10
“ N o, I don’t want that in front of the door,” Paetyn stated, stopping the movers in their tracks. “The reception area should be set up on the right side. I want the natural lighting to shine in over the decor that will be there. The couch will go on that side.”
He was overseeing the set-up of Erin’s tattoo studio. He and Nik signed the papers for the building almost two weeks ago, and as soon as they had, Paetyn and Cruz began to order equipment and decor.
While they waited for the things they’d ordered, the floors were redone, and the walls were repainted. Paetyn had chosen a stark white instead of leaving them the tan color they were when he’d viewed the building. They’d also built a wall in the middle of the closed-off room. It was being turned into an area for people who wanted to get tattoos or piercings in private places or were nervous about getting a tattoo and preferred privacy.
He wanted to keep the look neutral, not leaning toward masculine or feminine. Erin’s birthday was a little over a week away, and the objective was to finish everything by then. Cruz would be wiring in the security system next Wednesday after he got off, and Paetyn would also spend that day putting all the decorations into place. They were delivered, and he could have the movers do it, but he preferred to do it himself.
Once the movers had all the stations and furniture in place, he would let them go. Paetyn planned to revisit the following day and put the ink they’d ordered in the different stations. Bliss was hosting an event that night, and Paetyn was stopping to show his face, or he would have stayed then.
He considered the placement of the tattoo chairs. They’d ordered three to sit in the general area of the shop and another two for the private area. There was enough room to add a couple more later, but he and Cruz figured five would be enough. Erin could use one of the private rooms if she employed three other artists.
A couch and a chair were placed on the other side of the room. Once all the furniture was situated, Paetyn would put the rug and table in place. The employee area was blocked off by the wall. There they could eat or relax when they didn’t have a client. It was close to the back exit but far enough away from the bathroom door on the other side.
Since the walls were white and the tattoo stations were black, Paetyn had chosen to add color to the space through the couches, chairs, and decor.
He checked his watch. It was a quarter to two. Looking around the space yet again, he concluded they’d finish putting everything together and setting it where he wanted it within about a half-hour. Then, he’d head home and look over the destinations Cruz sent him for Erin’s birthday.
He knew that last year, the women celebrated Erin’s birthday together. However, Chayse and Nik were going on a cruise that week, so they were celebrating next weekend. So, he and Cruz would take her on a weekend trip, leaving out Friday morning after her birthday and returning Sunday evening. They planned to take her to dinner on her birthday and give her the shop.
As he suspected, the things he wanted to be done were completed a half-hour later. Paetyn thanked them and signed the invoice. Once they were gone, he pulled the blinds he had installed on the windows and exited the building, locking the door behind him.
Getting in his car, Paetyn headed home. He missed the lunch traffic and arrived home thirty minutes later. He went inside and down the right hallway to his office. Since they were taking Erin on a weekend trip, they weren’t going too far. Cruz sent him four different places to look at, each with a list of things they would do at each one.
Twenty minutes later, Paetyn narrowed it down between Aspen and Glenwood Springs. Aspen was beautiful year-round, and Paetyn had no doubt Erin would enjoy it. However, he wasn’t sure if she knew how to ski or snowboard, which was a significant part of what Cruz wanted to do while they were there. Paetyn had no issue teaching her; he knew it would take longer than a weekend. The chances of snow then were also slim.
That led him to decide on Glenwood Springs. They could visit the hot springs, fairy caves, and canyon. It would be perfect for a weekend trip, and it was only two and a half hours away.
Since Cruz went through and collected the places and attractions to do at each one, Paetyn figured the least he could do was book their accommodations.
He looked for something with three bedrooms. Paetyn never made assumptions, so he figured it would be safer to find something they would all be comfortable in. When he found one close to the center that he thought Erin would like, he booked it.
Looking at the time, Paetyn decided he’d cook a late lunch. He was heading into the kitchen when his phone rang. He took it from his pocket, checking the screen before answering.
“Hey, Spark.”
“Hey, Uncle Paetyn. How are you?”
Paetyn opened the refrigerator. “I’m good. What are you up to?”
“Nothing. Would you happen to know where my uncle is?”
Paetyn didn’t need her to tell him who she was talking about. Though Emberly referred to them all as uncle, she would refer to them by name if she were talking about him, Cruz, or Kieran.
“I don’t, Spark. I haven’t talked to him today.”
“So, I guess that means you don’t know where Auntie Chayse is either.”
