INKED 8: A Tattoo Shop Reverse Harem

"You're sounding selfish," Dex says, "But whatever. Let's see what Kyla says. Just make sure you try to ascertain if she's feeling pressured. She's such a good person. I worry she'd give in just because she didn't want to disappoint you. Especially since you're going last."

"It was always a risk," I say. "But I'm not worried."

I don't make it back to the shop until late afternoon. When I arrive, Kyla isn't at the reception desk, and the bowl is gone too. My heart drops in my chest like a pebble into a pool, the rippling of anxiousness a cool ache inside me. Carl hears the door and sticks his head out of his office, asking for an update.

"It's all sorted," I tell him. He wants to know more, but for once, I don't embellish. What's the point of me going to handle things if he wants to micromanage everything from afar? When he concedes, his eyes flick to the door of his office.

"She picked out your date," he whispers. "I watched her do it."

"And?"

"She folded it and slid it into the pocket of her jeans."

"Did she look for me?"

Carl nods solemnly. "I told her you wouldn't be back until later, but if she wanted to go ahead with the date tonight, it would be okay."

"What did she say?"

Carl blinks slowly as though he's delivering news that he's worried might seem good but could be bad. His hands, which are linked together, wring against the desk. "She said yes."

"That's good, right?"

"Maybe. Or maybe she just wants it all over with. I just…there was something about her expression that I couldn’t read. Something that felt…"

He trails off, and I wait for him to continue, but he doesn't.

"We only get one chance," I say softly. "We can't blow it. Me and you…it all hinges on tonight."

"I know," he agrees, standing and turning to the wall, his hands linking again but this time behind his back. "This could go really wrong," he says. "The rest of them could get carried away. Maybe she won't like it at all."

"I trust them," I say. "You should too."

When Carl turns, his icy blue eyes seem to soften into a warmer tone. "I should," he says softly. "That's on me."

I guess that Carl has always been the one who's existed slightly more on the outside of our friendship. He's the only one without a brother, the only one who isn't part of a twin or triplet set. We each have a blood connection, as close or annoying as it can be. It definitely affects the strength of bonds, but I had hoped after all this time that he'd know that we have his back like a real blood brother.

"I'll leave now to get our place ready," I say. I don't make it a question, but Carl nods anyway.

"See Kyla before you leave, though. She'll need it."

When I'm done with Carl, I find Kyla in the kitchen fixing herself a glass of water. "Hey," I say softly, not wanting to make her jump.

Her head turns, finding me filling the doorway. I can't read her expression. All I can sense is some trepidation. "You picked out my date," I say, even though I already know the answer.

"I see why you saved it until last," she says. "It really will be a grand finale."

Her last word tightens around my heart, like a clinging vine around a stem. I don't want anything about tonight to be final. I want it to be a grand beginning, if there is such a thing. The start of something amazing. The change we all need to bring us together and root us as a unit. This girl might be small. She might lack confidence in herself and need to be organized to almost crazy levels to hold herself together, but she has power. Power to love and power to bond. Power to make all of us devoted to her, and to the life we can make with her.

"It'll be great," I say. "I promise."

Her hand grips the counter as though the very thought of what's to come has her seeking stability. "I won't be enough," she says quietly.

Instinct carries me nearer until I'm close enough to touch her. Pushing her hair over one shoulder, I stroke her neck gently with my thumb, cupping the back of her neck with my palm.

"You're more than enough, Kyla," I whisper. "Trust me."

She doesn't nod, but she doesn't deny it either. Maybe I can't fully convince her with words, but we will with actions. We will later when she becomes the center of our universe, the sun we all want to orbit.

I'll show everyone how right it can be, and then the talking, the convincing, will be almost done without me saying a word.

That night, we gather in the den of the apartment I share with my brothers. Kyla's been here before with Noah, so there's no doubt in my mind that she'll find the place. There's a restlessness in the air that isn't usually present. The TV is on, and a football game is being watched with minimal attention as we make conversation that avoids any discussion of what's going to happen.