Love Restored

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Graham grunted and stomped his way through the aisle and up the stairs so he could get a beer. Since everyone and their mother got up during intermission, he’d have to wait in line, but maybe that would help him cool off. He was just so freaking pissed that she would dare root for another team. And that made no sense. Why could she get under his skin so easily?

  “Hey, Graham, wait up,” Derek said as he jogged up behind him. “I don’t know what you did to piss Blake off, but I should probably let you know she’d rooting for Toronto just to needle you.”

  Graham turned. “Excuse me?”

  He must have looked like he wanted to rip someone’s arm off because a few people moved back in the line and Derek held up his hands.

  “She’s a diehard Avs fan. Even owns a signed Sakic jersey and keeps a spare she can wear during games. The signed one only comes out during the playoffs. It’s got to be killing her to root for the other team, and it must be because of you.”

  That little witch. “How do you know it’s not because of you?” he asked, intrigued and pissed off all at the same time that she would do something like that.

  “Because we’re friends, not close ones, but friends. This isn’t a date or anything, just to let you know. I think she’s single, but since my girlfriend up in Seattle would skin me if I even dared to look at Blake that way, I’m just fine as I am. Anyway, I thought you should know that she’s just trying to piss you off. Bro code and all that.”

  Graham clenched his teeth. “Bro code.” He ordered his beer, Owen’s soda, and paid for Derek and Blake’s drinks since Derek had been so helpful.

  “What are you going to do about Blake?” Derek asked as they made their way back to the entrance and showed their tickets.

  “Don’t know yet.” And that was the problem. He never knew about anything where it came to this woman. She could intrigue him, turn him on, and piss him off all in the span of ten minutes. That had to be a record.

  He handed Owen his drink and sat back down, studying Blake as he did so.

  “What?” she asked, brows raised.

  “Nothing,” he said softly. “Not yet anyway.”

  She blinked and opened her mouth to say something, then froze as people started to chant, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” around them.

  Graham slowly looked up at the huge screen on top of the ice and cursed. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

  Blake laughed. “No way. No fucking way.”

  “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

  He was pretty sure Owen was yelling the loudest, and Graham was going to have to kick his brother’s ass when this was over.

  “Fuck it,” Graham growled and gripped the back of Blake’s head and crushed his mouth to hers. They both froze a moment as cheers erupted around them before he sank deeper into the kiss. He didn’t open his mouth, wouldn’t let his tongue touch hers, but the moment of lips against lips left him breathless.

  He pulled back, his eyes wide, Blake’s even wider.

  “What the hell was that?” Blake gasped, her cheeks slashed with red.

  “I…” He cleared his throat. “Just watch the game. And you can cheer for your precious Avs. Don’t hurt yourself going for Toronto.”

  He turned away from her and gulped half his beer down in one go. He could feel Blake’s eyes on him before she turned away, and see her hands shaking out of the corner of his eye.

  “Dude,” Owen whispered. “This is going to be fun.”

  “Fuck you,” Graham growled and drank the last of his beer.

  He didn’t know what had come over him, but that had to be the last of it. There was no way he was going to go there. If he were this unraveled and tense at the same time with just one kiss, with just one look, he wouldn’t make it if he had her in his arms. In his bed.

  Blake wasn’t for him, and damn it, he didn’t want her to be.

  The Kiss Cam could go straight to hell.

  4

  Blake looked at the needle in her hand and held back a smile. The two women beside her weren’t quite arguing, but they sure weren’t agreeing with one another either.

  “I really think nipples would be the best thing,” the blonde one named Linda said smoothly.

  “I was thinking more like the nose,” Natalie, the brunette answered back just as smoothly. She waved her hand toward Blake and the other person in the room. “And can you not say nipples like that around our daughter.”

  Alisha, the daughter in question, smiled widely, the light brown of her skin shining under the harsh lights of the piercing room. “I know what nipples are, Mom, geez.” She rolled her eyes in a way that reminded Blake of Rowan. Apparently, thirteen-year-old girls had the same thing down as her ten-year-old.

