Flame and Ink: An Anthology (Happy Ever After #1)

Flame and Ink: An Anthology (Happy Ever After #1)

Carrie Ann Ryan





ONE


Sassy had waited for this day for what felt like months. Years if she were honest with herself. Rafe and Ian had stormed into her tattoo shop and her life over a year ago, and the three of them were engaged to be married soon after. They’d fallen in love as young adults, spent far too long apart, and were now going to spend the rest of their lives together. She had their ink on her skin, the memory of their hands and bodies on hers, and the feeling of their souls connected with her own.

She loved the two men—like she never thought she would be able to. And in turn, they loved her just as deeply. The passion and emotion they held for each other brought her to tears. She knew she was blessed.

They were a true triad.

A relationship between three people in which there were no secrets, no way to hide things. Once one of them started to hide within themselves, the other two would bring them out. Communication and pure openness were the only way the three of them could work. And she would never have it any other way.

Of course, all of that worked well in theory.

In real life? Not so much.

They three of them yelled and growled at one another often, and while most times it led to very sweaty, kinky sex, sometimes, it led to even more discussions.

All of that angst and tension was only with the three of them, though.

Add in the fact that her father was a gigantic * who wouldn’t speak to her, and yet, had tried to ruin her relationship with her two men because he wanted money…she wanted to scream, again. Oh, and Ian’s parents weren’t thrilled. That was being vague, and she knew it. His parents were white-collar snobs who not only didn’t like the fact that he was marrying some tattoo receptionist with ink and piercings, but that he was also doing a commitment ceremony with a brown-skinned mechanic.

It didn’t matter that Sassy came from white-collar money of her own—hence why her father was an * on a whole other level. Sassy has long since turned her back on that money anyway. It didn’t matter that Rafe owned four—and counting—shops on his own and was a millionaire in his own right.

Ian was a billionaire.

Rafe and Sassy were, therefore, trash.

Put them together in a kinky ménage, and Ian’s family made Sassy want to scream.

So, of course, instead of getting married in New Orleans—their home—they were getting married in New York. Rafe’s family loved Sassy and Ian and had opened their arms to them. There were a few stragglers who thought the idea of two men and a woman being together was a sin, but those close to Rafe loved them all.

But no, they couldn’t get married in New Orleans near them.

Ian’s parents had insisted that the wedding happen in New York. Why, Sassy didn’t know. The actual binding contract would be between Ian and Sassy since it wasn’t legal for a triad to be married, but Rafe would be standing up there as their third, even if he didn’t get to sign the paper and have someone bless him.

He was theirs as they were his.

The Steele family had insisted on a pure New York wedding, where they would try to do damage control on their inner circles from within. And Sassy, not wanting to make waves—very unlike herself—had agreed to it.

Now she was having a giant wedding of epic New York Upper East Side proportions, and with only one man while the other had to smile along and pretend he wasn’t breaking inside. Rafe may not have said as much, but she knew this wasn’t exactly what he wanted.

Hell, it wasn’t exactly what she and Ian wanted either.

And yet, she wore her f*cking wedding dress and stared out into the New York City landscape, wondering how in the hell she’d gotten here. She wanted to marry Ian. Wanted to marry Rafe, as well. The only reason they were even going through with a marriage license was because it made things easier legally. If she ended up in the hospital or when they had kids, it made things…easier. And they would have documentation for Rafe, as well.

So, yeah, all of this pain, this strife, was because of damn legalities.

She should have forced Rafe and Ian to be married in the ceremony, and she could have sat back and smiled, knowing she was part of that union, as well—but Ian’s parents had needed consideration. She also could have married Rafe and had Ian be on the side, but since Ian’s parents…

Damn it.

She hated this.

Her chest hurt, her lungs seizing.

Because they were in New York and not in New Orleans, most of her friends hadn’t been able to come. Shep and Shea were there because they’d been able to get off work, but they couldn’t shut down the entire shop for a single wedding. Even Shep’s cousin Austin and his woman, Sierra were there, but it still wasn’t everyone.

Rafe’s family had flown up to see the wedding, even though their son wouldn’t be the one speaking the vows that day. They loved their son that much.

Sassy’s father had not been invited.

And Ian’s parents…well, they were his f*cking parents. Not much more she could do about that.

She barely resisted the urge to run a hand over her face. If she did that, she’d have to sit in the makeup chair again and let that woman put more crap on her skin. Sassy hadn’t even been allowed to do her own makeup, nor had someone she trusted been allowed to do it.

No. Instead, Ian’s mother had taken care of everything.