That Paetyn did know. “She and Erin were supposed to help Alijah rearrange and put up new paintings at her gallery today.”
“But she and Uncle Nik are supposed to take me to Este Park. We’re going to Rocky Mountain National Park for my birthday.”
Paetyn set the ingredients he’d pulled out on the countertop. “Are you sure he said today?”
“Yes, I’m pretty sure. Let me double-check.”It was silent for a moment before she spoke again. “Crap. It says five-thirty, not three-thirty like I thought. I brought my bag to school, so I’ll text him, let him know where I am, and hang out until he can pick me up.”
“Call Cruz or Kieran and have one of them pick you up so you’re not there for the next two hours.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll call Uncle Cruz. His office is closest. Thanks, Uncle Paetyn. I’ll talk to you later. Oh, and thank you for the birthday card.”
“You’re welcome. Bye, Spark.”
Paetyn hung up the phone, shaking his head. It never failed that when she couldn’t find Nik, she called him. Hell, when she couldn’t find any of them for whatever reason, she called him as if he knew where they were at all times. Though, Paetyn was sure it had more to do with the fact that he was more accessible than Cruz and Kieran, and better than Nik about answering his phone.
After washing his hands, Paetyn began making his lunch. He’d make enough in case Cruz wanted some for dinner when he returned home that evening.
“W hat, Brat?”Cruz questioned as he answered his phone.
“I’m stuck at school. Can you pick me up, please?”
Cruz glanced at the time on his computer. He had a meeting in less than fifteen minutes and knew it would take him at least twenty-five to get to her school and back.
“Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute.”Cruz hung up, placing his phone in his pocket before exiting his office. “I need to step out. When my three forty-five arrives, ask them to wait,”he informed his assistant on his way.
Once in his car, he headed for Emberly’s school. He didn’t know why she was stuck at school but assumed Naidlyn was called in at the last minute or something. It wouldn’t be the first time Cruz picked her up because of something like that.
When he pulled into the school pickup lane, it took him a moment to spot her sitting on what looked like a small suitcase. Putting the car in park, Cruz got out, grabbed the bag when she stood, and placed it in the backseat.
“What’s with the suitcase?”Cruz questioned when they were both in the car.
“I misread a time in a text Uncle Nik sent me.”
Cruz nodded as they continued through the pickup lane. “I’m taking you to work with me. I have a meeting. Then I’ll take you home.”
“That’s okay. I’ll text Uncle Nik and tell him where I will be. He can pick me up from there.”
They spent the ride with Emberly switching back and forth between the radio stations. She would listen to one song for a bit and then change to another, never listening to the end of a song.
When Cruz pulled into his parking space, they got out; he grabbed her suitcase from the back seat and followed her inside. Once on his floor, Cruz placed the suitcase down, allowing Emberly to pull it to the break room while he greeted his client.
Cruz led her into his office and sat behind his desk. For the next forty-five minutes, he listened to her tell him what she was looking for. She was in the process of building new condos and wanted his security software. She wanted access panels for the front and back of the building that residents would use to get in, software in the elevator so they could access their floors, and the option for the residents to have security systems added inside their condos.
She wanted the entire building wired with his software. Cruz didn’t see that being a problem. She’d brought blueprints of each floor for him and paperwork with the number of panels she anticipated needing. He told her he would get back to her next week with an estimate.
He wasn’t alone in his office long after she left before Nik walked in and took a seat across from him.
“Thanks for picking Ember up. I was in the middle of doing performance reviews and didn’t notice she’d called.”
Cruz shrugged. “It’s no big deal. Where are you taking her?”
“Chayse and I are taking her to Rocky Mountain National Park. Ember wants to work on her photography skills.”Cruz nodded. “How’s the tattoo shop coming?”Nik then questioned, leaning back in the chair he occupied.
“Everything that we ordered has come in, and Paetyn was there today to direct where the furniture should go. How’s the photography studio?”
“I ordered some more backdrops, even though she has quite a few. Taila will be in town next week since she’s missing Mother’s Day, and I’ll get Chayse’s photography equipment out of her storage building.”
“When do you plan on giving it to her?”Cruz inquired.
“On our anniversary. So, I’ve got time to get it all set up and have a few extra things ordered.”
“Uncle Nik,”Emberly stated, walking in. “I didn’t know you’d made it.”
“Hey, Munchkin. I’m just killing time until we have to pick up Chayse.”
