Page 20 of What About Now

He grins. Damn, that grin and those straight white teeth are a lethal combination. “Let me rephrase. That’s all because of you. Only you.” He kisses the tip of my nose before releasing his hold on me.

“Damn swoon book,” I grumble, loud enough that he can hear me. He tosses his head back in laughter, and I love the sound. Maddox is a laid-back guy. He’s easy to like and fun to be around.

The next six months won’t be lonely, but I have a feeling the after will be worse than when Briar and the girls moved out. Only time will tell.

Once we have his truck packed up, it’s close to time that he needs to be at the shop. “Take my car,” I offer. “I’ll drive your truck to the house and get everything unloaded.”

“I don’t want you lugging in all of this.”

“Well, what do you suggest? You have to be at the shop in forty minutes.”

He ponders this for a few minutes. “How about I just pull my truck into the garage? That way it’s not out in the weather, and you take me to work, and I can get one of the guys to drop me off after work, and then I’ll be home.”

“I can pick you up too,” I offer. It feels like the right thing to do.

“Nah, I don’t want you out on the roads after dark. It’s supposed to snow. I’m sure one of the guys will drop me off.”

“Okay. Well, you better get moving. We’ll hit a drive-thru and get you some food to scarf down before you have to start. I don’t need you passing out while trying to mark someone’s skin permanently.”

“Babe, you do realize it’s only the person getting ink that gets lightheaded, right?” he asks, humor lacing his tone.

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go, Lanigan.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He rushes to pull his truck into his detached garage while I make my way through the house, turning off the lights, and locking the door. I meet him at my car, and he opens the door for me. It’s on the tip of my tongue to remind him that he doesn’t need to do that, but it’ll be wasted words. Instead, I smile and say, “Thank you,” as I slide behind the wheel.

Thirty minutes later, I pull up outside the shop to drop him off. He’s got his food in his hands when he leans over and kisses my cheek. “Let me know you make it home. Thank you for the ride.”

“Wives give their husbands a ride to work sometimes, right?” I shrug like it’s no big deal, but the smile on Maddox’s face tells me that it is. “What’s with the cheesy smile?”

“You called me your husband.” He winks and climbs out of the car. I don’t pull away until I see that he’s inside. The entire drive home, I’m lost in thought. Today was good. I enjoy spending time with him. I’m also excited for him to come home to me.

I’m in so much trouble.

CHAPTER

SIX

Maddox

Stepping into the shop with a bag of fast food in my hand feels different. I’ve done this exact thing more times than I can count, but this time, I’m a married man. A married man that ignores the two ladies in the waiting room making eyes at me. I pretend like I don’t see them. I’m not interested.

Just like that.

Overnight, my world has changed, and I’m embracing it. “Hey,” I greet Drake, who is working at the front desk today. “I still have a two o’clock, right?” I ask.

He glances down at the computer. “Still on the books. No calls yet, and they’re not here.”

We don’t have no-shows often, but we do require a deposit to schedule, and if they are a no-show, that deposit is nonrefundable. It helps offset the loss of income. However, we all have waiting lists, and our number of walk-ins grows every day. Some more than others. Today, though, I’m good with my client not showing up. That means I get to go home to my wife earlier than expected.

“There he is!” Lachlan says, stepping out of his office, following a client to the front desk to check out. He shakes his client's hand and follows me into my office. “How’s married life?” he asks, amusement in his tone.

“Fucking fantastic.” I grin as I pull food out of the bag.

“And then there was one.” He laughs.

I shrug. “How’s your day been?”

“Fine as frog hair. That was my last client of the day. My afternoon rescheduled.”

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