Broken but Breathing (Jinx Tattoos 2)

He smiled down at the little girl wrapped around his arms. You know you got your Uncle Snake wrapped around your chubby little finger, don’t you, baby girl? Dressed in her brightly colored tutu complete with loud pink leggings and a bright pink sweater over a white T-shirt she was every inch the birthday girl. She blinked up at him, and he kept her smaller body close to his own as they headed into his version of hell for the day. The bounce house extravaganza was a toddler’s dream, but a bachelor’s nightmare.

Of course, you only turned one once. Plus, his goddaughter, Aoife Jordan deserved it. She had a rough start in life. Found in the woods abandoned, malnourished, and helpless, she’d stolen her father Enzo’s heart. The man had come to the Wild Ones to doctor paperwork and officially make the blue-eyed baby his. Now, Snake couldn’t imagine life without his tiny sweetheart. She helped ease the ache that came from losing Jocelyn.

It ate him up, not being able to bury his baby girl because they’d never found a body. What little was left of his wife had told them the assailants used an accelerant to destroy the evidence. The Sheriff had told him as small as his daughter was, there would be nothing left to find. It never sat right with him. They wanted to make him hurt. Nothing would do that more than having his daughter’s body show up at a later date. For months after, he’d expected to step out and find her remains in his car, or on his temporary property. Every phone call made him hold his breath. Years later, he was still waiting for that call. There was a lack of closure available. He needed to know what had happened to her and where her remains lie. It was past time he brought his baby girl home and laid her to rest.

“Nake,” Aoife babbled. Her sweet voice helped him push the darkness away. Today of all days, he wouldn’t live in the past.

“Brother, I can’t even begin to express how out of place you look in this joint,” Enzo remarked, coming up behind him with his arm wrapped around his wife.

“Yeah, yeah. Keep it up and I won’t help you set up for these little monster,” Snake said playfully.

“Thank you for coming early,” Enzo’s wife, Aibhlinn, said.

“Anything for my bes

t girls,” Snake remarked.

She grinned, and he was nearly blinded by her glowing skin and brilliant white teeth. They stepped inside the toddler room they’d rented out for the next hour, and shrugged out of their coats.

“Holy shit, Aib, you popped,” he exclaimed, taking in her small belly.

“I know! I went to sleep last night, woke up, and there he was proud and prominent.”

“Like his Da,” Enzo teased, impersonating her Irish brogue.

“Aye, like his Da. I’m in trouble for sure.” Shaking her head ruefully, she released a light moan.

Snake snickered. “Should’ve thought about that beforehand, Irish.”

She shrugged. Her blue-green eyes sparkled with joy, and if Enzo smiled any bigger, his face would split. It was sickening and nice to see at the same time. The couple had battled a lot to get to this place.

“Five more months until the family expands and Aoife becomes a big sister. Are you ready for that, baby girl?” Aib cooed, holding out her hands as she took the baby powder scented bundle away.

“Where’s the cake?”

“Colleen’s going to bring it any minute now. They do pretty much almost everything for you here, but Aib made little goodie bags for us to set out and some gluten free muffins for kids who might have allergies.”

“How PC,” Snake said.

Enzo rolled his eyes. “Parent politics, man. It’s the worst part of being a dad.”

Snake smirked. He remembered that well. “I can imagine.”

“I’d kill to see you as a dad, man. You wouldn’t put up with the bullshit.”

“It’s a lot of give and take, raising a baby. Even the hardest motherfucker makes nice to keep their kid from being ostracized. Now I didn’t say he’d take shit. Just that he would take care with his words and actions around those who’d hold it against the innocent. I see the struggle a lot with my brothers in the club who have kids. People think you’re trash just because your old man rides a bike and belongs to a club. We set them straight. I feel bad for the girls. They seem to get it worse as they grow older.”

Enzo’s brow furrowed. “Damn. Kids are crueler than they used to be.”

“Won’t argue you with you there,” he said. He peered around the room, taking in all of the activities full of levers, knobs, locks, and interlocking gears that turned. The bright colors, and overly friendly animals gave him the willies. He and Jade had been minimalists when it came to Jocelyn as an infant. There were plenty of solids, neutral colors, and prints for clothing and baby gear. They’d planned on stair-stepping them, so they didn’t start buying all the pink and bows until she was older and began to show an affinity for certain things. His heart ached, and he glanced away from the sight of Aoife and Aibhlinn playing on a mat in the corner. Get a grip, man. You just got here. It’ll be an hour before you can slip away.

Colleen stepped inside the building. He hurried from the room, using the excuse of helping her to cover for his abrupt departure.

“Let me take that for you, Colleen.”

“Ach, thank you, sweetheart. You ready to face these rambunctious tykes?”

“I have a flask in my jacket, just in case,” he replied with a wink.