Fallen Ink

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Livvy slammed into Adrienne’s legs, and it took all her power not to fall on her butt thanks to her niece’s exuberance.

  “You’re here!” Livvy screamed, jumping up and down while still holding onto Adrienne.

  Adrienne couldn’t help but smile and reach down so she could lift the three-year-old into her arms. “Hey, baby girl. I am here.”

  She kissed Livvy’s cheek and held her close. She was so in love with her niece and knew she would forever be grateful that Shep and Shea had decided to move up to Colorado Springs. While she knew her brother had done well down in New Orleans and that’s how he’d met Shea to begin with, having her family all in one area made everything so much better.

  Livvy kissed her on her cheek then on her forehead and chin before wiggling down so she could run to another adult and lavish them with kisses and hugs, as well. She’d been shy at first when she first got to know the Montgomerys, but clearly, that wasn’t the case anymore.

  “As Livvy announced, you made it,” Katherine Montgomery said as she walked up to Adrienne. Her mother was gorgeous and totally didn’t look her age. Since she’d had the same color hair as Adrienne for years before she started having to dye it thanks to the silver strands, Adrienne hoped she looked like her mother when she was her age.

  Adrienne sank into her mother’s hug and sighed. “Yeah, I did. Mace and Ryan are holding down the shop so Shep and I could come and be Montgomerys for the afternoon instead of stressing.”

  Her mother patted her cheek. “You wouldn’t be a Montgomery if you didn’t stress over something.”

  Adrienne rolled her eyes before leaning into her mother’s hold. “I did learn from you and Dad, didn’t I?”

  Her mom laughed before going to help Livvy with something on the other side of the room. The Montgomerys tried to have a family dinner at least once a month. With her brother coming back home, their dinners had been occurring more often than usual—something she enjoyed even if it was harder to hide some things from them when she needed to. And before the wedding, there had been a lot more get-togethers—for at least the women of the family. Roxie hadn’t wanted a huge wedding, but she’d had the small, intimate ceremony of her dreams. At least, that’s what Adrienne thought.

  Roxie and Carter were off on one side of the room, deep in conversation. The couple went from smiling to frowning at one another often enough that Adrienne had no idea what they could be talking about. But she noticed the way Carter brushed a piece of hair from Roxie’s face and smiled down at her as if she were the only person in the world he ever wanted to look at or be with. He was so in love with her sister that Adrienne had to hold back tears when she looked at him as he gazed the way he did at Roxie. She really hoped the couple had decades of loving looks and time together. It was almost enough to make her wonder if she could find love for herself. Of course, she was afraid that she was well on her way to falling when she truly had no business doing so.

  Thea stood with Shea, laughing about whatever was on their minds. For some reason, the two had hit it off immediately and become fast friends. Even though Thea already had a best friend in Molly, her sister had opened her arms for Shea without balking. For some reason, Adrienne had figured her sister-in-law would have become faster friends with Roxie since the two shared occupations. But in terms of personalities, Thea and Shea had much more in common than just the similar spellings of their names.

  Her dad, William, and Shep manned the grill even as snow began to fall on the frigid afternoon. And while every single woman—minus Livvy—in the room knew how to grill, as well, her father had decided the deck was his domain. He had taught his daughters how to use the Char-Broil for when they had a grill at their own homes, but her dad was very particular about who he let touch his sacred, roaring flames. However, Adrienne had a feeling that Carter would be joining the man at the grill soon. Her father loved the other man like a son, and would probably open his arms to allow Carter near his precious baby grill.

  After all, he had let Carter near his precious baby girl.

  Adrienne snorted at her lame joke, and was really glad that Mace wasn’t around to see her face as she made that horrendous joke. Even in her head. Hell, she was glad he wasn’t there for many reasons, particularly so that everyone couldn’t see the way she watched him move. If Carter, Ryan, and Shea had been able to figure out even a little bit of what was going on between the two of them, her family would be able to figure it out in a quick minute. She had a feeling the only reason they hadn’t already, was because everyone was so focused on their own lives. They hadn’t taken a really good look at what she was doing outside of her shop. And for that, she was grateful.

