Epilogue
I shouldn’t have been scared.
Logically, I knew there was nothing to fear, but no matter how I reassured myself, my thoughts kept spiraling into all the different ways this could go wrong. Not even the buzz of the tattoo machine was enough of a distraction to drown out the noise in my brain.
“…okay, Cara?”
At the sound of my name, I jerked my head up and met JJ’s gaze. He was watching me from the client chair as Cody, a local tattoo artist who’d done his half sleeve, worked on extending the art over his elbow and down his forearm.
“Sorry, what?”
“Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes shining with concern. “You look nervous, but you shouldn’t be. Your design is tiny. I promise it won’t hurt much.”
“I’m not worried about the tattoo,” I replied. Despite our presence at East Side Ink, the body art I would be receiving once JJ’s session finished was the furthest thing from my mind.
“Then what’s wrong?”
My leg was involuntarily jiggling, so I crossed it over my knee and forced myself to sit still. “Don’t laugh, but I’m anxious about dinner tomorrow.”
That was when I’d be meeting JJ’s family for the first time, and I felt like I was about to be thrown to the wolves.
All seven of his siblings would be there, and since it was Thanksgiving, the Bakers were attending as well.
As if making a good first impression and keeping everyone’s names straight wasn’t hard enough, I’d have to do it with my boyfriend’s ex watching.
The only bit of good news was that JJ hadn’t heard from her since the morning after the Ren fair, and once he told Annasophia about the blackmail threat, neither had she.
My fingers were crossed that Layla would keep her distance.
“Why?” JJ asked. “My family is fun. I promise we’ll have a blast.”
“Easy for you to say. They’re your family.”
JJ rolled his eyes. “Which is how I know they’re going to love you. Just relax, okay?”
As if it were that easy. “What do you think I’ve been trying to do for the past hour?”
“Well, you could always think of tonight as a—”
“Don’t you dare say quest,” I said, pointing my index finger at him. “I’m not role-playing to meet your family.”
“You sure? Soph would be super into it.”
“So not helping right now,” I muttered as I buried my face in my hands. I was so worked up, I could physically feel each beat of my heart as it slammed against my chest.
“Okay, I’m sorry.” JJ’s brows furrowed in thought. After a beat, he said, “Would you rather bite full force into a cupcake, only for it to be diamond hard and break your teeth, or eat a live scorpion?”
I turned pleading eyes on him. “Can you please be serious for once in your life? I’m freaking out here.”
“I’m dead serious,” he replied. “Answer the question.”
My gut reaction was to choose the cupcake.
It would hurt, but I could handle pain. Plus, the thought of eating something that was still alive, especially when it had pincers and a stinger, gave me the heebie-jeebies.
Then again, opting for the scorpion would be quick, unlike a mouth full of broken teeth.
That would require multiple trips to the dentist to fix, and I’d much rather get things over with.
When I finally came to a decision, my heart had calmed, and it dawned on me what JJ had done.
“Thank you,” I said with earnestness.
His smile was knowing. “That’s not an answer.”
“The scorpion. You?”
“Same.”
JJ kept me distracted with more “would you rather” questions until it was my turn to be tattooed. After cleaning my skin, Cody applied the stencil and asked me to check the positioning. It was hard to inspect just by looking down, so JJ held up a mirror so I could see.
“Well?” he said a bit impatiently. “What do you think?”
The design wasn’t original. In fact, once I settled on a concept, I’d found multiple examples on Pinterest. Simplistic was the best description, but even so, the EKG line running across my chemo port scar meant everything to me.
A heartbeat symbolized so many things—perseverance, vitality, the pricelessness of every moment, the very essence of life.
Most importantly, my tattoo would be a permanent reminder to myself to never stop living.
My eyes watered, and I had to blink a few times to stop tears from flowing. “It’s perfect.”
Forty-five minutes later, after Cody finished and the bill was settled, we stepped outside right as the weather turned.
Before the door closed behind us, fat drops of rain splattered across the sidewalk like paint on a canvas.
In a flash, the sky opened up, and water poured down in sheets.
JJ’s car was parked around the corner, and neither of us had brought an umbrella, so we wavered under the shop awning, unsure how to proceed.
Even though both our tattoos were wrapped in medical-grade waterproof bandages, I was hesitant to test how impervious the dressing truly was. At least my ink was protected by my T-shirt. JJ’s forearm was bare.
Ever the problem solver, he tugged off his tank top and used it to cover his arm. “Let’s make a run for it.”
“JJ,” I said, shaking my head in fond exasperation. “We’re in public.”
“So?”
“Put your shirt back on, and give me your keys.” When I held out my hand, JJ crossed his arms. “What? I can go get the car. It’ll be easier for me to keep my tattoo dry.”
“Oh, how generous of you.”
I gave him the side-eye. “Your lack of appreciation and sarcasm have been noted.”
“The only reason you’re offering is because you want to drive.”
Did I seize every opportunity to get behind the wheel since passing my road test? Sure, but how could I not when the high of my success hadn’t worn off yet? And was I itching for a chance to sit in the driver’s seat of JJ’s fancy sports car? Also yes.
However, that wasn’t the only reason. I was honestly trying to be helpful.
“First I’m not allowed to pay for my tattoo, and now I can’t even bring the car around for my boyfriend? Who knew devilish rogues could be so chivalrous?”
“Fine,” JJ said, punctuating his surrender with an eye roll. He shoved a hand into his pocket for his keys, then stopped. When he didn’t move, I followed his gaze out into the rain, but the street was empty.
My brows snapped together. “Everything okay?”
“We need to finish your bucket list,” he said, more to himself than me.
“What on earth are you talking about?” I literally just had. Even though it was first on my list, getting a tattoo took the most time to complete because I refused to settle for anything less than something meaningful.
“I don’t remember what number it is,” he said, turning to face me, “but you need to kiss me in the rain.”
Warmth bloomed in my chest. “Eight, and we did that in January.”
JJ edged toward the end of the awning’s coverage. “Doesn’t count. It was snowing.”
“How is this any better?” I asked. “It’s basically a hurricane out there. Besides, I was supposed to kiss a stranger. You’re not a stranger anymore, JJ.”
“Exactly. That means I get amendment privileges.” He cleared his throat as if he was about to make an important announcement. “From this day forth, number eight of your bucket list will be as follows: Kiss a stranger or your boyfriend in the rain.”
Then he strode beyond our small shelter and crooked a finger at me. My stomach swooped at the molten look in his eyes, so of course I followed him out into the rain. How could I not when every step in JJ’s direction felt like I was stepping into my future?
I was drenched in a heartbeat, but that was okay. I’d never felt more alive.