I put the final touches on the stencil for Emery’s new tattoo, but I've been working on other pieces this last week since Devon showed up here at the shop.
Scooting back in my chair, I look down at my desk gazing at the old-style microphone and musical notes I've made for her. It's perfect and she's going to love it. I smile at the art I've created before my gaze travels to the other drawing. The skin ripping open, the heart prominent, and the dog tags on a silver chain wrapping around, squeezing the heart. My smile falters. It's a beautifully tragic piece, but did I draw it for myself or for Devon?
The bell on the front door chimes, alerting me someone has entered Runaway Tattoo. Audrey comes back and knocks on my opened office door. My eyes meet hers. "Emery's here."
"Send her back." I hide my drawing in the top drawer of my desk and grab her stencil.
"Hey, Daphne!" Emery beams brightly and plops down in one of the chairs.
"Hey, Em! You ready to get some ink?" I lay the stencil down on the desk in front of her. I've done all her work, but she's my best friend and I'd be pissed if she went somewhere else.
"Oh." She murmurs staring at the stencil. Her eyes lift. "This is beautiful!"
I smirk. "I knew you'd love it. Let's get started." We both stand from our chairs and I lead the way into another room.
She sits down on the chair while I start to get everything ready. "How's Dawson and the guys?"
When Emery first started as the new manager for The Betrayed, it was rough between her and Dawson, the lead singer, but they ended up falling in love and are now engaged. I'm happy for her, she deserves to get the happily ever after bullshit.
Anyone would be an idiot to not fall for her. She's gorgeous. Emery Ashland has that 50s pinup look down perfectly with her fire engine red hair and emerald green eyes.
"They're good. Actually, I was going to see if you wanted to hang out tonight? Traxton has Sicily, and the guys are in the studio recording before we head out on the next tour in a few weeks."
I turn the music up, sit on my stool, and put on my gloves. "I'd love that! Girl, I have some shit to tell you!"
She laughs. "Oh no! What happened?"
She holds her arm out. "I saw Devon last week." I pop the cover off of a new razor. Even though there may not be much hair in this area it still needs to be shaved.
"You what?" She shouts with saucer-sized eyes as I begin sliding the razor against her skin, throwing it away once I am done.
I nod, grab a paper towel, and fold it into a square. Taking my solution of water and rubbing alcohol, I wet it and clean the area I just shaved. I apply Stencil Stuff, to her forearm and wait for it to dry for a few seconds.
"How? Why? I don't even know..." She shakes her head flabbergasted by my news.
Placing the stencil on her arms, I make sure it’s positioned correctly and when I pull the paper away she confirms it’s in the perfect spot. My eyes meet hers. "I went with Audrey to that bar-b-que at the Sinners’ Clubhouse."
Her brows knit down. "Yeah, Jacey told me they were having one because someone was being released from prison." Jacey owns the recording studio where Emery's office is, but technically, I guess the guys are Emery's bosses.
I bite the inside of my cheek. "Mmhm. Well, when I was standing there, he walked outside. He's one of them, Em." I stare into her green eyes.
If it's possible, her eyes grow even wider. "He's one of the biker guys?" I nod and cover the outline with Vaseline. "What did you do? Was Zane with you? Did Devon see him?" Her mouth flops like a fish.
I pick up the machine, scoot closer to her, and tap the foot pedal. "I got the hell out of there. Zane was with me and Devon didn't see him until he showed up here." I dip the needle in black ink and begin her outline.
"Devon came here!" She doesn't say it like a question, but a statement full of shock.
I keep my focus on making the perfectly straight lines. "Yep, we had words, he saw Zane, and Devon knew immediately that Zane was his."
She sits completely still as the needle digs into her skin. "Then what happened?"
I shrug nonchalantly. "He left and I haven't seen him since."
"Do you want to?"
"I don't know. I'm still in shock that I saw him. I was angry. All the hurt surfaced, but I haven't stopped thinking about him." I keep remembering how sexy he looked standing there in his cut, the hard roughness that was palpitating off him, and the way it felt to be caged in with his huge body surrounding me.
"That's understandable. What about Brad?"
"I've been avoiding him."
She releases an exaggerated huff. "What is this? The return of the baby daddies?"
