Fireball (Cheap Thrills #1)(31)

She looked up at me and then back at him and nodded, not saying a word. Ellis reached into the drawer and pulled out a sketch of how he envisioned the tattoo, and then the larger drawings of the individual pieces that would make it all up. I didn’t take my eyes off her once and saw the moment she realized what the rose was;.

“My mom…” she rasped, her finger gently touching the paper.

Pressing into her back and trapping her between my body and the desk, I leaned over her and explained it all.

“This rose is from a photo of a breed of roses called Olivia that I found online. Ellis knows you want it in red, so he’s ready for that. The poppy is your niece’s birth flower so that you have both of your Olivia’s together. The smaller pocket watch is because you said you wished you could turn back time and find Jose before your mom passed away so she could meet her. In between these flowers and the clock will be sprinklings of Lily of the Valley flowers which are Jose’s birth flowers, and sweet peas which are yours.” I stopped, feeling her trembling against me and gave her a second to take it all in. It seemed like an overwhelming amount of stuff to get tattooed, but for Ellis who could do this shit in his sleep it wouldn’t be too bad. “What do you think?”

Lifting a shaky hand, she reached for the sketch which showed how it would look on her thigh and studied it. Finally, she put me out of my misery and whispered, “It’s perfect. I struggle to find tattoos that fit me because I hate traditional things and want all of them to be a part of me, like your tattoo on your ribs,” she reached her bandaged hand around to rub the side with my mom’s tattoo on it. “I never thought about any of this, in fact I don’t think I would have ever thought about any of these details.” Closing her eyes, she leaned the side of her face against my chest and took a deep breath, and then turned back to Ellis. “Can you do it all tonight?”

“I’ll give it my best, and if not you just have to come back in and see me again for the bits I missed.”

Laughing, she gave the rose one last rub with her finger and pushed it back toward him. “I guess I’ll have to bring my sister too, hey?”

That sobered him up. Rubbing the back of his neck, he shrugged, and moved to pick up the pictures. “I wouldn’t say no to that. I’ve already made them into transfers, and I’m going to freehand some light shading between it all to connect it once they’re in place.” Jerking his head toward the open door, he gestured for us to follow him. “Shit’s all set up, so let’s get it done.”

I’d only ever heard a woman getting a tattoo in the room next to me, I’d never seen it firsthand. Those women had all yelped and whined about what was being done, but Tabby never made a sound. It was like she went into some sort of Zen zone as the needle moved across her skin. Did that mean I didn’t hold her hand and offer her comfort? Did it fuck, I totally did that.

This tattoo was something special for her and being the one to make it happen was special for me. It was like she said – it was the Tabby version of the tattoo I had on my ribs for my mom, except on a family scale that included her mom. You can never bring them back, but you can always carry them with you, and that’s what these tattoos gave us – the missing pieces of our hearts.





Chapter Nine





Tabby





No pun intended, but I was buzzing throughout the whole drive home from the tattoo shop. Yes, the new ink on my thigh was stinging, but it was worth it.

Here’s the thing about tattoos – they’re addictive. You start with something small, and then you build up until you’re asking the guy holding the tattoo machine to spread the one he’s doing out on your thigh even further. And now I was thinking what I could have done next.

During it, I’d quizzed Ellis and got to know him more. I’d thought I was being discrete, but apparently the big bad sheriff saw through it because during a break he’d leaned down and murmured in my ear, “He’s good enough for her, but fuck me if you aren’t adorable trying to suss him out.”

Shit it all to hell.

It had also given me the opportunity to get to know Dave too. I usually switched off when I had tattoos done, but tonight the light scent of his cologne, his thumb sweeping across the palm of my sore hand, the reassurances he kept giving me that I didn’t need but loved, and the answers he gave me to the questions I’d asked him had all shattered another piece of my resistance.

Resistance? Yeah, my ass I had any of that left. It had shot out the door when I’d put my shorts on, but in my mind I’d still had some. We’d played the getting to know you game tonight, finding out each other’s likes and dislikes, and I felt more at ease and comfortable around him now.

I was also trying to remember if I’d shaved my legs and bikini line recently. Subtly rubbing my finger across my shin, I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt how smooth it was and remembered doing it this morning. Texas wasn’t really pants compatible, so I’d been living in my shorts most of the time, and all women know if you’re wearing those – you shave your damn legs.

“You ok?” Dave asked, his hand moving from the wheel and going to touch my thigh, remembering at the last second that it was covered in plastic wrap and moving to my arm instead.

The answer to this question wasn’t a hard one. “Absolutely. I feel better than I have in months.” And I had him to thank for it, something which I’d done many times since Ellis started doing my new ink. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to do it again. “I know I’ve said it, but thank you. Thank you for giving me a part of Mom back. I know I have the peacock tattoo that’s all hers, but having an Olivia rose as well surrounded by all of us? I just don’t know how to put into words what I’m feeling.”