Wrapped in Ink

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “Oh, screw all of you.”

  “Don’t know where you learned that type of language, young lady,” Macon said, peeking into the oven again.

  “From all of you. And Mom and Dad. And if you open that oven one more time and let any of the heat out, Macon Brady, I will kick you.”

  Macon quickly shut the oven and put his hands behind his back.

  “What is it with you and the kicking?” he asked.

  “Well, I don’t want to hurt my hands. I need them to work. I can probably deal with kicking. Especially if I put on some steel-toed boots.” She tapped her chin and ducked when Macon went for her. But Liam tucked her against his side and glared at her brother.

  “Hey, hands off,” Liam said, but he wasn’t too serious about it, at least from the tone of his voice.

  “Maybe we should say that about you and our baby sister,” Macon said. “Our precious baby sister.”

  “Yes, our precious, innocent baby sister,” Nate said.

  “We’re twins, Nate. Really? You’re like, what? A minute older than I am. And do you really want me to tell you about innocent?” she asked, raising her chin. She knew she blushed, but they’d have to deal with her stories if they were going to keep calling her that in front of Liam. Liam knew precisely how not innocent she was, after all.

  “Okay, that’s enough of that,” Cross said, holding up his hands. “I really, really do not want to know.”

  “No, you really don’t.”

  “So, you said ‘sister?’” Prior asked Liam, grinning.

  “I’m really not going to answer that question,” Liam said, standing a little straighter.

  Uh-oh.

  “You guys, let’s not, shall we?”

  “What? He has our sister. I’m just saying.” Macon ducked when Cross reached out and tried to slap the back of his head.

  “I would say my sister is off-limits, but then she would kick my ass. And so would Arden. However, I’m really not sure any of you guys would suit her.”

  “Hey, what’s wrong with my brothers?” Arden asked at the same time her brothers asked what was wrong with them.

  Liam held up his hands and shook his head.

  “Nothing. I just think she’s in love with someone else. I’m not saying that your brothers aren’t good enough for her or she’s not good enough for them. All I’m saying is that I think she is meant for someone else. Don’t rip my head off, okay?”

  “I wonder if we’re thinking about the same person,” Arden said, rubbing her hands together.

  “I am not going to say it. Because if I do, Bristol will know I said it somehow, and then I will get in trouble. I don’t want to get into trouble.” Liam kissed the tip of her nose, and she grinned.

  Damn it, it was hard not to want this man more and more. But she had to protect herself.

  “That’s really the best way to go about little sisters. Just do your best not to get into trouble.” Cross reached out and fist-bumped Liam, and Arden just rolled her eyes.

  “I really just can’t with you guys.”

  “Eh, you’ll get over it,” Prior said, grinning. “Now, really, when’s dinner?”

  “Well, the salad and the cheese are ready, so we can start on that. Dinner is just warming in the oven. It’s whenever you guys want to crack open that wine or some beer, or just sit here and try to talk about Bristol and me as if we don’t actually have choices of our own.”

  “Oh, good, we’ve angered her,” Nate said, grinning.

  “I’m not angry. When I’m angry, you’ll know.”

  Liam squeezed her waist.

  “Yeah, I have a feeling we would know.”

  By the time they ate, finished the wine and a bunch of water, Arden felt as if she’d taken a step she hadn’t known she’d been ready to take.

  She was happy.

  Her brothers liked Liam, and Liam seemed to get along with them. Considering that was actually a great feat, something she hadn’t been sure would ever happen in her lifetime, that was saying something.

  But they all got along. It was a good dinner, and soon, she would have dinner with the Montgomerys.

  She knew that more things were going on with Liam, stuff that he hadn’t talked to her about—like his conversation with his mom—but things were moving forward.

  Liam kissed the back of her neck, and she sighed.

  Happy.

  She was happy.

  This could work.

  Somehow, throughout it all, she had found someone that she was happy with.

