Page 36 of Ever After Between the Lines (Montgomery Ink Legacy)
“I’ll be checking in on you. We both will.” Her phone buzzed and she took it out of her side pocket, a wide grin sliding over her face.
I knew it had to be Emma, so I pulled out my water bottle from the door of my car and watched as my best friend danced on her tiptoes, texting the love of her life back.
“Well, I could tell who that is,” I teased as she slid her phone back into her pocket.
“Oh shush.” Then her face changed a bit, a serious expression sliding over. “I want you to have what we do. I love Emma with all of my heart. They are the reason I get up in the morning most days. And I hate the fact that Clive took so many years of your life.”
I swallowed back that familiar emotion—the fact I truly felt like I had wasted time. I reached forward to grip my best friend’s hand.
“I lived my life. I don’t want to think about wasting time or stealing it. Maybe I will go to that dating circle. Or leave the house more.”
“I promise to push you where I think you need to, but not so hard that you hate me in the end.”
I gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and then pinched her hip. “You’re always going to push. But that’s why I love you.”
“I love you too, you dork.” She paused for a moment before getting a wicked gleam in her eyes. I did not trust that gleam. “You know, Emma always said that we’d be up for poly if you’d like.”
“It would make things easier,” I said before we both burst out into laughter. While I loved Emma and Alecia, there was seriously zero attraction between any of us. The whole poly thing would’ve just been easy so I wouldn’t have to go out into the real world. And we all knew it.
We said our goodbyes, and I headed home to shower and get ready for my appointment.
I was a graphic artist by trade and worked long hours for multiple companies and smaller businesses.
That also meant I was lucky enough to be able to work from home, and I was particular when it came to the art about to be laid on my body.
I wasn’t the one drawing it, as it would be Leif’s art on my skin.
Though we had gone back and forth for a while now trying to pick the exact piece I wanted.
I was very grateful this Montgomery was patient with me.
Because after all this time on the waitlist, I was truly worried that my proclivities in wanting perfection was going to push him away.
But not so far.
Anxious, I ate, showered, did a little bit of work, and then it was time for my session.
Clive had never liked my ink. My right arm was a full sleeve of complex work, and my right hip and thigh were covered as well.
At some point I would work on my left, but I was having fun with this one-sided part of me.
My sternum would be what connected the two for now, and it felt as if this was my independence piece.
Although I wanted this to be about me, not what Clive hadn’t allowed me to do.
Hence the intricate artwork and flowers and tiny skulls that were all about me.
And nothing about him.
I made my way to the shopping center that held the tattoo shop, a security company, an art house, and a cute little cafe I loved visiting.
Latte On The Rocks made some of the best lattes out there, and so I knew I was going to have to get one on my way in.
Apparently, each place was owned by a different Montgomery, and I wasn’t quite sure how that worked.
I loved my siblings, but I didn’t know if I could work with them day in and day out.
I picked up my lavender and honey oat milk latte, the special of day, and practically skipped over to Montgomery Ink Legacy. Music blared out of the speakers, but not too loud, and people were laughing, and there were others with headphones on as they slept through their tattoos.
I wasn’t quite sure I was going to be able to sleep through this one like I had with my thigh tattoo. The sternum was going to hurt like a bitch.
People from all walks of life were in the booths, some with big beards and full tattoos, some with prim and proper dresses on and a bright smile as they got a tiny ankle tattoo. Everybody just looked so pleased to be there, and it was no wonder they had made the news.
Leif Montgomery walked toward me, his dark hair falling over his bright blue eyes as he grinned. He had a strong jaw, a slight beard, and what looked to be fresh ink on his forearm.
I pointed at it and grinned. “A new tattoo?”
He tilted his chin over at a big, bearded man in the corner, and smiled.
“Nick finally got me.”
Nick grunted, but the woman in a business suit perched on his lap just laughed. “Ignore him. He’s grumpy because I have to go out of town for a week.”
“He’s always grumpy, and I don’t think we need that much PDA in this family establishment,” Leif teased, his eyes filled with laughter.
“So says the man who practically made out with Brooke when she came over to have lunch with you earlier,” Nick said pointedly, and I laughed as the two of them continued to razz each other.
“Come on over, are you ready for this?” he asked, and I nodded.
“I’m really excited.”
“Well let’s get to it. We’re going to be in the private room in the back, though Tasha, my apprentice, is going to be in the room with us. No matter what, you’re going to be covered, and we’re not one of those shops that say you have to be topless in order to do the sternum tattoo.”
I held back a shudder at some of the stories I’d heard, but the Montgomerys weren’t like that. “It’s why I came to you guys instead of some other place.”
“You wouldn’t believe the shit some people pull. But don’t worry, we’re going to make this work.”
Tasha, a woman with blue hair, all curves, and a bright smile waved at us. “I saw the artwork, and I’m really excited to see it on your skin.”
“So am I.”
While we would be in the private room, the door was going to be open since it wasn’t like I was going to be showing everybody everything, and I didn’t mind. I wanted to be part of the group and the enthusiasm of the tattoo shop.
So as I settled down on the chair, going through the stencil, I froze as a lilting voice hit my ears.
“Jess?” a familiar voice whispered, and I froze, and turned to see someone from my past.
“Demi?” I asked, my voice a breathy gasp.
She had cut her hair since I had last seen her. Now it was shaved on the sides, but long up top so it was almost bob length when she swooped it over. Her bright blue eyes shone underneath the lights, and those cheekbones could once again cut glass.
She wore skinny jeans and a white button-up top tucked in at the front, but the three top buttons were undone so you could see her lacy undershirt, which was more like a bra.
She also had a fresh tattoo on her forearm and looked to be like an angel sent from the gods to bring me back to a time where everything had been a little easier, a little lighter.
“It is you,” Demi said, that British accent doing things to me I didn’t want to think about.
“You two know each other?” Leif asked, and I was pretty sure he could feel the heat between us.
The chemistry that I had always had with Demi pulsated, and I did a quick check on her left hand and realized there was no ring.
I caught Demi doing the same thing, and we both looked at each other, that wide smile of hers making those dimples pop out.
“I’m about to get a sternum tattoo, do you want to watch?” I blurted, and Demi just laughed.
“I would love to. I am going to go get a coffee first though, do you need anything?”
I pointed to my fresh iced latte on the bench, and she grinned.
“Okay, I’ll be right back. Don’t leave, okay?”
I swallowed hard and nodded.
“I’ll be here.”
“Good.”
And then she walked away, and I couldn’t help but notice the way that her ass filled out those jeans. There was a pointed clearing of a throat beside me, and I looked over at Leif.
“What?” I asked, my voice high-pitched.
“Nothing. Sebastian just finished the work on her, she’s been in here a few times. Single from what I know. And freshly moved from London.”
I narrowed my gaze at him, even as anticipation slid through me. “You know all this, do you?”
“People talk when they’re in the chair. And I am pretty sure the entire room felt the chemistry between you.”
“Don’t call up the U-Haul just yet,” I said dryly. He threw his head back and laughed, Tasha and the others who had heard joining in.
And when Demi came back to sit next to me, I was already on my back, the sound of the needle whirring filling my ears. “It’s going to be a beautiful tattoo,” Demi said softly, and I swallowed hard, ignoring the pain because I couldn’t keep my gaze off her.
“I didn’t know you were back.”
“I didn’t know if you would want to know.”
And then even though Leif was literally poking a needle in and out of my skin repeatedly, I felt nothing. I was just looking at the woman who had made me smile all those years ago and had to wonder exactly why I couldn’t look away from her.
And why I would ever want to.