She does as I say without protest, completely trusting me, and I get my equipment ready in record time. I’ve done a few trial runs to make sure I can set up as fast as possible.
When I push her shirt up, she watches me. She doesn’t try to hide her scars from me anymore, even though I can tell she hates it when I look at them. She tenses when I brush my fingers over a few scars, but she doesn’t bat my hands away.
After I clean the section, I pull out a pre-made stencil I drew up, and press it to her skin. After temporary ink settles in, I remove the stencil and let her see the small eagle imprint.
“What are you doing?” she asks as I pick up the gun.
There will be times where I have to free hand this, considering how quickly an attack hits. I’m good at free-handing though, so I’m not worried.
“Giving you a tattoo,” I tell her as the gun starts up.
She doesn’t try to stop me, which is one of the many things I’ve always loved about her. Mika is spontaneous, and she trusts me.
When the gun makes contact, she doesn’t even flinch, even though the skin has to be tender. I take my time, going over the outline, permanently marking her skin. When I get done with the outline, I turn off the gun and look up at her.
“Feel that?” I ask her.
“Um… Yeah. I’m not numb.”
I laugh lightly while dabbing away the excess ink and blood.
“I mean do you feel what it does? It’s not as painful as cutting, but I think this could work for the worst times. To relieve the pressure, you know?”
Her eyes water as she stares at me, and I half wonder if I’ve fucked up by bringing this up. She swallows audibly then clears her throat.
“Yeah. I think it would work,” she says in a rasp whisper as a tear falls from her eye.
I smile at her before changing out the ink, but she catches my hand before I can resume the process.
“Something wrong?”
She shakes her head before tugging at me, and I lean in to press my lips to hers. She doesn’t kiss me hard, but the kiss is one full of everything she feels, and I half consider fucking her in the reclining chair.
When I pull back, she nods at me, and I flash her one more smile before resuming shading in the eagle. It might sound crazy, but maybe this is why I learned to be a tattooist.
Life is a bitch, but sometimes that bitch knows what she’s doing.
Epilogue
MIKA
Ten years later…
“Aunt Mika! Make him stop!” Kayla squeals while wrapping her little arms around my leg.
At seven, she’s freakishly strong, because I can’t pry her off me enough to pick her up. Laughing, Chase lunges, but she squeals and buries her face in my leg as though that’s going to protect her.
He wrangles her off me with very little effort, and a shrill scream pierces the air when he tickles her. She finally dissolves into giggles when he stops, and she breathes out in relief before racing back toward the house.
She loves spending the summers with us.
Aidan is locked upstairs in his room with Whit. Never would have thought they’d end up together, but I couldn’t be happier they did. They gave me a beautiful, precious, sweet niece, after all.
We’ve added on to the house so everyone had their own rooms. Aidan and Whit only stay the summers here, and visit on holidays. Hunter and his wife have their own room, and their son has his own room as well. We’ll have to add on again if they pump out any more babies.
Chase grins at me as he comes to wrap his arms around my waist, tugging me to him as his lips brush mine.
“Ever wish we could have had children?” I ask as I wrap my arms around his neck.