Emberly nodded, taking the empty chair beside Nik.”Uncle Cruz, do you have some candy?”
“Do I look like a store, Brat?”Cruz countered.
“I promise you and Uncle Kieran like to be rude just for fun.”
Cruz snorted as he opened one of his bottom desk drawers while Nik chuckled. He pulled out a Twix and handed it to Emberly, who smiled at him before saying thank you. Cruz just liked giving her a hard time. It was how he balanced out giving Emberly things. Whether she asked for them or not. Cruz was sure it was the same with Kieran because, though neither of them would admit it, they spoiled Emberly. Cruz knew he and Nik tended to be the main culprits, but Paetyn and Kieran were not far behind them.
“Thank you for my birthday card,”Emberly stated as she opened the candy.
“You’re welcome,” Cruz responded.
Cruz spoke to Nik and picked on Emberly for a few more minutes until they left. Looking at the time, he found it was a little after five. He decided to send the information from his last meeting to his finance department, have them draw up three different estimate packages, and then leave for the day.
Cruz nodded to his secretary, who was packing her things as he left. Once in his car, he thought about stopping by Erin’s, but he figured she was still helping Alijah. So, he headed home instead. He would call her later.
When Cruz arrived home, he found Paetyn in the living room watching television. He was watching reruns of a new cooking competition that aired at the end of last year.
“You still haven’t decided?”Cruz questioned, taking a seat beside him.
“I haven’t,” Paetyn responded.
Paetyn employed a virtual assistant, and he received an email on Monday asking him to judge the upcoming season of the show. Cruz knew it was more than likely for ratings. From the information Josh, Paetyn’s assistant, sent over, the ratings were okay, but they wouldn’t be passing any larger cooking shows with them. Asking Paetyn to be a judge would increase their ratings.
“When are they going to start filming the new season?”Cruz inquired.
“According to their proposal, whenever they get my answer.”
Cruz chuckled. “So, they’ve based their timeline on when you answer. They must really want you if they’re willing to wait.”Paetyn hummed, his eyes still on the television, and Cruz looked down at his watch. “It’s after six.”
“Yeah, I’m not leaving until seven-thirty, but I should start getting ready,”Paetyn responded, standing. “I cooked if you decide you want to eat.”
Cruz wondered if Paetyn sometimes forgot that he could cook. It wasn’t like he had a choice growing up with his mother and Paetyn. Let them both tell it: He needed to be able to cook, if not for self-preservation, then because women liked a man who could cook. Cruz wouldn’t complain about not having to.
“You’re such a good wife,” Cruz teased, picking up the remote.
Paetyn snorted. “I’ll let you pretend like that isn’t you.”
Cruz laughed as Paetyn continued up the stairs while he flipped through the channels.
E rin stepped back from the painting she and Lawrence had just hung. The one that was initially in that space had sold, and Alijah was preparing to ship it, and several others, which was why they were replacing them or rearranging them so similar-styled or themed paintings were together.
She went over to where Chayse and Alijah were seated on the cushioned bench, sitting sideways on the latter’s lap as Lawrence stood in front of them.
“Thank you all again for helping,”Alijah stated.
“I’m not going to pass up food and drinks,”Lawrence replied, referring to the lunch they’d had before getting started a few hours ago.
“And here we thought you wanted to spend time with us,”Chayse teasingly responded.
“That’s secondary,”Lawrence stated. “Anyway, are you excited about your cruise?”
“I am. We’ll be gone for an entire week. I had to schedule most of my shoots for these first two weeks and scheduled all of our men for the same day next week. So, I can do them all at once,” Chayse responded. “This cruise will be well worth it and deserved afterward.”
“Speaking of men,”Alijah started.“I was thinking that we could go on a couples retreat sometime in August or September since you’re dating Cruz and Paetyn now.”
Erin nodded. “That sounds like fun.”
“You can come to, Lawrence,”Alijah paused briefly. “You can bring Remy.”
Erin watched as Lawrence’s attention snapped to Alijah. “What?”
“What?”Alijah mimicked in a terrible attempt at a deeper voice. “Don’t sit over there like that man isn’t blowing your back out or like he hasn’t at least done so a couple of times.”
“Wait, how did you—”
“We all knew you disappeared that night,”Chayse told him with a shrug.
“And then Remy made up this story about a watch that was left, and him thinking it was yours. He could have done better,” Alijah informed. “But I wasn’t going to rain on his parade. I figured you either didn’t exchange numbers, and he wanted to contact you, or you left the watch at his house.”
