Chapter 1
Chapter One
Aurora
I’ve always had a hard time connecting with people. It’s my curse, I don’t trust easily, I have the bad habit of seeing the bad outcome of every situation before it even happens. When I met Bree, I knew I’d met the one person I was meant to find. She’s my other half I swear. She sometimes knows what I’m thinking before I say the words out loud. She knows what I need, she knows how to redirect my crazy thoughts and ideas, making everything fit like the perfect puzzle. She evens out my unsettled thoughts.
But then I met Luna and instantly knew she was the missing piece we never knew was gone. We create the perfect two, complimenting each other’s weaknesses. And we hold each other up.
I know that neither Bree nor I imagined the day that we walked into Deranged Ink it would change our lives. It all started with a music festival in the middle of Bear Creek Colorado. Bree was hired to take photos, and of course, I tagged along. She ended up dumping a drink down the front of a moody stranger and that stranger is now the father of her daughter, Piper.
The road for Bree and Daxton has not always been smooth. In fact it’s been more like the Rocky Mountains at times, they eventually found their way and created a beautiful little family. But for months their path was riddled with potholes the size of canyons and there was a lot of heartache and tears.
But watching them together, witnessing the troubles and seeing how far they’ve come, it gives me hope.
Piper, their daughter, is by far the sweetest baby on the planet, with the ability to make any bad day seem bright again. She wasn’t planned but she is the greatest gift. Deranged Ink is made up of four burly men and Luna, and Piper has every single man and even us ladies wrapped securely around her fingers, and those sweet little toes.
Daxton, Olive, Jace, Zac, and our girl Luna were a package deal. I’ve never seen a tighter group, one that would lay it all on the line for the other, no questions asked.
It took a while for Oliver to wise up and grab the girl, because I may be straight but Luna, hell that woman could have turned me. She is gorgeous and I’m not only referring to her perfect hair, smile, and aura. She’s incredible in every sense of that word.
Their story had some rough ugly patches, and the darkness of Luna’s past caught us all off guard. I know I never expected to get myself tied up in the middle.
I still sleep with a light on now, unable to shake the feeling of monsters in the night. And Luna lived like this for years. She lived in fear and her nightmares never stopped. She was always afraid, always looking over her shoulder. It only brings truth to the strength she possesses.
But now those nightmares have come to an end, for her anyway. I still dream of someone breaking into my apartment and attacking me. I see things in the darkness that aren’t even there and I hear the screams echoing in my mind. The night Luna’s ex came into her place and attacked me, my cousin, and finally Luna, it’s a night I know I’ll never forget.
As I lay in bed, staring ahead at the open bedroom door that overlooks my small living room, I have the perfect view of the front door. I purposely moved my bed this way, ensuring that if anyone entered, I’d see it coming. Never again did I want to be caught off guard by a surprise attack. I never again wanted to be a victim.
Reaching out for my phone that sits on the nightstand I lift it and look at the time.
Barely after one in the morning I know he’ll reply, even if he’s asleep. He always replies.
Me: Awake?
Zac: NO!
I smile, because I can’t help myself. I don’t know why it was Zac I confided in. I don’t know why it’s him that has talked me off a ledge more times than I can count. But I thank God every day I have him. His friendship means the world to me. He’s the anchor that keeps me from drowning.
Zac: Your closet is clear, there are no monsters under your bed and the twelve locks on your door could keep out an army. GO TO SLEEP!
Me: Tried and failed.
Zac: Try harder!
My smile widens, as I picture him rolling his eyes, half asleep as he attempts to focus on the screen.
Me: Coffee and Danish in the morning?
Zac: How many times do I have to remind you? I don’t eat that shit. And I don’t go for coffee. I’m not one of your girlfriends.
Me: But you painted my toenails, so that classifies as girlfriend behavior.
Zac: That was one fucking time and I got more on your toes than the nail.
Me: So no Danish?
I laugh at the silence I am met with. I’m guilty of pushing his buttons, he makes it so easy. It’s so much fun to get him all riled up.
Zac: No coffee! No Danish! No fucking donut or whatever the hell else those places have. GO TO BED!
Me: I’m in bed.
Zac: Then fucking go to sleep!
I laugh as I consider messaging him again but instead get lost in scrolling through all my photos. Most are Piper. I can’t help but go a little crazy whenever I’m around her, which is often. Breanna and I are together a lot, which means I get hours of delicious baby time. And those cheeks, my God they are scrumptious.
You would think with the amount of photos I have of her on my phone she’s mine and not Bree and Dax’s. But in a way she is all of ours. She has so many aunts and uncles by default but she only has one Godmother. Me. So that makes me her favorite. But even on my worst day, Piper can always make things feel better.
As I scroll along, I pause, moving backward a couple photos and my chest feels a little tight while staring at the image on my screen.
Gorgeous green eyes, and a sly grin. A grin that no matter how hard I try not to allow it to, it affects me to my core every single time I see it.
Have you ever wanted something so much even though you know it’s bad for you? It’s the exact reason why I had let go of the idea of Jace and I ever being more than a couple friends that shared a few make-out sessions. He’s not built for commitment and I don’t have it in me to share.
With Jace it’s a constant roller coaster, one minute we are good and the next he’s running scared.
I should delete every picture I have of him, its torture each time I run across one. His smile, and mischievous gleam in his eyes, it’s there, it’s a constant, and it’s incredible. I hate how much I love it; I hate that my entire body warms at the sight of him.
A notification pops up on my screen covering half of Jace’s face and it pulls me out of my thoughts.
Zac: Are you asleep?
I pull open my chats and stare at the screen seeing bubbles pop up, disappear, and pop up again before another message finally follows.
Zac: I should take your silence as an answer but the longer you don’t reply the harder it is for me to not jump in my truck and head over to your place to check on you.
Smiling, I give him the reassurance he needs.
Me: Still awake, scrolling through old photos.
Zac: Don’t do that.
It’s scary how well he knows me.
I never in a million years would have guessed that Zac would be my lifeline. It’s eerie how well he can read me. Even half across town he knows without asking.
Zac: I love the guy, but he’s a fool.
I can’t respond, I don’t want to talk about it. It’s always the same, me in the end feeling hopeless and sad.
I wish it was Zac I had these feelings for, it’d be so much easier. He’s all hard and surly on the outside. He looks like he could be the biggest asshole, but truth be told the guy is a hidden gem. He’s a protector and one of the kindest people I know.
I close my eyes, taking a slow, deep breath.
Zac: We still on for movies this weekend?
Me: Nothing scary, unless you plan on sleeping on my couch again?
He doesn’t respond but I can picture him laughing. Never again will I allow Zac to choose the movie. He’s horrible at it!