tattoo shop, one of the guys would need to move wherever they opened it to get it set up.
We’ve all been in close proximity daily. They’re so much in my business it’s not funny, and vice versa.
That night, when Ty and I went home, I told him why I was worried. That I am so fucking proud of them, but it also made me feel… uneasy.
And you know what that gorgeous hunk of man said?
“Oh no, baby. We’ve already talked about that.
Asher and I will go up before open and hire a manager, and hand select a few artists.
Everything will be run through us, but this is more like a franchise.
Asher and I will have to take a few trips here and there, probably a lot more to start off, but no.
Neither them, nor us, are going to be moving. ”
When tears started falling down my face, he gently took my face in his hands and smiled.
“You sweet girl.”
I looked up at him through wet eyelashes and pouted slightly. “I just don’t want to be without my family. I finally have one.”
Luckily, we found out the next day that Jade had similar fears and so the guys reassured us that we wouldn’t be moving anywhere.
Fast forward a year, about twenty overnight trips to Phoenix, and they’re officially opening the new shop next week.
“It went really well. We’re all set up and Lion has a good grip on everything.
He’s got a good head on his shoulders.” Ty picks up his backpack and takes my hand, leading me back towards my desk.
“Do you not have a client right now?” I check my watch and see that they’re over thirty minutes late and shrug my shoulders.
“Not anymore.” Looking over, Jade walks back into the room, beelining it to her client and immediately getting to work with a small smile. She’s trying to cover something up with that innocent little smirk, but I’m going to bet that in nine months there will be another little Lee to love on.
And I absolutely love that for her.
Ty and I, we’re good on our own. It’s not that we don’t like kids, because we absolutely love and spoil the fuck out of those two boys back there. But, kids of our own? Just not something we feel like we need to experience.
I think Ty spent so long caring for everyone but himself, that he wants to be selfish.
And one night after a few whiskeys, he confided that he feels guilty about that.
He shouldn’t. I’ve never felt that maternal drive.
That need to have babies. Jade did, she told me that being a mom, a better mom than she had, was all she ever wanted in life. But me?
I just wanted to be free.
Maybe others don’t understand that… and maybe one day, I’ll regret it. But right now? We’re ridiculously happy.
Ty smiles as if he’s thinking the same thing I am, and grabs me by the back of my neck, his thumb brushing the small little mark behind my ear and dragging me to him. My hand wraps around his wrist, the ratty leather still hanging on.
“You’re my life, carino. I’m so happy,” he whispers, brushing my hair back slightly.
“You’re mine. Today, tomorrow, yesterday, forever. I’m not letting you go ever again.” Bringing my other hand up, I twist the ultra-thin silver band on his ring finger. The one that matches mine.
He smiles against my lips and nods gently.
“I’d expect nothing less.”
I smile brighter, loving how much this man matches my sass.
“Poor guy, you’re stuck with me.”
“There’s not one place on Earth I’d rather be than by your side. Forever, carino. Forever.”