  She kept saying that word in her head. Happy. She was so afraid that if she reached out and tried to grasp it with her hands, it would slip away like sand through her fingertips.

  Because what if this was just the start, the peek of something before it fell.

  And while she tried not to be negative about life—she couldn’t afford to be—when the hits came, they kept coming. And she became a bad luck penny. Where one thing hit her after another, and she couldn’t hold on. She couldn’t survive.

  So, she didn’t know if she wanted to reach out and grasp this happiness full-on. She didn’t know if she could.

  She was afraid if she did, the disappointment when everything broke, when everything faded away would be too much.

  And, in the end, she’d end up far more shattered than she ever thought possible.

  Chapter 19

  There was something about sitting in the tattoo shop he’d been coming to for years that just made him smile. The fact that Montgomery Ink was owned by two of his favorite cousins? Yeah, that made him happy.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t go down to Colorado Springs,” Austin said, rolling his shoulders back as they went over the sketch one last time before they transferred it to a stencil.

  Liam turned and studied the other man. Austin’s long beard had been groomed and trimmed at the ends. He’d let his hair grow a bit since Liam had last seen him, and had it tied at the base of his neck. Liam wondered if he would shave it again like he had before. There was never much middle ground when it came to Austin—or any of the Montgomerys for that matter.

  Liam had gone down to Colorado Springs often over the past year to help one of his cousins get through her divorce. She’d pulled away from the family, and Liam had forced himself into her life again so she couldn’t hide.

  The irony of that situation didn’t escape him. He couldn’t hide from his family either. So, he pushed those thoughts from his mind and went back to Austin’s question. “I thought of going down there, but since I brought my girl here, I figured we’d stop in Denver first. The next tattoo can be in Colorado Springs at Montgomery Ink Too.” Since Liam had over a dozen pieces at this point, that probably wasn’t a lie.

  Austin was one of the Denver Montgomerys and Liam’s cousin. He was a couple of years older than Liam and had been working at this tattoo shop for what felt like maybe a decade at this point. Liam didn’t know for sure, it just felt like the building, and the people who’d become part of the extended Montgomery family had always been part of it. Austin and his sister Maya had gone in together on the shop. Now, they had a full staff, a piercing section, a whole area in the back where there were extra rooms for privacy, and a waiting list that Liam knew could be years long if they let it. The fact that real estate in downtown Denver didn’t come easily just told Liam how successful the place was.

  It was so fruitful, in fact, that two of their other cousins had opened up a satellite shop in Colorado Springs called Montgomery Ink Too. Shep and Adrienne ran that place and were starting to get so busy that everyone was thinking about maybe opening a third shop in one of the other cities.

  Since none of the Boulder Montgomerys were tattoo artists, Liam didn’t feel like it would be there. But who knew? Maybe someone would move up there. Perhaps one of the kids in a few years since some were getting older. Not that old, but still. There was a lot of talent in the Montgomery family, a lot of artists, and it made Liam happy. Made him think that their mark w
ould be left and would be around long after they were dust in the wind.

  “Your girl a virgin?” Austin asked, grinning at Arden. He winked as he said it, and Liam knew the other man was kidding, just letting off some steam since Arden had seemed oddly nervous. Could be the shop, but Liam figured it was because she was meeting more of his family.

  Arden just rolled her eyes and looked over Liam’s shoulder as they went over the sketch.

  “You’re very lucky that Liam warned me that you would joke like that,” she said, grinning.

  “Actually, I’m fortunate that my wife didn’t hear me say that,” Austin said, chuckling. “She’d hit me and threaten my beard—something she loves by the way—but Liam warned me you might be nervous, so I figured inappropriate jokes were the way to go. But, anyway, you got any tattoos?”

  Liam flipped Austin off. There really wasn’t another response to that statement.

  Arden just smiled before nodding. “Nervous? He’s the one getting the tattoo. Anyway, I have a couple, but I haven’t gotten one in a few years. Mostly because, sometimes, my skin doesn’t like it.” At Austin’s questioning gaze, she clarified. “I have lupus.”