  Natalie sighed and ran her hand over her face. She looked much like her daughter Alisha, though while Alisha wore her hair natural, Natalie had hers in braids. Linda, also Alisha’s mother, had paler skin than Blake, and the three of them together were one gorgeous family.

  Blake cleared her throat. “Okay, how about we pierce Alisha’s ears before we decide what we’re piercing on the two of you either today or the next time you come in, hmm?” She said it with a smile, and Alisha giggled.

  “Yeah, let this be about me.” Her moms narrowed their eyes, their mouths twitching. “After all, this is my thirteenth birthday present, and I’m like the only girl in the entire school who hasn’t had her ears pierced yet. I mean, come on, you don’t want me to be picked on, do you?” She fluttered her eyelashes, and Blake did her best to keep a straight face.

  “Butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth now, would it?” Linda asked dryly. “And Alisha, darling, you were the one who wanted to wait to get your ears pierced. We would have done it earlier.”

  Alisha blushed. “Uh…”

  “Yeah, uh…” Natalie said with a snort. “But you’re right, today is about you. We can discuss what parts of us we’ll pierce later.”

  Blake couldn’t help it, she laughed. The other three women in the small room looked at her before joining in. “I’m sorry, I tried not to laugh, but you guys are adorable.” She shook her head and bumped her hip against Alisha’s, though the child sat on the table. “Anyway, I can do the ears quickly, and then we can discuss what you guys want.”

  Linda smiled softly. “Thanks. I know we could have gone to the mall or some small place to get her ears done, but I’d rather someone who isn’t a few years older than Alisha do it. I mean, they must train those people with the little guns and all, but I want my baby to have the best.”

  “Mom…” Alisha sighed the sigh of a thousand embarrassed teenagers, and Blake bit her lip to keep from smiling. She really liked this family.

  “No problem,” Blake said once she could keep her face neutral yet calming. “Many of those places do have certified people, but I get the reason for coming here. I don’t let my friends get second piercings in their ears or anything without my help. I’m picky that way.”

  After a few more minutes of discussion about Alisha, she went about getting the little girl’s ears ready. Since this would be her first time, and they weren’t going to gauge or anything, it would be a quick job.

  “So,” Blake continued as she worked, “What’s the occasion for the piercings for the two of you? I know the ears for Alisha are for her birthday, but what about you guys?”

  Linda and Natalie smiled at one another with so much love that Blake almost felt like a voyeur. The two women held hands and gave identical sighs.

  “We had a commitment ceremony before Alisha was born,” Linda explained. “We exchanged rings then, and even though it wasn’t legal, we still considered ourselves married in every sense we could.”

  Natalie hip bumped Linda with a grin. “And when it became possible, we had another ceremony and got married for real.” The two of them waved their fingers at Blake, their diamond rings glinting under the lights. “We updated our rings, and this time, Alisha got to be part of the wedding.”

  Blake looked down at Al
isha, who smiled brightly. “I was the best woman and maid of honor,” the little girl explained.

  “And though we have all of that, we still want something that’s just for us,” Natalie added.

  “So, for our anniversary, we want to get identical piercings since we got tattoos last time.” Linda laughed. “We, apparently, like marking time with fun things.”

  Blake smiled while she quickly pierced Alisha’s ears. The little girl didn’t even gasp, and Blake was happy for it. She knew how to make it as painless as possible.

  “All done,” she said softly. “I try to get new ink or a new piercing for special occasions, too,” she added.

  “Can I see?” Alisha asked. “I mean my ears, not your tattoos that I can’t already see.”

  Blake laughed and nodded. “Sure thing.”

  By the time the three of them headed out, Alisha was glowing with her newly pierced years, and her mothers had decided on nipple rings when they came back. Blake couldn’t wait. She seriously loved that family and the way they interacted. It reminded her of herself and Rowan with their sarcasm and private jokes.