  She needed the time to figure out exactly what she wanted when it came to her best friend. And after the last time they had been together when she had fallen apart in his arms so quickly and so completely, she knew she could never go back to the woman she was before she had touched him.

  He had touched part of her soul, branded her as his even if she knew it might never be permanent. Things had changed, and hiding what she was doing, what they were doing, now seemed wrong. She didn’t want to hide her relationship any longer. Because she was afraid that the more time passed where she did, the worse it would be for everyone once the truth came out. She also knew that it could look as if she were ashamed of what she felt for Mace. And that couldn’t be farther from the truth. She had a feeling she’d fallen for him long before the first time she’d felt his lips against hers. And that scared her more than anything. Because everything had changed, and if they tried to go back to what they were, she wasn’t sure she could find that place anymore. She wasn’t sure that place had ever truly existed.

  “Is there a reason you’re standing here all alone with that sad look on your face?” Roxie leaned into her as she spoke, and Adrienne did her best to pull herself out of her thoughts. She couldn’t believe she had once again buried herself in her circular thoughts for so long that she didn’t notice when Carter had officially moved over to the grill station and her sister had come to stand beside her. For that matter, she wasn’t sure how long Roxie had been watching her.

  “Sorry, just thinking about work,” she lied and immediately cursed herself for doing so.

  “You’re going to do have to do a better job of lying than that if Mom asks you what’s up. And since we’re in the middle of the fray, I’ll let your lie pass. For now. How about we go get you a drink, because you’re empty-handed and standing against the wall with your mouth open like a blowfish.”

  Adrienne pinched her sister’s arm, enjoying how she let out a tiny squeal but laughed. She hadn’t pinched that hard, and wouldn’t since they were family and loved each other, but sometimes her baby sister was a brat. A smart brat, but still a brat.

  “Thanks, I could use a drink.” Or four, but who was counting.

  She followed Roxie to the kitchen and went to the fridge to get herself something to drink. Her mom had already opened a bottle of white, so she poured herself a glass and topped off her sister’s. Instead of going back into the fray, the two of them leaned against the counters and talked like they had when they were younger and stealing snacks when their mother wasn’t looking. Of course, their mother had always known, just like she’d always known when they were making faces at each other behind her back. The old adage that mothers had eyes on the backs of their heads had never been truer than with Katherine Montgomery.

  “Are you ready for tax season?” Adrienne asked. “As soon as the holidays hit, it’s going to start being your busiest time of the year.” Usually, during that time, Adrienne didn’t get to actually see her sister beyond a few frazzled dinners that their mother somehow made happen. Just the idea of doing taxes made her stomach roll, and her head pound. She wasn’t sure how both her sister-in-law and sister ended up with their jobs, but more power to them. Because of them, people like her didn’t have to look at all the numbers and start crying daily.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be
. Carter has been through this with me before, so at least he’s prepared for the fact that he’ll rarely see me for about four months. Just remind me that I said this in a couple months when I’m ready to pull out my hair because people are constantly showing up with shoeboxes of wrinkled receipts and saying ‘good luck.’”

  Adrienne winced. “That was one time, and I never did it again. I’d had a hard year and was working even longer hours than you to pay the rent. Now, everything is as color-coded as possible for you.”

  “Damn straight, it is. I can’t have anyone else at the office see me showing up with a shoebox again. The horror, Adrienne. The horror.” She winked, and Adrienne rolled her eyes.

  “Stop. It wasn’t that bad. I know you’ve seen worse.”

  “True, but since you’re family, I get to rag on you a bit. It was in the contract when each of us was born.”

  “You’re a dork.”

  “Girls, be nice to each other. Livvy is in the other room, and I don’t want her hearing something that she’ll end up saying on her own. Be good role models for your niece.”