  Liam rubbed her thigh, hating the fact that she was ever in pain, but she’d said that she was fine, and he was going to believe her. Even if he watched her like a hawk.

  Austin nodded. “I get that. My wife had issues with her first tattoo with me, as well. And we have a few clients with autoimmune issues, as well as some with scars, mastectomies, and other sensitive areas where the experience is different. If you ever decide to get another one, we’re the place to do it. Liam can vouch for us, but we’ll do our best to keep you as pain-free as possible when you’re with us.”

  Liam squeezed her hand, and she smiled at his cousin. “Thank you,” she said, grinning. “I have a feeling I’d be in good hands.”

  Austin shrugged. “We’re the best.”

  Humble, Austin was not, at least not in front of family where they could just be themselves.

  “I guess since Liam drove us over an hour to get here, you must be well worth the drive. Traffic and all that.”

  Austin met Liam’s gaze. “Oh, we are. Maya’s going to be pissed that you scheduled with me and not her, though.”

  Liam rolled his eyes and handed over the sketch. “Maya had my arm last time. It’s your turn this time. We’re just adding the fleur-de-lis, right?”

  Liam nodded. “Yep. You’re going to have to start working on your other sleeve soon,” Austin added.

  “And most of my back. And my legs. Eventually, I’ll be fully covered like you.”

  “I still have some open skin. I mean, I have a few more years left in me when it comes to tattoos, right?”

  “Exactly,” Liam agreed.

  “Let me get this stenciled, and then we’ll figure out exactly where we want to put it, even though we’ve already done enough placement. But you know me, measure eighteen times and ink once.”

  “Only eighteen?” Arden asked, her teeth worrying her lip.

  Liam reached out and tugged her to his side.

  “You okay there? Afraid of needles?”

  “If I was afraid of needles, I think I’d be even more stressed out than I already am, considering all the needles I’ve had to deal with in my life.”

  Austin gave him a questioning look but didn’t ask more before he went back to the office. That left Liam and Arden alone. He wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her onto his lap.

  “Liam,” she whispered with a laugh.

  “What? It’s not like you’re going to sit on my lap for the whole tattoo. I mean, you could. I’m sure Austin would let that happen.”

  “Yeah, don’t think so, man,” a big, bald guy said from his station on the other side of the room. He had a broad chest, and Liam swore his arms could break anything in their path. He had a pretty woman with blond hair and dark red lips next to him, his wife from what Liam remembered. Liam just nodded. “He may be your cousin, but I’m pretty sure lap-sitting during a tattoo is a line,” he said with a laugh.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure, too,” Liam said, nodding at the couple before turning back to Arden.

  “I like it in here, though. And you’re right. I would like to come back here if and when I’m ready for my next tattoo.”

  Liam nodded, and the idea of the Montgomery iris somewhere on her body warmed him.

  What? Where the hell had that come from?

  They weren’t getting married. They hadn’t even talked about it. In fact, they’d been very good about not talking about the future. They were just trying to live in the moment, something that neither of them had been able to do recently between his family life and her health.

  So, they were just trying to be.

  Picturing her with the Montgomery iris anywhere on her body wasn’t something he could do. Because they weren’t there yet. They weren’t ready for marriage or babies.

  He swallowed hard.

  Babies? Hell, he wasn’t sure he was ready to be a father—or if he ever would be.

  Kids had never been on his radar, something that maybe should have worried him.

  Hell, he really needed to stop thinking about all of that, stop getting so serious.

  Arden wasn’t his distraction anymore. They were getting serious, but they were a long ways from family crest tattoos and the idea of children.

  At least, that’s what he told himself.

  “So, the fleur-de-lis is from your book, right?”

  Liam nodded and looked down at his arm.

  “I add symbols from my books if they hit the list.” His earlier books hadn’t hit the New York Times list until his third installment, and then a sale had pushed the others on at some point.

