Hot Ink: All 3 Tattoo Shop Romance Books + 2 Exclusive Bonus Stories

by Melissa Devenport

  He fired off a quick response. He actually had to ask for her address, since he had never been to her parent’s house before. After she sent him the house number and street name, he confirmed he’d be there in an hour.

  There was nothing more he wanted to do than rush right over to the house and beg for a second chance, or was it a third? He knew he couldn’t go looking like a rumpled mess.

  After a cold shower and a fresh change of clothes, Mike got in his car. He took the few pieces of paper with him that he could to back himself up.

  The ride wasn’t exactly long, but it seemed to take all day. Mike’s nerves were frayed, the edges raw. If his heart hammered any harder in his chest, he figured it might smash right through his ribs.

  Finally he pulled up in front of a quaint bungalow. It wasn’t fancy, as he figured it would be. It was nice, but it wasn’t large by any means. There were flowers planted in two beds in front of the house, just to the left of the concrete driveway and the garage. The grass was green and immaculately cut. A tree, something that was more shrub than an actual tree, stood off in a landscaped circle in the middle of the lawn. It was cut into a triangle shape, the leaves groomed with as much care as the rest of the yard.

  He stopped just short of the driveway. He would have taken more of the house in, but at the moment, the door opened, as though Savannah had been watching for him. Which she probably had. She likely wanted to intercept him before he rang the doorbell.

  Were her parents home? Did she really not want them to meet him that badly?

  He watched as she approached the car. He figured he was near enough to the sidewalk to consider it a parking spot. He put the car in park and killed the ignition.

  Savannah looked immaculate. She didn’t look at all disturbed. She looked like she’d had the perfect night’s sleep. Her hair was brushed out and shimmered with health. Her eyes didn’t have black smudges under them like he had. There weren’t lines turning down the corners of her mouth. No, she was a vision as she always was. She wore a simple yellow sundress, which was short, but not indecently. It revealed long, shapely bronzed legs.

  She didn’t hesitate to open the passenger door and slide into the car next to him. Her scent filled up the small space and Mike’s lungs ached as he took a breath. She didn’t smell like perfume. He knew she didn’t wear any, since she was afraid the scent would bother Carter. She smelled like shampoo and god, he didn’t even know. Sunlight?

  He blinked, unable to look at her. He stared at his hands which still uselessly clutched the wheel. He wanted to say something, anything, beg her to listen to him, but he couldn’t even form a single word.

  “Are you okay?” Her question was quiet, spoken into the near silence in the car. He wondered if she could actually hear how violently his heart was pounding in his chest.

  “No.” He turned bloodshot eyes her way. “Are you?”

  “I’m trying to get there.” Her small smile wasn’t at all what he expected. He’d come, expecting rage, anger, hurt. He knew he deserved all three, if that’s how she chose to react. He expected an argument. He expected to have to defend himself. It surprised him that she wasn’t in the mood for a fight given how angry and hurt she’d been the night before.

  “How? How can you sit here and be so calm?”

  She actually laughed softly. It startled him, the sound flooding the car and swirling around him. He thought of them in that car, that night they’d looked up at the stars. It hurt, the way they’d been so connected, so happy, so he forced his mind back to the present.

  “I don’t know,” she responded. “I guess because I’ve had a lot of time to think. I talked to Katelyn too.”

  “What?”

  “Yah. I hope that’s okay.”

  “I have no idea.” He shook his head. His knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. “I guess it depends on where we go from here. If you decide never to speak to me again, I’m definitely not ever going to be alright again.”

  “Mike…” There was something about the way she said his name, so infinitely tender, that gave him hope. “I want you to tell me what happened. If you lie to me, I’m going to know, so please, just tell me the truth.”

  He blew out a breath. He didn’t have to look at her to know this was his one shot. She was going to give him an honest chance to tell her the truth. She’d hear him out.

