Epilogue
Hash
Four Months Later
I’m looking everything over before I give it to her tonight.
I’m hoping the rock I have weighing my pocket down will ease the blow.
Pulling my phone out, I see I have a text from Aisling.
Baby Doll: I really need to talk to you.
What the fuck?
I hit call, not wasting time with the back-and-forth bullshit of texting.
“Hello?” Aisling’s sweet voice flows through the phone.
“What do you need to talk about?” I ask, cutting to the chase.
“Are you busy?”
“If I were busy, I wouldn’t be calling you, babe.”
“Can you stop by the house?”
“I’m on my way,” I tell her as I hang up the phone, already walking to my bike.
There’s something in her tone I don’t like.
I barely remember the drive as I race home, my brain knowing the way by now as it goes on autopilot. The whole time I can’t stop thinking about why she sounded freaked out and why she couldn’t tell me over the phone.
She’s never had a problem telling me shit before. She tells me everything. Some might think it’s too much, but not me. When you’ve lost something once, you realize real quick you’d rather soak up everything they give you than have nothing at all.
I park in the driveway and hop off my bike and run up to the house.
She should be at work.
My heart is starting to race as I walk through the house trying to find her.
“Baby doll,” I call out, not finding her anywhere in the house.
I stop as I walk through the dining room into the kitchen, backtracking because I caught a glimmer of orange out of the corner of my eye.
Sure enough, there she is, sitting outside wrapped up in a blanket with the outdoor heater I bought her lit.
Her head turns my way as I open up the door and step outside and make my way over to her.
“You got here fast,” she says, a soft smile lingering on her lips.
That smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. She’s worried about something.
“I’m not going to fuck around when you sounded like you did on the phone. What’s up?” I ask, my hand worming its way under her blanket and squeezing her thigh.
Aisling looks at me, her smile turning into a small frown as her hand moves to cover mine. “I’m just going to come out and say it.”
“That’d be much appreciated.” I’m proud of how even my voice sounds because inside I’m nervous as fuck.
Why is she acting so goddamn weird?
“I’m pregnant.”
My hand flexes on her thigh as my mind blanks as I try to process what she said.
“Hash?” she asks, sounding unsure.
She’s pregnant with my fucking baby.
She’s giving me a second chance to do it right this time.
I don’t know what I did to deserve her or this.
Aisling tries to slide her hand off of mine as she starts to pull away from me, mistaking my silence for rejection. My hand snatches hers up as I pull her into me, settling her in my lap.
“You’re fucking pregnant?” I ask as I nuzzle her neck.
“That’s what the test I took this morning says. It’s not doctor confirmed, but I wanted to talk to you first to maybe see… if you wanted to go to the appointment with me. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. It’s just a thought,” she rambles as she fidgets with her hands.
“Baby doll,” I interrupt.
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to be there every step of the way. When is it?”
It’s whacked she thinks I wouldn’t want to come.
“Next week.”
I nod against her neck before pulling away from her and moving her off my lap to the seat next to me. I was going to wait to do this, but I’m not fucking waiting. Not when she’s carrying my second baby and we’re in her spot.
Aisling looks at me confused as I get down on one knee before her.
Reaching into my back pocket, I take out the small black velvet ring box and open the top, revealing a marquise solitaire diamond on a rose gold band.
Aisling gasps as her hand covers her mouth in shock.
“The first day I saw you, you were walking across the street headed into the salon. I didn’t see your face, but I saw your cherry cola hair, and something told me in my gut that I just had to know this girl.
The next day I made an appointment to get my hair cut with Frankie.
I didn’t keep coming back because I wanted Frankie to cut my hair.
I came back for you, baby doll. And I’ll keep coming back for you. Will you marry me?”
Tears are streaming down her face as she nods her head violently. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Aisling dives into my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck as she sobs into me.
Aisling
One Year Later
“He knows you’re doin’ this?” Ink asks as he wipes away at my collarbone.
“Nope,” I answer as I stare up at the ceiling. “I figured it would be a cute surprise. He got my name on his neck. It’s only fair.”
Ink grunts. “If his grumpy ass comes for me because of this, I’m going to tell everyone in town your salon didn’t pass inspection. Look at it and tell me what you think.”
“Rude.” I mock with a smile as I slowly sit and grab the small mirror he’s holding out to me.
Lachlan is tattooed in a beautiful cursive font trailing along the vine.
“It’s perfect.”
“I know.” Ink smirks as he cuts off a piece of second skin and wraps me up. “Now get the fuck out of here before I have his ass in here scaring away my customers.”
“He’s watching the kids.” I roll my eyes as I grab my bag. “Thanks for doing this.”
“No problem, darlin’.”
“Where the fuck have you been?” is how Hash greets me when I walk in the door. Cormac is trailing behind him, and Conall is in his arms.
Conall, who is a few months old, also happens to be a spitting image of his dad. Sometimes I get mad that these kids look nothing like me, but then I see Hash taking care of our babies, and I don’t give a fuck. They have his beauty, and that’s a gift to cherish in itself.
“I had an appointment,” I tell him as I place a gentle kiss on the top of both of the boys’ heads before moving around them to set my purse down.
“Appointment for what?” Hash quizzes. “And where the fuck is mine?”
I roll my eyes with a smile on my lips as I lay a wet one on my grumpy man, who is scowling at me. “I had an appointment with Ink.”
Hash blinks at me. “Come again?”
“I had an appointment with Ink.”
“For a tattoo?”
“That’s his line of work,” I answer as I cross my arms, enjoying watching him work himself up.
Hash’s eyes scan my body. “I don’t see any visible tattoos.” His eyes narrow. “Aisling, I swear to fuck if he saw something that’s mine, both of you are going to answer to me.”
“Relax,” I tell him, deciding to put him out of his misery as I pull the collar of my shirt down, revealing my collarbone.
Hash’s eyes land on the fresh tattoo immediately. He leans in closer, taking a deep breath as he sees what it is. “Baby doll,” he whispers.
“You like it?”
“I fucking love it.” He pulls me in for a long kiss.
“Love you,” I mumble against them.
“Fucking love you,” he mumbles back.
Not everyone deserves a second chance, but if you feel a spark deep in your bones, follow it. You could be missing out on the love of your life.