I bust out laughing at her question. The first tour Emery went on, she came face to face with Sicily's dad, Traxton. It's funny how our stories are so similar. Maybe that's why we became so close.
The next few hours are quiet. I zone in on my art, letting the vibration of the machine soothe me, bringing the tattoo to life on her body. I take pride in every piece I do because someone is going to wear my art for the rest of their lives. They are going to show it off, and I want them to be proud of the ink they display.
Turning the machine off, I grab a new paper towel, spray some solution on it, and clean her tattoo. It looks amazing!
"Okay, go take a look." She stands from the chair and saunters to the mirror, checking out the new ink. My phone begins to ring. It's Brad. Shit! Removing my gloves, I answer, "Hello."
"Hey, babe!" I roll my eyes.
I start to clean my work area. "Hey. What's up?"
"Wanna hang out tonight?"
"Um. I actually have plans with Emery." Thank God for my best friend with perfect timing. I’ve been avoiding him because it’s not right to be with him while my mind is on another man.
"Guess I'll see ya’ then." He hangs up without a goodbye.
I know he's probably getting fed up with my excuses, but I just can't right now. I'm going to have to tell him sooner rather than later that I can't be with him.
"It's perfect!" Emery sits back in the chair. I bandage it up, and no need to go over the cleaning process with her, she already knows it. "Thanks, Daphne!"
I smile proudly. "You're welcome! I'm glad you love it!" The happiness written in her features is exactly why I love doing this type of work. "I'll call my mom to pick Zane up from school. You wanna come over around seven?"
"Sounds good." I walk out with her and wait until she pays Audrey to give her a hug goodbye.
I wash my hands and return to my office, call my mom, and wait for my next appointment.
* * *
I'm finished for the day. I have a couple hours before Emery comes over, so I start gathering my stuff to leave. There's a knock on the door. I look up to find Writer standing in the doorway leaning against the frame. I wave my hand for him to come in and he sits in a chair opposite of me before sliding a piece of paper across my desk. Looking down, I read the words he has written.
I need to take some time off
Grabbing a pen off my desk, I write back.
Why?
I push the paper back toward him.
When I read his response, my heart fills with happiness for him. He's taking time off so that he can have cochlear implants put in to try and restore his hearing. He doesn’t want anyone to know in case it doesn’t work.
Writer had a tough time for a while with addiction, but he overcame it and has been doing phenomenal since. He also has a baby on the way. He deserves everything good that comes in his future. He’s been working here going on two months, but I already see he’s going to be a phenomenal tattoo artist one day. Since he has to do an apprenticeship, I hired him on to draw for me when I am too busy.
With blurry eyes, I peer at him and nod. Holding my finger up, I let him know to wait.
I write my question.
How long has Devon been with the club?
I slide it across to him, he reads it, and looks up at me confused. Looking back down at the paper, he writes one word.
Who?
Huffing, of course, he wouldn't know him by his real name. They all have road names and I don't know what Devon's is. I think of what to write.
The guy that was holding the tray of food and dropped it.
Oh! That's Doc. Why you wanna know?
Let's just say we have history.
Sorry Daphne but you'll have to ask him. I'm not getting involved.
He gives me a sympathetic grin, stands, and leaves my office.
I grab my things and head out, leaving Audrey to lock up.
As soon as I make it home, I start cleaning up, because let’s face it, I'm not a perfect mom. I'm a single mother with a ten-year-old son who works well over 40 hours a week. So of course, I have laundry piled up, dirty dishes in the sink, and Zane's stuff all over the couch.
I get a load of laundry washed and in the dryer, Zane's stuff picked up, dishes loaded in the dishwasher, counters and tables cleaned, and carpet vacuumed. Shew! Just as I'm putting the vacuum cleaner back into the cleaning closet, there's a knock on my door. I open it and Emery stands there with bags and a dazzling smile. She holds them up. "I brought Chinese."
"Gah, I love you! I'm starving." I open the door wider for her. She carries the food into the living room and sets it on the coffee table. I stroll into the kitchen, load my arms up with everything we need and join her on the couch. Emery begins dividing the food while I pour us each a glass of red wine. "Earlier you said you and the guys are going back on tour." I take a bite of food and restrain myself from moaning because it tastes so good. I haven't had Chinese in forever.
