Princess Next Door(28)

“You don’t want us to come out to you?”

“No.” He wanted a couple of days with just him and Princess.

Saying his goodbyes, he called his boss next, and lied about not being able to do the show. He arranged everything so that on Friday the guys would be playing again. When he got back inside, a great deal of her ink was completed.

She smiled at him, holding her hand out, which he took. “Did you resolve everything?”

“As much as I could over the phone.” She didn’t ask him anything more, and within an hour, Ray was done. He covered the ink and gave her some ointment, along with a list of instructions on what to do over the next few days.

He paid for her tattoo and they left the parlor, heading toward the hotel room that they’d booked. They stopped for some food before heading inside. Sitting on the floor, he opened up several boxes of takeout food, mostly burgers and fries.

“I’m not going to go back to my family,” she said, making him look at her.

“What?”

“I know your friends are worried, and they think I’m going through this little rebellion that will lead me back home, but it’s not like that. I’m not sad or angry with them for being worried and carrying about you. I care about you, Zane. I’ve always been a little different from my parents, which is why my grandparents set me up in their will and allowed me to live my own life. They saw something different inside me. I’m not going to go back to them.”

“They’re your family, Princess.”

“So? I like to think that family can be the ones we choose to have, not the ones we’re forced to have.” She took his hand. “I love spending time with you, being with you. Nothing is ever going to change that.”

“Even my awful taste in music?”

“I’m not sure about that yet. That seems a little touch and go for me.” She laughed. “Don’t be angry at your friends for caring, Zane. They’re your friends, and you always need them in your life.”

He gripped the back of her neck and pressed his lips to hers. “I won’t. I promise. We’re going to play on Friday night. Do you want to come and watch?”

“Yeah, totally. I’ll be in the front, jumping up and down.”

They finished their food and he brushed his hands off, standing up. “Now, show me that tattoo. I want to make sure it totally looks awesome.”

She stood up and lifted her shirt. The ink looked amazing, and he saw how beautiful it was even with it covered.

“It drove me crazy watching him put his hands on you.”

She rolled her eyes. “He didn’t have much of a choice. It would be impossible for him to ink my skin without putting some hands on me.” She turned, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Now you get to put your hands on me, and no one is here to stop you.”

He liked the way she thought.





Chapter Nine


Late Friday afternoon, Wynter was still at the school going through the grades that she and Tammy were dealing with. The kids were going to be off for a few weeks, and Tammy always liked to get everything in order. Her trip with Zane had lasted until Tuesday night when Tammy called her and asked for her to please come to work.

She felt so bad about leaving her friend to deal with everything that she’d cut her and Zane’s trip short. They’d been planning to stay away until Friday when he needed to be home to perform.

“Are you angry at me?” Wynter asked, stamping the book and closing it.

Tammy glanced up at her and frowned. “What?”

“You know, for abandoning you?”

This time her friend chuckled. “Nah, I’m not angry at you, honey. I think it’s been good that you’re doing stuff for yourself. Since you’ve moved out, I’ve seen how happy you are. It always drove me crazy watching you not really enjoying your life. I know Marshall and I settled down and had kids young, but we also had a really good life together. You deserve to have a little fun with Zane. He makes you smile.”

Wynter nodded, sucking on her lips and staring down at the book in her hands. It wasn’t just fun, at least, not to her. It had stopped being just fun last week when she realized that she loved him.

“It’s not just a little fun,” she said, not looking at her friend.

“What do you mean?”

This time she took a deep breath and stared up at her friend. “I’ve fallen in love with him.”

She expected Tammy to laugh or to ridicule. Instead, her friend just stared at her.

“You’re in love with Zane?”

“Yes. I’m in love with him, and I don’t need you to tell me how much my parents would—”

“Screw your parents. They don’t even count. They’ve not even come to see that you’re okay. They don’t get to decide everything in your life.”

“But—”

“No buts, Wynter. This is your life, and you can’t keep living it like your parents are going to judge you every second of every fucking day. They wanted you to live a certain way, but you chose differently. Don’t feel guilt over that. Feel fucking inspired by it.” Tammy held her hands up. “I’m sorry. I tried to be nice about it, but you shouldn’t feel guilty for not wanting the same things. You and Carey didn’t match. You and settling down young didn’t match. I’ve never seen you so happy since you started seeing Zane. He’s good for you.”