Page 31 of One Percent of You

“Can I have one too?” Lucy asked.

“You’d be interested in something like that?” He sounded surprised again.

She nodded her head vigorously. “Can I paint mine pink?”

He chuckled. It was a deep sound. One I felt in my stomach. “I don’t think they offer pink paint in the kit. If they don’t, I can find some pink for you.”

“And blue for Bubby.” My heart warmed at that. Lucy was coming around to liking Eli more. She wasn’t as jealous, and she thought he was pretty funny when he laughed. Said he looked like an old person without teeth.

“We can make him one too,” he told her, then he gazed up at me. I realized I had been smiling the entire time since Elijah’s attention wasn’t on me.

“Do you want a piece of cake?” I asked quickly, hurrying into the kitchen with Eli in my arms.

I heard his knees crack as he got up and followed me. I pulled the cake out of the fridge and cut him a piece before asking. “We have juice and milk…”

“Milk’s fine.” I opened the cabinet. His arm reached past me before I grabbed the glass.

“I can get it.” Elijah’s deep voice rumbled.

“Nonsense. You’re a guest.” I took the glass from his hand, filled it with chocolate milk—he said he liked it—and gave it to him.

I wasn’t sure if I should sit down at the table with him or not.

Elijah was in my apartment. How did that happen?

“Is today really your birthday?” I blurted.

He looked up at me while eating. “It is. I’d be at work otherwise, but they ran me out today on account of what day it is.”

Slowly, I took a seat across from him. I studied him, or more accurately, his tattoos and finally asked, “May I ask what it is you do?”

“I own two tattoo parlors.” Another bite.

“Two?”

Wow, that explained his tattoos.

“Yeah, one’s back in Jeffrey though.”

“Why two?”

“Can’t give up my first baby because I moved back home.” His lips tipped up on the right side, and he gave me a shy smolder. “At least, I’m not ready to let it go just yet.” His gaze skimmed over me blatantly before he took the last bite of his cake. “Do you have any tattoos?”

I shook my head. “No, but I’ve always wanted one. Just never really had time to get one.”

He smirked, tipping his head to the side as if remembering something. “Lucy made a comment when she first saw my tattoos. Something about her grandpa not liking tattoos or maybe he thought they were ugly.”

“Yeah, he’s stuck in his ways.” The understanding gleam in his eyes and grin made me smile too. “My dad’s a good person though.”

“Hank wasn’t a fan of them either when I first decided tattooing was something I wanted to do for a living. Now he has a few.”

“Hank?”

“My mom’s husband.” I didn’t ask why he didn’t say stepdad. The way he smirked at the memory told me he was fond of him regardless of why he didn’t.

Carrying her ponies now, Lucy scooted the chair out beside Elijah. She laid out her toys on the table and sat down. “Do you like scary stuff, Elijah? Is that why you have them on your arms?”

This little listener. I should have known she was sitting around eavesdropping. My child was a creeper, a very observant one.

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