  He shrugged, knowing his face was a little red.

  “I know it sounds weird, but I wanted something to remember this by. I actually have a friend who has the symbols on their wall too, just hidden. Or at least the symbols from their books. I figured I would use things from my books in a little more permanent way. Mostly because ink runs in our veins. It’s a family thing.”

  “Yeah, us Montgomerys are a little weird,” Austin said as he came back.

  “You ready to do some stenciling?”

  “Always.”

  “Oh, this is going to be fun,” Arden said, sliding off Liam’s lap and onto the stool that Austin had pulled up for her.

  “My brothers never let me sit and watch them get tattooed. Mostly because they think that I’ll get squeamish or something.” She rolled her eyes, and Liam leaned over and gave her a smacking kiss on the mouth.

  “It’s like they don’t know you,” he said, grinning.

  “I know, right?”

  “Seriously, the two of you are fricking adorable. Maya’s going to be sad that she missed this.” Austin went to work, grinning.

  “Really?” Liam asked. “You’re going to get that way on me?”

  Liam bringing Arden to get his tattoo was like bringing her home to meet his family. He knew he probably should have done the family dinner thing first, but since things were a little iffy at home, he had done this instead. The rest of the Montgomerys didn’t know about the family secret, but he figured he might actually let them know eventually. He just wasn’t sure if it was his secret to tell.

  Yeah, it was his birthright. But it was more about his parents. He didn’t want to hurt them.

  And the fact that he thought that? Thought of Timothy as his parent? Meant he was finally finding a place where he could settle.

  And that meant something.

  “What? The two of you are cute. Just saying. Once you go ink…” Austin trailed off, and Liam just snorted.

  “Hey, so, how’s the family?” Liam asked, wanting to get off that track since he and Arden probably needed to have another label conversation at some point. Or at least a conversation.

  Austin smiled in a way that said he had secrets and was one damn happy man. He’d drifted for so lo
ng that it was nice to see him settled and happy. Liam wasn’t as close to Austin as he was with some of the other members of his family, but he’d grown up just a few years behind Austin. And considering that some of the other cousins in the family were far younger, the age gap wasn’t too bad.

  “Wife’s good, she’s across the street at her shop. They’re talking about opening another one in Centennial, but I don’t know if we’re ready for that.”

  “Yeah, you already have the two tattoo shops. Things add up.”

  “Oh, I don’t really have to do much with the one down in Colorado Springs. And I don’t think Sierra would have to do a lot with the other boutique once it was open, but we’ve got a family. And since we’re still waiting to hear about the adoption process, we’re sort of in limbo.”

  “You’re adopting?” Arden asked and then winced. “You don’t have to talk about it with me if you don’t want to.” Liam rubbed her arm, and they held hands.

  “I wouldn’t have said anything in front of you if it was an issue for me,” Austin said casually as he worked with the stencil. “But it’s a long process, and since we own our own businesses, and I don’t look like typical father material sometimes, it gets a little confusing.”

  “And you already have two kids, right?” Arden asked. “Does that matter?”

  “Everything matters to the system. But we’re working on foster to adopt first. And we’re both ready to take in older kids. Not just babies. So, hopefully, that’s a mark for us.”

  “Considering your kid’s like twenty now, that should be a point in your favor, right?”

  “I’m about to put a needle into your skin. So, fuck off. Leif isn’t even old enough to drive yet.” Austin paused. “He’s close. But I don’t want to talk about that.”

  Liam grinned and looked over at Arden. “He has an almost-ready-to-drive child, and I think one in elementary school. Or preschool. Right?”

  “Yep, age gap’s a bit. But Leif is amazing with Colin. It’s so weird sometimes to think that I’m a dad, you know? Never thought it would happen. But here I am. In fact, most of the Montgomerys are parents now.”

  “Yeah, you all decided to pop out babies in the same year or something.”