  “That woman at my house was an ex. I didn’t know when I was with her that she was so… unsettled. I never thought she’d stalk me after I broke up with her. After I thought about it though, that must be what she was doing. Watching the house. I swear she had that whole thing planned. She showed up right before you got there. I opened the door thinking it was you and saw her. I wanted her to leave. She said she wanted closure, but that’s not what she wanted. I broke up with her before I ever found out about Carter and certainly before you came back into my life. My heart was never in it. I don’t doubt that I hurt her. The truth is, I never loved anyone but you. After you left, I was a mess. I was stumbling around, trying to figure out how to get my life back together and she… I wasn’t with her for the right reasons. I guess I felt like I owed her an apology. I thought if I gave her one and was sincere, that she’d leave. She didn’t. I even threatened to call the cops to get her out of there. Before I could, you pulled up and she took advantage of the moment. She kissed me, knowing you were watching it all. I’m not proud of it, but on a drunk night, I told her that I loved you. You can imagine how that would set someone off… we broke up a short while later, but god, I guess she wasn’t over it.”

  “That’s crazy, Mike.”

  “Yah, I know.” Could his knuckles get any whiter on that wheel? His hands ached from gripping it so tight. “I’m not proud of it either. After you left, she still wouldn’t get off my doorstep so I did call the cops. They came and I filed a report. I’m also in the process of getting a damn restraining order. I don’t care if that seems like something that’s pretty damn emasculating, given that she’s a woman, but I don’t ever want to see her again. I know it sounds crazy and it’s probably hard to believe me, but I just hope like hell that you will. I can’t live without you again, Savannah. I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want to live the rest of my life never seeing you or Carter again. I just remember what you said, about us being a family. I want that more than anything in the world. I’ve never had it and when I was with you, I knew that I did. I finally knew what it meant. I don’t want to let that go. I don’t want it to just be me again.”

  “Mike…”

  “And if you believe me, I promise that nothing like this will ever happen again. I swear to you that I have always been faithful to you and I always will be. I would never, ever do anything to hurt you or hurt Carter.”

  “Mike…”

  “I promise I would give you the life you deserve. I would treat you like a princess. I would-”

  “Mike!”

  He finally stopped. He was rambling anyway, going on desperately, begging her without actually getting on his knees. He was exhausted, out of breath, out of words, out of options. When he turned to look at her, he expected her to throw something back at him and get out of the car. He knew that was it. He was finished. His life would mean a whole lot of nothing for a very long time.

  Except that wasn’t what he saw. Savannah was smiling tenderly, her eyes sparkling. She looked at him the way she used to, with compassion and love. It stopped his heart. His hands turned wet and slippery and finally fell away from the wheel.

  “I believe you,” she said softly. “It just doesn’t make any sense otherwise. Katelyn and I pretty much came to the same conclusion. I know you wouldn’t cheat on me. I was just upset last night. I needed to get out of there and give myself time to think. I needed to calm down. I know you’re a good man. You’ve always been a good man. You’ve treated me far better than I had any right to, especially the first time we were together. You were the one who showed me what love is.”

  “Savannah… I-�
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  “No, don’t tell me you don’t know what love is or that the kind of love you have is imperfect. I don’t care about any of that. You’re a good man, Mike. I meant what I said. I want us to be a family. At the very least, we have to learn to do what it takes to be civil and get along, for Carter’s sake. I want him to have a mom and a dad who are at least friends. That’s what I want for his future, at the very least. What I want for us, for our future, is for us to have one. The way I feel isn’t a secret. It might be moving fast. Way too fast, but I want to keep moving forward. I want this with you. I’ve always wanted it with you, even when I didn’t know it. Even when I ran. I spent a year regretting what I did, the choices I made, how I hurt you. I don’t want to live with any more regrets.”

  “So you’re going to forgive me? And what? Move on like it didn’t happen?”

