Shameless(77)

Mierda.

My stomach continues its descent.

He’s standing behind her, looking sexy as hell, the ink on his arms and shoulders standing stark against her bare skin. And there’s a lot of bare skin. His forearms are pressed against her breasts, giving her all kinds of crazy cleavage. Above them, it says, Saints & Sinners Tattoo Parlor. Don’t you wanna get inked?

I stumble out of the car, unable to take my eyes off the photo. No wonder Brady didn’t want to talk about this. Damn. Does this mean he still has feelings for this girl? She’s so freaking beautiful.

I glance down at the jeans I bought at Goodwill last summer. Embarrassment flushes my cheeks. I’ve never really thought about Brady’s life in Boston, but of course he dated hot girls. He did this glamorous photoshoot with Dani, and here I am with dirt under my nails, second-hand clothes, and a car that barely runs.

By the time I reach the front door, I’m wishing I had just gone home, but I don’t have time to change my mind because some guy yanks the door open and waits for me to pass through so he can exit.

“What can I do for you, darlin’?” a burly man asks from behind the counter.

“I’m…” I clear my throat. “I’m here to see Brady.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “There’s an awful long line to get to him tonight.” He motions behind me where three pretty college girls sit. “Those are just the walk-ins. He also has two other appointments.”

I force a smile. “That’s good for business, though, right?”

“Not complaining.” He lifts his chin toward me. “What’d you want? Maybe one of the other guys can help you.”

“Oh, um, I’m Brady’s… friend. I was just popping in to say hi.”

He leans toward me and lowers his voice. “I’d say go on back, but he’s piercing some girl’s big titties. Swear to God, we’ve never had so many nipple piercings as we’ve had these past couple of weeks.”

I swallow down the lump in my throat. “No… no problem. Thank you. I’ll stop by some other time.”

Like never.

I shouldn’t feel like death warmed over, but as I drive home, I blink back the tears in my eyes.

He told me about his job. He freaking told me that he does nipple piercings. I shouldn’t be so upset. Heck, I shouldn’t be upset at all. The man straight-up told me he’s monogamous, and I believe him.

So then why does this all hurt so much?

Because you love him.





49





Brady





Izzy’s little howls on the monitor pull me from a dead sleep. Barely awake enough to walk upright, I stub my foot as I scramble to get to her room.

Working night shifts suck ass when you have to get up early, which is why I quit back in Boston.

“Hey, baby.” I cuddle her to my chest as I collapse on the rocker. She wraps her arms around my shoulders and sticks her nose in the crook of my neck.

I pat her butt as we rock back and forth. The sun is up, so it must be later than I thought.

Fucking f*ck, I’m tired. Too tired to even drag my ass to the kitchen and grab a cup of coffee.

When Kat texted me last night and said she had to work this morning, I straight-up wanted to cry, but I swore my job wouldn’t interfere with her schedule at the diner, and I want to hold myself to that. She’s bent over backwards to help me, and I know she needs the income.

“Bway Bway,” Izzy whispers. Peeking through my heavy lids, I see Izzy staring back with that adorable grin. She grabs my face with both hands. “Hungwee.”

Chuckling, I nod. “Okay, honey. Let’s get you some breakfast.”

After I change her diaper and snuggle her in something warm, we head to the kitchen. It’s odd not having Kat here in the morning. It’s honestly one of my favorite parts of the day, seeing her first thing.

But we haven’t really had that kind of week. We can't seem to catch a break to hang out.

When I crawled in here at three this morning, I didn’t want to wake her, so I crashed in the office. I’m starting to rethink that, though, because I f*cking miss her.

From the back porch, I hear a familiar noise.

After I get Izzy situated with some cereal, I open the back door. Bandit stares back at me.

“Hey, *. What’s up?”

The raccoon glances at the empty cardboard box, and I remember the kittens got adopted yesterday.

“Lost your buddies, huh?”

I peel the banana I was about to eat and break off a chunk. Leery he’s going to bite me, I put it on the floor between us. He makes that snick, snick sound and sniffs it suspiciously.

“Where’s the trust, man?”

He finally gobbles it, and I hold out another piece. He takes it from my hand this time and snarfs it down.

“See, if we could do this without you urinating on my belongings, we might find a way to get along.”

I feel bad for him now that he’s all alone.

Which reminds me how much Kat loved those kittens. I bet she’s heartbroken over losing them.

It’s the breakfast rush, though, so I shouldn’t bother her now, but I make a mental note to call her later.

As I’m striding back into the kitchen, something in the living room catches my eye.