  She cleaned up her station and stretched her back before going up to the front of the shop to see if there were any more appointments for her. She had a tablet she could have checked, as well, but she liked walking around since it gave her time to clear her head between one client and the next.

  Oddly enough, none of the Montgomerys were in the shop today since they had some family barbeque or something, so the place was relatively quiet. Autumn, their receptionist, was with one of the Montgomerys so she wasn’t there either. In fact, it was only Derek, her, and another floater named Brandon on the schedule today. Even the other two full-time non-Montgomerys were at the barbeque.

  If she’d been working with them for longer than a minute, she might have felt slighted at the lack of invite, but she wasn’t their family, and she was just fine being alone. She rolled her neck and took a look at the schedule on the computer.

  “Light day,” she commented under her breath.

  “Yep,” Brandon said with a smile as he walked up to her. He really was one beautiful man. He’d mentioned once that he was half-Korean, half-Irish, and both of his parents had firmly stamped their presence on his features. Strong cheekbones, dark eyes, and full lips on a smooth face. He’d cut his hair recently because he wanted to impress some woman, so it lay around the top of his head in layered chunks. Part high-end model, part just rolled out of bed. She wasn’t sure she could ever get her hair to look like that, even if she tried.

  “So verbose,” Blake teased, the sarcasm evident.

  Brandon grinned, and if she’d been any other woman, her breath might have caught. Seriously, the man was freaking gorgeous.

  “You’re not particularly verbose yourself,” Brandon said as he sidled up to her. “And yeah, it’s a light day since the rest of the crew is out and since Derek and I are floaters, we don’t get as many appointments.”

  “I don’t know why,” Blake said. “You’re both freaking talented.”

  Brandon winked while Derek snorted over his client’s arm. “Why, thank you, darling. And it’s not that we’re not talented, it’s that it’s not our job to be the pull for the shop. We’re here to fill in. I get to do my large pieces up in Portland and Seattle, while I come here to try to work on new things and be surprised with walk-ins. It keeps me fresh.”

  “If you say so.” She put her hand on Brandon’s chest and pushed him back so she could get out from behind the counter. He moved easily away, not crowding her in the slightest. That’s what she liked about these guys—none of them ever made her feel uncomfortable. They didn’t treat her like the little woman or someone they could bang in the back because she was there. They respected her and actually talked to her like a human being. She’d worked in places where she had to fight off unwanted attention daily, and had even broken a few fingers on her way out the door. She never wanted to be put in that position again.

  And yeah, things could have been different if she’d gone into the family business and stayed with the people who had raised her to be nothing more than a pawn, but she hadn’t, so she’d learned to be who she needed to be. Montgomery Ink would allow her to find another part of herself because while she would never fully relax, she could at least breathe somewhat easier around those she worked with and just…create. Just…be.

  She hadn’t been able to do either in a long time. But Rowan needed her to be strong, to be whole, and Blake would do anything to make that happen.

  “Do you want to take the next walk-in?” Brandon asked as he went back to his station and picked up a sketchbook. “I just finished a small ankle piece while you were in the back, and Derek here is working, as you can see.”

  Derek looked up from his piece and blinked. “Yeah, Blake, take the next one. And while you’re at it, why don’t you tell Brandon here about the hockey game.”

  Blake stiffened before she realized it and forced herself to relax. No, she would not think about Graham’s lips or the forceful way he’d taken control of the kiss, of her. Damn it, she hadn’t wanted that, hadn’t wanted him. And if she kept telling herself that, then one day she might just believe it.

  “Oooh,” Brandon crooned with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Oh, really? A hockey game? And what happened at the hockey game?” He put his fingers to his temple. “Oh, wait! I know. Did you make out with Mr. Tall, Bearded, and Broody on the Kiss Cam? Because, darling, if I wasn’t already seeing a woman, I’d jump him. Just saying. I’m an equal opportunist.”