“The two of you were also not that discrete when you left,”Erin said. “Though I didn’t know that’s who it was when I told you to talk to him.”
“So, the way I see it, you owe us some information,”Chayse stated, and Erin and Alijah nodded.
For the next twenty minutes, they listened to Lawrence tell them what transpired between him and Remy the night of the wedding, how Lawrence avoided Remy after that until he bumped into him when he’d been visiting Alijah, and where things stood with them now.
She’dfound herself laughing along with the other two women when Lawrence told them about going over to Remy’s that night after running into him at the office, and him teasing Lawrence in gray sweatpants but ultimately not giving him any.
Erin wasn’t surprised that Lawrence had ignored Remy. It was hard to give up control or find yourself so deeply on the receiving end when you were used to being the one in control, the one who dictated how things happened.
Honestly, she’d thought about doing just that after her stay-in date with Paetyn and Cruz because she’d known they would dominate her, but they hadn’t even had sex, and they had her wanting to comply with everything they told her or asked of her. Hell, Erin found herself reacting in ways she hadn’t before.
She figured it was because she’d never dated two men at the sametime,and that what was happening may be normal in the situation. So, she’d told herself that it was fine to allow it. That didn’t mean she didn’t need to take the next couple of days to herself.
Lawrence had just finished filling them in when the gallery doors opened. Erin looked over her shoulder to find Nik and Emberly walking in. Greetings went around, and Emberly situated herself on Chayse’s lap.
“I see you were able to finish,”Nik stated, looking around. “I was prepared to help if needed.”
“Thank you, but we were able to get it all done,”Alijah responded.
“Are you excited about your birthday trip?”Erin asked Emberly, who smiled at her and nodded.
“Yes, I’m going to work on my photography, and we’re going to Fun City and doing Pikas in the Park.”
“What’s Pikas in the Park?”Alijah questioned.
“It’s an interactive scavenger hunt,”Emberly informed.
“Sounds like you’re going to have a fun-filled weekend,” Lawrence responded.
“Speaking of fun-filled weekends,”Emberly started after nodding. “Auntie Alijah, I have a question. You know I’m an only child, and I have two cousins on my dad’s side, but I never see them. So, I was wondering when you and Uncle Kieran would give me a little cousin and if you could start this weekend?”
Erin put her hand in front of her mouth to hide her smile while Chayse sucked in her cheeks to keep from laughing.
“Do what now?”Alijah questioned.
“A little cousin. I asked these two,”Emberly stated, pointing to Chayse and Nik. “But they just said when they got married, then maybe, and since you are married, I just figured you wouldn’t mind giving me one. I know it takes nine months, so I’m prepared to wait until next year for them to get here.”
Erin started laughing while Chayse coughed to cover hers up, and Lawrence and Nik were in stitches. Erin gasped as Alijah pinched her side before elbowing Chayse.
“Ember, why don’t you ask your Uncle Kieran about it? Then we’ll see,”Alijah responded.
“You might as well have said no,”Emberly told her, pouting with a whine. “Because you know he likes keeping me from winning, and this would be a win for me.”
Erin laughed harder despite Alijah pinching her again because the look of betrayal on Emberly’s face spoke volumes. She was genuinely upset that Alijah had lobbed the situation to Kieran and heartbroken that Alijah hadn’t immediately told her yes.
“Ooh, Auntie Erin,”Emberly spoke sweetly, and Erin sobered quickly.
“So, I’ve upgraded,”Erin stated with a raised brow. “I’m no longer just Erin.”
“Well, you’re dating my other two uncles, and it does make more sense to ask you because you have the better odds.”
What exactly was Erin supposed to say to that? Emberly wasn’t wrong. However, Erin would not be giving her a little cousin. “Don’t the three of you have somewhere to be?”Erin questioned.
“It’s funny when it’s me, but not when it’s you,”Alijah stated, and Erin rolled her eyes.
“She is right, though, Munchkin. We need to go,” Chayse stated.
The three of them said their goodbyes, Emberly telling her and Alijah to think about it before walking out the door. Erin wouldn’t think about it, but now that Emberly brought it up, she felt that Alijah or Chayse should give her a niece or nephew. Maybe she’d get on the bandwagon behind the teenager and help out a bit. After all, if the focus were on one of them, it would stay off of her.