  “Sorry, Mom,” they both said at once, then looked at one another, smiles threatening to break over their faces. It was as if they were ten again and in trouble for popping wheelies on their bikes with the Thompson boys next door. Those kids had never liked the fact that she and her sisters were far better riders than they were, and Adrienne a daredevil when it had come to stunts. Her mom hadn’t been happy about that at all either, but Shep had always secretly taught them everything he knew so they could kick the Thompson boys’ butts.

  “You’d better be.” Her mom smiled as she said it, and her tone wasn’t as sharp as it had been when they were kids and in trouble. “Go out on the deck and relax for a bit. Your father turned on the heater before anyone showed up, so it’s all nice and toasty. Don’t make me waste all that electricity.” She winked as she said it before heading back out into the living room to, presumably, play with her granddaughter.

  Both Adrienne and Roxie had frozen in place as their mother came out of nowhere to scold them, but now relaxed a bit after she left. After a moment, they went out onto the covered deck with the outdoor heater and relaxed like their mother with her all-knowingness had instructed them.

  Seriously, the woman had like ninja skills when it came to finding them doing something they probably shouldn’t. It had made being a teenager in the Montgomery house difficult. Shep had been lucky in that he was just old enough when the rest of them had been born that he was able to get away with a little bit more. But as soon as the girls reached their teenage years, her parents had been well trained and ready for whatever trouble they might get into. Needless to say, Adrienne hasn’t truly rebelled until after she moved out and buried herself in art.

  Mace, thankfully, had wanted to rebel right with her when they met, so she could figure out what kind of alcohol she could have and want, and what kind made her dance on tabletops with only one shot. People always thought it was tequila, but she knew the real answer. Vodka was the Devil’s drink. Mace had also been there when she had her first and only cigarette. Apparently, she wasn’t destined to become a smoker, and for that she was grateful. That one inhale had made her eyes red and itchy for a week, and she still wanted to cough just thinking about it.

  And through it all, she had Mace.

  “What is that smile?” Thea asked as she walked out onto the deck with a newly filled wine glass in hand. “You’re thinking about that guy of yours, aren’t you?”

  Adrienne froze, unaware that she’d been smiling while thinking about Mace. “Uh, what?”

  Roxie tilted her head, studying Adrienne’s face. “You know, that is a smile about a man. I saw it before when we were at Blushes With Lushes and you couldn’t keep that secret back any longer. So, who is he? I know you said we didn’t know him, but does he have a name?”

  “What does he do?” Thea asked, taking a seat next to Roxie on the rocker and picking up the conversation. Adrienne sat on the chair next to it, her booted feet up on the outdoor ottoman.

  “Is he good in bed?” Roxie added.

  “How big is his—?”

  Adrienne held up her hands, laughter bubbling up in her throat as she cut off Thea’s question. “Oh my God, stop it. Both of you. It’s like we’re in high school again or something and you’re waiting to see what I think about the new boy in study hall.”

  Thea grinned and took a sip of her wine. “I don’t recall asking about length and girth in high school, but not all of us were…seasoned back then.”

  Adrienne flipped her off. “I had sex once in high school, asshole. And never again will I have sex in the back of a Toyota Corolla.” She shuddered. “Never. Again.”

  “So this new man of yours drives something better?” Roxie asked. “Perhaps…a stick?” Her sisters looked at each other and cracked up laughing, and Adrienne just shook her head.

  She knew she’d already lied to them once, and since it seemed like many of their other friends already knew about her and Mace—at least the basics since it wasn’t as if she actually knew what was going on either—she needed to be up-front with them.

  “So, uh, I wasn’t exactly truthful before…it’s Mace.” She shut her mouth as soon as she blurted out his name, out hoped to hell she hadn’t just made a mistake. She’d been wishing on that particular hope a lot recently.

  Her sisters stopped laughing and stared at her. Roxie’s mouth opened and closed like a fish as she tried to figure out what to say as Thea’s eyes brightened.

  Her middle sister pointed at her and squealed. “I knew it! I fucking knew it!”

