17.
R IN
“I’m not going to make it home in time for breakfast. Our pilot was ill, so we had to wait on his backup. I should be home sometime after lunch.”
“That sucks, babe. Can I see you tonight?”
“Definitely!”
“You mentioned that you had something to do at the hospital today. Are you going to miss that?”
“I was supposed to take the guys some clean clothes today and pick up last week’s laundry.”
Without missing a beat, I asked, “Want me to do that for you?”
I smiled when I got her response.
“Would that be weird for you?”
“Honey, this entire situation is weird, but I think it’s going to be our new normal. Tell me what to do, and I’ll take care of it before my first appointment.”
“Are you sure?”
I sent Stan a frowning selfie before I typed, “Impatiently waiting for instructions.”
Stan sent a laughing emoji before she gave me directions on how to get into her house and disable the alarm as well as where to find what I needed and which rooms to go to once I was at the hospital.
Since I would be hauling things around, I left my bike in the garage and used my truck - something I hated to do on a day this beautiful.
Knowing I was helping Stan made it easier.
Since most people were already at work, the drive to Stan’s didn’t take long at all. I parked in front of her door before I followed her instructions and got inside. I had the clean bags of laundry and was on my way to the hospital within minutes.
I went to Park’s room first and tapped on the doorframe. He seemed shocked to have someone knock. I figured he was used to the hospital staff busting in at all hours of the day and night, something that would make me absolutely nuts.
I walked around the corner to introduce myself. The man in the wheelchair may not have the strength he once did, but he was still large and physically imposing. He had the look of a predator as he studied me from head to toe and didn’t smile when I greeted him.
“I’m Rin Martin. Constance sent me over with your clean clothes and asked me to pick up your laundry.”
“Are you her new guard?”
“No. Her guards are Sho, Avi, and Ciro. I’m Rin.”
“And?” he asked.
“And I’m here to give you some shit from Stan,” I said with a chuckle. “I didn’t know that would include a pop quiz.”
I guess my sarcasm hit the mark as did the fact that I wasn’t about to let the grumpy man bully me, because he tilted his head and said, “You don’t sound like you’re from back home.”
“I’m from here. I’ve never even visited New York, although that’s on the agenda for sometime soon, I hope.”
“Where is Stan?”
“She had some family come in from Italy, so she flew home to visit with them. She was supposed to be here this morning, but the flight was delayed, so she won’t be here until late this afternoon.
” I put the bag on the chair near Park and said, “But she didn’t want you to have to wait for your clean clothes, so I offered to bring it. ”
“Is that other bag Sully’s?”
“It is.”
Park’s brow furrowed before he said, “Are you dating Stan?”
I decided honesty was the best policy and nodded before I said, “I am.”
“Treat her right, or you’ll end up dead.”
I burst out laughing before I replied, “Thanks for the warning.”
“Have you already seen Sully or . . .”
“Not yet. I came to see you first since he’s probably in therapy.”
“He is. I’ll come with you,” Park said as he slowly stood and limped over to the wardrobe in the corner. He pulled out a bag almost identical to the one I had put in the chair and handed it to me before he stood up a little straighter and asked, “Are you on a tight schedule?”
“I’ve got a few hours to kill before I have to go to work.”
“Apparently, I’m a fucking child, and I’m not supposed to walk anywhere by myself, so if you don’t mind taking it easy, I’d like to go see Sully with you.”
As we slowly made our way down the hallway, I asked, “Do you just hang out in your room all day or what?”
“There’s not much else to do other than therapy, and they even put a limit on that.”
“They did?”
“I guess it’s possible to work out too much,” Park said with a shrug.
“Who knew?” I asked sarcastically.
“How did you meet the princess?” Park asked.
“Stan? Through my friend Bella. She’s Matteo’s fiance.”
“Matteo Russo?” When I nodded, he looked at me like I was nuts before he exclaimed, “Fuck! How long was I out?”
I barked out a laugh and asked, “It’s that big of a shock to think he’s engaged?”
“Does she know she’s engaged?” Park asked.
“Yeah,” I answered, still laughing. “How could she not?”
“I was just wondering if she was a hostage or something.” Park looked confused for a second before he asked, “Have you met Matteo?”
“Bella is a strong woman. I can guarantee you Matteo has met his match.”