  Putting aside the fact that now she had very, very dirty images of Graham and Brandon in her head, she rubbed a hand down her face. “I didn’t make out with him. And how the hell did you find out?”

  “You’re viral, baby.” He held out his phone, and Blake could actually feel the blood leaving her face.

  “What? No. That can’t be true.” She scrambled up and snatched the cell from him. He’d opened Facebook to a saved link that showed a Kiss Me Beardy video. “They named it?”

  “Of course, they did,” Derek said dryly. “They make everything viral now. Like that alligator that’s the size of a truck down in Florida walking on a golf course that they put to the Jurassic Park theme. That sucker was huge. And yeah, you and Graham making out like that all sweaty and panting on the Kiss Cam made the news. Don’t worry, since you don’t have social media, it won’t bother you, but the shop already has a few hits on Twitter, and I bet Graham’s company page does, too.”

  She shook her head, her hands shaking. “I know we can’t take it down, but damn it. I didn’t want this to happen. That freaking Kiss Cam can go straight to hell.”

  “You looked like you liked the kiss, Blake,” Brandon said softly. “Didn’t you? Do I need to kick Graham’s ass for you? He’s bigger than me, but I can probably get him if I take him out at the knees.”

  “I’d help you, bro,” Derek added.

  “Me, too,” the client said from the chair.

  She looked at him and blinked, her eyes burning. “Uh…thank you?”

  “Name’s Brody,” the man said, a slight drawl to his voice. “And don’t mention it.”

  She swallowed hard and tried to catch her breath. Just because a little kiss had gone viral, didn’t mean it would affect any issues she had already. It was just a kiss. A kiss that had apparently gone around the world. But that was fine. She didn’t do anything wrong.

  No one could take Rowan from her because a man had kissed her.

  She kept repeating that to herself until her heart finally stopped racing. When she looked up, all three men had worried expressions on their faces and their hands out as if they wanted to touch her but were afraid to spook her.

  Great, she’d acted like a freak once again because she couldn’t control everything…anything.

  “He didn’t hurt me or anything,” Blake said lamely. “Everyone was chanting at us to kiss, so we did. No harm, no foul. And soon, someone else will be th
e next shareable video, and no one will remember this.”

  Brandon studied her face. “Okay, then. If that’s what you’re saying. And as for Graham, if you need anything, you come to us, okay? We’re here for you.”

  She nodded silently and tried to catch her breath. When the bell above the door rang, she jumped and looked over. “I’ll go take care of this person.”

  “Sounds good,” Brandon said calmly. She was intently aware that all three men had their eyes on her back as she went up to the two young women at the front of the store. She hated that the three of them were so worried about her, and she’d made a mess of herself seeing that viral video, but she knew there was nothing she could do.

  She’d just stay away from Graham, and everything would be okay. Soon, she’d forget the feel of his lips against hers, the feel of his hand in her hair, and his beard along her skin. The damn thing had been surprisingly soft.

  And that was enough of that.

  “How can I help you, ladies?” she said once she’d reached the front. She’d worry about ink and piercings and nothing else. She could control this, could work with this. And that would have to be enough.

  By the time her shift was over, she was a bundle of nerves. She’d Facetimed Rowan when she was locked in the back room and had said her goodbyes since her daughter was going to stay over at a friend’s house that night for a slumber party. She hated that she wouldn’t be sleeping under the same roof as her baby, but there was nothing she could do about it. Rowan was growing up, and sleepovers were just a part of it.

  But she missed her daughter already.

  Blake sighed and drove to the grocery store to pick up something to eat. She had food in the house, but was too stressed to do anything about it. A prepared salad with all the fixings as well as a large slice of chocolate cake would make her feel better. At least, the cake would. She tried not to eat too much sugar as she wasn’t twenty anymore and her ass kept growing with each passing month, but her baby was at her first sleepover, and damn it, Blake needed cake.