  Roxie bounced on the rocker, forcing Thea to hold onto the side so she wouldn’t fall off, but neither of them seemed to care. “Mace? Your Mace? He’s really your Mace now, isn’t he?”

  “Before we get to the burning questions of the century when it comes to you and Mace,” Thea began, a twinkle in her eyes, “I’m going to need you to answer the previous questions asked.”

  “Is he good in bed?” Roxie repeated.

  “How big?” Thea grinned. “We already know what he does and his name, so get on to the good things. I mean, the sex has to be good, right?”

  Roxie clasped her hands in front of her chest and did a fair imitation of a regency heroine swooning. “Of course, he his. He’s Mace.”

  “Aren’t you married?” Adrienne asked dryly. “To the delectably sexy and highly fuckable Carter inside?”

  Roxie licked her lips like a cat who had found her canary. “Oh, yes, I’m married to that very sexy man inside who I had a great round of Sir, May I before we showed up for dinner, but we’re not talking about me and Carter now, are we?”

  Sir, May I?

  What the hell did Roxie and Carter do in bed? Nope, so not going there. Not even going to let her mind drift in the vicinity of that thought other than possibly asking Mace if he’d like to play. Maybe they’d call it Ma’am, May I.

  “Okay, that’s another grin, but this time, I’m not sure I want to know exactly what you’re thinking about.” Thea shook her head. “Between the two of you, I’m feeling a little lackluster in the usage of my lady parts area. That may have to change in the new year. Of course, I said that last year and nothing really happened because I’ve been so focused on the bakery, I don’t have time to really care about any dude and his big dick coming in to make me come.”

  Adrienne snorted, wine going up her nose. She coughed, trying not to cry her makeup down her face. “I can’t believe you just said that. How much wine have you had?”

  Roxie was choking, as well, but Thea raised her glass in cheers. “ I can’t always be the sweet and motherly one. Sometimes, a woman just needs the D. But enough about me, Adrienne darling, you didn’t answer our questions. Of course, as soon as you do that, I’ll have about twenty more for you. So, let’s begin this because soon, Mom or one of the guys is going to come out and we’re going to have to stop talking about this. Oh my God, does Shep kno
w? He works with you guys, he must know. If he’s held this back this whole time, I won’t be very happy.”

  Adrienne held up her hands, stopping Thea before she rambled on any more. “Shep doesn’t know. And if you say ‘needs the D’ again, I might fall off this chair and never recover by the way. But I digress. Shea figured it out, as did Ryan, and maybe even Landon.” She looked over at Roxie. “Carter figured it out too, but Mace swore him to secrecy. But he also said, just like Shea, that if their spouses asked them point-blank, they wouldn’t lie. Don’t get mad at him for keeping it from you. If you’re going to get mad, be mad at me, but please don’t get mad at all because really…we were just keeping it between ourselves for as long as possible. Now that the cat is out of the bag, I really don’t know what will happen.”

  Roxie frowned but didn’t say anything for a moment as Thea just stared between them, a contemplative expression on her face.

  “I will jokingly yell at Carter later for daring to keep such a juicy secret from me. Right now, let’s get on to that whole you really don’t know what’s going to happen thing. I also need to know about his dick, because we’ve mentioned it like five times, and you still won’t talk about it. So either it’s really sad, and he knows what he’s doing with his mouth because you wouldn’t stay with him and risk your friendship otherwise, or it’s so big that you don’t want us to feel jealous. Especially our dear sister over there, who’s feeling a little neglected in her nether regions.”

  Adrienne ran a hand over her face. “Why do we keep using phrases like ‘nether regions’ and ‘lady parts’? This whole conversation is wierding me out.”

  “Answer the question,” Thea demanded. “Because we love Mace, and I always thought he was like an additional Montgomery brother. But, apparently, that is so not what you’ve been thinking. Unless you sort of were, but then this is a whole part of the conversation I really don’t want to have.”

  Roxie giggled and leaned into Thea, and Adrienne figured they’d talked around the subject enough that she just needed to get on with it.