“It’s about goddamn time,” Park muttered as we walked onto the elevator. I was about to push the button for the therapy floor, but Park put his hand out to stop me and said, “They’ve got Sully on the fifth floor. Let’s go swap his clothes out first.”
I did as Park asked and let him lead me to Sully’s room.
He walked in without knocking and didn’t seem surprised that Sully wasn’t there.
There was a wardrobe identical to the one in Park’s room, and he walked straight over to it and started putting the dirty laundry in the empty bag before he tossed it onto a nearby chair.
He held his hand out for the bag of clean clothes and then took a few minutes to organize them in the wardrobe, all within easy reach of someone in a wheelchair.
He then meandered around the room, putting things in their place, adjusting the curtains to let more light into the room, throwing out empty cups and used straws, and fluffing the pillow on the bed before he adjusted the bedding.
It choked me up to watch Park do what little he could to make Sully’s room more comfortable because I could imagine Papa or Dad doing the same thing if the other was hospitalized.
“Why are you on different floors?” I asked.
“That’s where they put us,” Park answered sadly. “I come down and hang out when he’s in his room, but they kick me out when it’s time to go to bed.”
“That sucks.”
“Yeah. It really sucks because Sully gets upset when I have to leave.”
“Have you talked to the staff about getting a room closer to his?” I asked.
“I did, but they blew me off.” Park seemed to consider it for a second before he said, “But he was in much worse shape then, so I sort of understood their reasoning.”
“But now?”
“He’s doing great!” Park said proudly. “He learns more and more every day.”
“Maybe you should talk to Stan and see if she could put in a good word about moving you closer.”
“If anyone can get it done, it would be her,” Park said with a chuckle before he arranged everything Sully may need on the rolling table by the bed.
He refilled the bowl of peanuts from a container next to the sink and then set out a few napkins next to it before he adjusted the tissue box just so in the corner and sighed before he looked over at me and said, “That should be good for now. I’ll check everything again before I go to my room tonight. ”
“Talk to Stan when she gets back,” I insisted.
“Nah. I hate bothering her about shit like that. She’s got enough on her plate. I’m not even sure why she still comes around so much. I’m sure she’s got better things to do.”
“I’ll mention it to her.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Not at all.”
◆◆◆
“Rin, this is beautiful.” The woman I’d been working on for the past few hours stood in front of the full-length mirror and admired her new tattoo. “I love it!”
“That’s what I want to hear. I’m glad you like it,” I told her as I pulled off my gloves.
“It’s gorgeous!”
I tossed my gloves into the trash and then reached over to start cleaning up the inkwells and other odds and ends.
The piece had taken longer than the timeslot I’d allotted, and my next client was already waiting for me which meant I would be behind schedule for the rest of the day.
“Shady is going to wrap it for you and talk to you about aftercare, but if you have any problems or questions once you get home, hit me up.”
“Thank you, Rin. You’re the best! I’m already excited about my next one.”
“Send me some ideas, and I’ll draw it up for you,” I offered as I finished clearing out my area.
I sanitized my station and started the setup for my next customer. I heard the bell over the door but didn’t look up until I heard a voice I was quickly coming to love.
“Hey.”
I spun around and found Stan standing just a few feet away. I smiled as I walked toward her.
“You’re back!”
“Yes! I’m sorry I missed our breakfast date. I know you’re busy, but I wanted to say hi before I went to the hospital to check in with the guys.”
Constance smiled as I pulled her into my arms. I kissed her soundly before I smiled back and said, “I’m glad you came by. I’ve got another client ready to get started, so I can’t visit for long, but you’re welcome to stay if you’ve got some time.”
“I can stay for a bit.”
I kissed her again before I said, “I’ll pull a chair over closer to my station. Do you want something to drink or . . .”
“Avi went down the street to get us a coffee. I didn’t realize that your cousin’s bakery was so close to your shop.”
“All the businesses on this street belong to my family, or at least the buildings do.”
“Oh. Quite the conglomerate.” Stan settled her lips on mine before she said, “I’m so happy to see you.”
“I’m happy to see you, too, sweetheart.”
I was proud of myself when I finally let her go so I could get to work and even prouder when I introduced her to a longtime client of mine as my girlfriend.
Even better was that she looked like she was happy about that title too.