  “There isn’t anything to forgive. We’ve all made mistakes. If I never left you or if I had told you I was pregnant than you wouldn’t have needed to try and fill up all that hurt that I left you with.”

  “I’m responsible for my own decisions.”

  “I know, but I’m serious. There isn’t anything to forgive. What happened wasn’t your fault and you did what you could to fix it already. The fact you had to call the cops shows just how unsettled that woman was. That wasn’t your fault. That kind of stuff might be triggered by a breakup, but she needs help of her own. You can’t put that on yourself.”

  “Why are you the one defending me? I sure as hell didn’t expect that.”

  Savannah’s eyes grew even softer. “I love you, Mike. I want to be a family. I’ll do what it takes to make that work. If that means taking some time to think rationally or talking things out with a friend or hearing you out and actually listening, then that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not the same person I was before. I’m not that childish little girl anymore. At least, I hope I’m not.”

  “No. You’re not. You’re the most unbelievable woman. You have no idea how amazed I am at how much you’ve changed. You’ve always had the most tender heart. I just don’t think that you even knew it.”

  “Oh, I knew it. That was the problem. I spent a long time trying to run away from that, but I’m not running anymore.”

  “So this is it? We’re going to make this work? You and me and Carter?”

  “Yes. That’s what I want. Is it what you want?”

  “I have never wanted anything more in my life.” He felt the sting of tears starting behind his eyes. He blinked hard and swallowed harder.

  “Then give me a hug and come inside.”

  “Inside?” His mouth dropped open.

  “Yes. I want you to meet my parents. It’s about time don’t you think? Mom is getting supper ready and dad will be home from the club. He’ll go right back after dinner for a few hours, but he’ll be here. I want them to get to know you. I want them to be your family now too.”

  When Savannah moved, opening her arms, he fell into them. The car didn’t restrict his movements, though the console and the wheel bit into his side. He didn’t feel the pain. All he felt was the tenderness and the warmth of Savannah’s arms wrapped around him. He couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. They trickled hot and healing down his cheeks. He didn’t care. He’d waited his entire life for this moment, for a place to belong, for a place where he could truly call home.

  Epilogue

  The Promise

  Mike

  “And this, my little man, is going to be your bedroom. Imagine all the fun you’ll have in here playing with all your cars and all your toys.”

  Carter toddled up to the doorway and looked in, a smile forming over his beautiful baby face after a glance up at his father. Mike grinned right back. There wasn’t a minute of the day that Carter failed to melt his heart. He had both his mother and father wrapped around his finger, although that was soon going to change. He just didn’t know it yet, but his position as the center of their world was about to shift.

  “I think this is a great room.” Savannah appeared from down the hall, her face radiant. “I can’t believe this place is really ours. I never thought ours would be the offer that was accepted.”

  After losing two other houses to higher offers, Mike knew how she felt. They’d almost given up entirely on having a place of their own. After a year of living in his house, they’d decided to look for a place that really felt like both of theirs, a fresh start.

  “I’m relieved to get it out of the way. We have a lot of things coming up.”

  “A wedding and a surprise for your family.” Mike grinned. “I can’t wait to get both those things over with as well.”

  Savannah punched him gently in the shoulder. “Don’t be impossible. I know that you’re as excited as I am about telling my family.”

  “Just have to get the wedding out of the way and I’ll be good to go.”

  “Are you still nervous? Don’t be. It’s just a small thing in my parent’s back yard. Nothing to get stressed over.”

  “I’m not stressed… I’m just not good with crowds and you know that. Standing up there in front of all those people… I’m probably going to pass out.”

  “I’ll make sure dad puts a chair out for you then. Just in case.” Savannah’s smile was absolutely radiant. She knew he’d give her anything in the world. He’d wanted to elope in a gesture he thought was entirely romantic, but she’d insisted her parents would never forgive her. As part of the family now, he knew she was telling the truth. He’d been to enough family dinners to know that her parents were entirely eager for them to get married and that they wanted to be a part of it more than anything in the world.