She nods while chewing, then swallows. "Yeah, we leave in a few weeks for the west coast."
I take another bite of the delicious food. "How long are you gonna be gone?"
"A couple of months. That's why the guys are recording. They want to finish the new album before we leave, so it's been day and night in the studio. We're obviously taking Sicily because we have Marina to watch her, but when she starts school, I don't know what's going to happen."
We both take a sip of our wine. "Won't your parents watch her?" Emery has a great support system with her parents, just like I do with mine and Devon's.
I couldn't very well hide my pregnancy living next door to them, and when I started showing, it was pretty obvious. My pregnancy created a rift between my parents and Devon’s, especially with him taking off, but over the years, they have mended their friendship the best they could for Zane’s sake. They aren't as close as they once were, but it’s better than them fighting with each other all the time.
"Oh yeah, they will, but it's going to devastate Sicily when she can't go. She's grown so attached to Dawson, and if Traxton is on the road too, that'll just make it even worse."
"Yeah, that's going to be rough on her and you, but just keep reminding yourself that you’re giving her an amazing life." I try to reassure her that she’s doing the best for her daughter, but I get how hard it is. I couldn’t imagine having to leave Zane for long periods of time.
She nods in agreement. "I know. It's just hard sometimes."
After we finish eating, I take our dirty dishes and silverware to the kitchen, put them in the sink, then go back into the living room.
"What was it like seeing Devon again? How did he look?" Emery refills our glasses.
"I was shocked, surprised, scared, angry." I laugh lightly. "I had about every emotion run through me." I take a sip and continue. "He looked older, more muscular, sexy." I sigh because I’m still affected by Devon Mayfield, even after all these years.
There's another knock on the door, our eyes snap to each other. "Are you expecting anyone?" Emery asks.
Shaking my head, I stand and walk over, looking through the peephole. My wide eyes meet Emery’s, I mouth, "It's Brad."
I open the door, with furrowed brows. " Hey, what are you doing here?" My eyes rake over him in his skinny jeans, white beater, and a backward baseball cap. His long hair hangs down loose to his shoulders. Both sleeve tattoos on display and gauges in his ears.
He grins before leaning in to try and kiss me, but I move my head just in time, his lips connect with my cheek instead. He pulls back with narrowed eyes. "I wanted to see you."
"I told you, I had plans with Emery." I fold my arms over my chest. What the hell is this? He can't just show up whenever he wants.
He gives me those puppy dog eyes. "Yeah, I know that, but I feel like you've been avoiding me."
Shaking my head, I reply, "I'm not doing this right now. I had plans and you had no right just showing up."
He tilts his head to the side and smirks. "I'm sorry. Can we talk after?" He tries every trick he has in order to make me forget why I’m pissed at him right now. But…it does no good.
"I'll text you." I shut the door without saying goodbye. That pisses me off because he knows not to just come over here. For Christ’s sake, I haven't even introduced Zane to him. I refuse to bring someone into my son's life if they aren't here for the long haul, and Brad most certainly is not here for that.
Our relationship basically consists of nights when Zane is staying the night with a friend, is at my parent's or Devon's parents, and lunch dates when Zane's at school.
Fuming, I walk back over to the couch.
"What the hell was that?" Emery questions.
I shake my head and take a deep breath. "I don't know. I'm going to have to end it soon. He’s becoming too clingy."
Emery huffs in amusement. "It’s too bad. He's hot as hell."
"He is sexy with those whiskey eyes, but there's really no connection on my part, and the sex really isn't all that."
Emery puckers her lips and turns up her nose. "How can you look like that and not know how to work it?" She shakes her head in disbelief.
I laugh at her question. "I don't know, girl, but it's been too long since I've had amazing sex."
She gasps in shock. "Now, I just feel sorry for you."
Mumbling, "Me too," I sigh deeply. I remember what great sex was like once in my life.
We finish off the bottle before starting on another while we talk more about the kids, the band, and the upcoming tour. We both fall asleep on the couch until her phone begins to ring. Dawson shows up to carry her to his truck, I trek to my bedroom, fall face first on my bed, and in no time, I’m back to sleep.