◆◆◆
STAN
I was having so much fun sitting and talking with Rin and everyone else in the tattoo shop that time flew by.
It didn’t seem to take any time at all for him to finish the next client’s tattoo while I asked him a million questions about his process.
He patiently explained everything while managing to keep up a humorous repertoire with the client and riffing with everyone else.
Sho and Avi spent most of their time talking to Natty about tattoos they wanted to get.
When she finished with her client, Sho was eager to hop onto her table so she could do some touch-ups on a couple of the tattoos she already had.
Next, it was Avi’s turn. I spent the time chatting with Natty and the girls while I watched her work.
Rin’s cousin Shady was a breath of fresh air and so funny that she kept us all in stitches as she jumped into the banter between Natty and Rin. Before long, they were telling tales about each other’s antics as kids as if they were trying to one up the others on crazy stories.
It was so much fun to see Rin with his cousins and really nice to see how caring he was toward the woman in his chair. She was clearly in pain, so he made sure to keep her involved in the conversation while rarely looking up from his work.
Avi was still on Natty’s table when Rin’s last client of the day arrived. Rin assured me her appointment wouldn’t take long since she just needed a few details and some shading added to a piece he’d done for her a few months ago.
“I can’t believe I’ve been here all afternoon!”
“Well, considering your entourage decided to get some work done, you didn’t have much of a choice,” Rin said with a grin. “Hell, if they’ll get you up here more often, I’ll keep space on my schedule for them every day.”
“I heard that! Don’t tease me, Martin!” Sho yelled from where she was sitting by the door.
“They’ll be inked head to toe if that happens.”
The woman in Rin’s chair grinned before she remarked, “Obviously, you don’t mind hanging out with inked people.”
I laughed before I said, “Clearly.”
“I’ve got an idea.” When I looked at him, Rin suggested, “Let’s grab some food and have dinner with Park and Sully.” When I didn’t answer quickly enough, he asked, “Are you blinking in Morse code or something?”
Natty burst out laughing and said, “I think she’s doing a hard reset.”
I ignored my friend and asked, “You really want to do that?”
“Yeah. I liked hanging out with them today.”
“You hung out with them?” I asked.
“I did, but then I had an appointment, so I had to come in.”
“Oh.”
“That’s okay, right?”
“Of course! That’s better than okay. That’s . . . Wow.”
Natty burst out laughing before she asked, “Isn’t that what you wanted to happen?”
“Yes! But . . . I just . . . Wow.”
“Rin, I think you broke her,” Avi said from Natty’s table.
“I guess I’m just full of surprises.”
“You’re a good man, Rin Martin.”
The bell over the door sounded, and I was still sitting there stunned when Rin looked over my shoulder and smiled.
“Just the man we wanted to see,” a deep, sexy voice said from behind me.
I was stunned to see an older version of Rin standing next to another handsome man. I knew instantly that these were Rin’s parents, so I stood and nervously smiled at them as Rin said, “Papa, Dad, this is Constance. Constance, this is my papa, Derek, and my dad, Loki.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” I said as I shook Derek’s hand first and then Loki’s. “I’ve heard so much about you!”
“We’ve heard a lot about you too,” Loki said before he pulled me in for a hug. “I’m glad you’re here. We came to see if we could buy Rin dinner, but we’d love for you to come too.”
“We’ve already got plans to take dinner up to Park and Sully.”
I looked from Rin to his fathers nervously and realized they knew exactly who he was talking about when Derek said, “Why don't we all have dinner with them?”
“I can call in some pizzas, or do you think they would like something else?” Loki asked. “Oh! Do they like Thai food? There’s a great place near the hospital.”
“They like Thai.”
“That’s great! We’ll swing by and pick up a feast to share on our way,” Derek said cheerfully as Loki walked toward the back room of the shop.
“Really?” I asked in shock.
“Well, sure. From what I gather, you’re going to be around for a long time, and if that’s the case, then they are too.”
“Um . . . er . . .”
“She’s doing that thing again!” Natty teased.
Derek leaned closer to me and whispered, “You’re gonna have to learn to mask your shock better, sweetheart. Tempests prey on the weak and tease them mercilessly.”
“I see that,” I whispered back.
“Stick with me, Stan. I’ll teach you how to handle the crazy. I’ve got years of experience.”