  “I guess I’ll just have to deal with the possibility of passing out or puking in front of a whole audience,” Mike groaned.

  “Oh my god. Seriously?”

  “Seriously.”

  Savannah reached up, eyes still sparkling, and gently ran her finger over his lips. “I love you, Mike. I can’t wait to marry you. Please say you’re excited too, even if you’re afraid.”

  “Of course I’m excited.” He spoke gently before he bent his head and kissed her with even more tenderness.

  Carter looked up eagerly at them, oddly silent for the moment. It was about the only moment of the day that he’d given them a three minute break from the constant babble of a toddler just starting to link up words together. He was mighty proud of the sentences he was starting to develop, three words in a row at most and the chatter was endless.

  “Dada? You play too?”

  “Of course little man.” He bent down and gave his son a quick hug. “We’ll have all the wrestling fights and piggy back rides and car smash ups and whatever else you want in this room.”

  “And what about me?” Savannah bent as well. “Is mom invited too or is this a guy’s only thing?”

  “You too mama,” Carter insisted. He smiled a huge smile, full of pearly white baby teeth no bigger than kernels of corn. He was absolutely adorable. It seemed like the entire world, from Savannah’s parents to Carter’s day care provider to every single babysitter he had, was completely in love with him.

  “Thanks buddy.” Savannah’s face was radiant with love. Her skin glowed, but that was also a product of the pregnancy they had yet to announce.

  She was nearly four months along, close to finding out what they were having. They both knew it was time to tell her family and their friends, but they were hoping to get the wedding out of the way first. Since it was rapidly coming up, only a couple weeks away, Mike figured they’d get their wish. They had been on the house hunt for months and now that they’d finally found one and just received the keys a half hour before, all the pieces were coming together.

  He really did just have to survive the wedding and then he was home free. Going through the rest of the pregnancy and handling a newborn seemed like a piece of cake compared to a ceremony and guests. When he said he didn’t do crowds, he really didn’t do crowds, but for Savannah, he’d give the world.
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  He couldn’t believe she was going to be his wife.

  “What are you thinking about? You’re looking at me funny and it’s kind of scary.”

  He straightened along with Savannah, chuckling softly. “Nothing. Just that there isn’t anything in the world I wouldn’t do for you. I’d give you the moon and the stars if I could.”

  “I know,” she responded softly. She tucked her hand into his.

  It hadn’t been an easy two years since he’d first learned that he had a son, but they had been the best years of his life. For as many challenges as they’d face, there were far more blessings. Now, because of Savannah, he had a family. Even her parents had slowly warmed up to him and now he knew he was like a son to them. He might not ever truly know where he’d come from or where he started his life, but he knew where he was now and where he was going to finish.

  “Not many people can say they’ll be together for life, but I know we’re going to make it.” Mike slid his arm around Savannah’s waist. “I know we’re going to grow old together. I’ll be a pain in your ass for the next sixty years at least, I promise you that.”

  “I thought you were supposed to save the vows for the wedding.” She smiled up at him.

  “Never. You’ve had me since the day I met you, Savannah. I was a goner. It was that yellow sundress that did me in.”

  “You know, I still have that thing somewhere. I haven’t worn it in ages. I don’t even really like it.” Her cheeks colored prettily. “I’ve been hanging onto it for sentimental reasons. Ever since that night you told me, in detail, that you remembered what I was wearing the first time you saw me.”

  Mike stilled. His heart started to beat wildly, painfully. Carter rushed into the room, oblivious of the sudden turmoil his father had just been plunged into.

  “That was a bad night,” he whispered.

  Savannah squeezed his hand. “Yes, but it was the beginning of my realization that I couldn’t live without you. When I thought of not having you in my life, it was the most painful thing in the world. It really made me realize just how much you meant to me and how easily that could be taken away.”