Chapter 23 Reed
REED
It was finally Saturday, and I was so ready for a day off. I had my coffee in one hand and my phone in the other. I stared at the text thread with Wren with so much going through my head.
We had casually texted during the week, just checking in on each other. While I worked at the shop, she was working on a new painting. It seemed like she was starting to take commissions again. She was really excited, and I was so happy she got her mojo back.
I typed out a message, heart beating faster than it should’ve.
Me
Morning, Little Birdie. You up?
I didn’t have to wait long for a reply.
Wren
Morning, Daddy! Barely. But I’m alive. Why?
She was such a damn tease. I smirked into my mug, setting it down so I could type with both thumbs.
Me
I’m off today. Thought I’d steal you for a bit. Somewhere you’ve been begging to go for years, but I never took you. Also, calling me that is gonna get you in trouble.
Wren
Don’t play with my heart. If you’re not serious, I’ll cry actual tears. And not sure if you realized, but I am trouble.
Me
Better start getting ready then, Trouble.
Wren
Wait. You mean the shop?
Me
Yes, I mean the shop. Be ready in 30. Dress comfy.
The typing bubbles popped up, vanished, and came back again. Then finally:
Wren
If you don’t show up, I will commit heinous crimes.
I chuckled, grabbing my quarter-zip hoodie and sliding into my old combat boots. Michigan was in that annoying season where mornings were cold, afternoons were hot, and nights dipped again, so layers were a must.
She’d been asking about my workspace since day one.
This was back when Cam introduced us, and she was just his little sister with the big eyes and bigger opinions.
Truth is, I should’ve taken her ages ago.
But I’d always brushed it off. Maybe it was because I didn’t want her in that part of my life.
Now?
Now I couldn’t wait to show her.
The shop was quiet when we pulled up. It was still closed since it was only ten in the morning. I didn’t have any clients today, and it was rare for Dax to show up on a Saturday before one. I unlocked the door and held it open, watching her step inside like she was crossing into Wonderland.
She took it all in. The high ceilings, dark color, and walls packed with art like a living scrapbook of every tattooist who’d left a mark here.
She spun in a slow circle, awe softening every line of her face. “Reed… this is so much cooler than I pictured.”
I scratched the back of my neck, grinning. “Yeah? You imagined it?”
“Of course I did,” she said, trailing her fingers along a glass jewelry display case. “You’ve worked here forever. I used to sit on the couch and picture you hunched over someone’s arm, being all serious and sexy with gloves on.”
I blinked. She blinked. Then we both cracked up.
“Well,” I said, trying not to let sexy with gloves on completely scramble my brain, “there’s a photo of me doing exactly that, if you want the real thing.”
I gently grabbed her hand, led her past the front desk, down a hallway lined with framed flash designs, and into the back room where my station sat.
She lingered in the doorway like it was sacred. “You brought me to your temple,” she said, voice hushed with admiration.
I leaned against the counter, arms folded. “Told you I’d show you.”
When her eyes met mine. They were wide, shining, completely undone with wonder, and it left me breathless.
I’d finally let her in.