Page 56 of What About Now

She peers up at me, setting her phone to the side. “Yes?”

“Dance with me.”

“Here?” She glances around the living room.

“Were you more interested in a mattress tango instead?” I wag my eyebrows.

“What am I going to do with you?” She chuckles, placing her hand in mine, allowing me to pull her off the couch and into my arms. “Dance With You” by Brett Young begins to play, and it couldn’t be more perfect.

“Dance with me.” I smile down at her, tugging her close. I don’t want an inch of space between us as I sway to the beat and softly sing the lyrics in her ear. She melts into me, which has me closing my eyes and memorizing this moment. Maybe we should make this an after-nap tradition too. I’m down for anything that keeps her in my arms.

She might not be able to say it yet, but I feel it. I feel her opening up to me more and more every day, and I can see our future so clearly. There are so many more nights like this. Just the two of us hanging out together, barefoot and dancing in our pajamas. Then, days like today where we spend time with our family, and so much more. Our kids are dancing around us. I see it all like a vivid movie reel in my mind.

When the song ends, she lifts her head, and there are tears swimming in her eyes, but her smile lights a fire inside my soul. I move my hands to cradle her cheeks and kiss her. I take my time tasting her, showing her that this is one of the moments. One that we’ll cherish and look back on for years to come.

When the doorbell rings, I groan and my wife chuckles. “You need food.”

“I was holding my food,” I counter.

“Your food is hungry.” She kisses the corner of my mouth and pulls away to get the door.

I tug her back into me and crush my mouth to hers. The doorbell rings again, and I force myself to release her. “What about now?”

“What?” she asks, dazed.

“Are you still hungry?”

She nods. “Pizza. Right. I have to get the pizza.” She pulls away, and this time, I let her go. I grab us drinks, paper plates, and napkins so we can eat in the living room and start that new series she’s been talking about. We talk and laugh, and eat way too much, and it’s the best night. One I hope we’ll repeat over and over again.

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

Brogan

“Ready?” Maddox asks as we pull in front of the building and park. He’s practically bouncing in his seat.

“I’m ready.” I smile at him and his enthusiasm. He reminds me of the girls at Christmas or their birthday.

“I can’t wait to show you.” He reaches for his handle and looks back at me. “Stay put.”

I salute him. “Sir, yes, sir.” I laugh.

His eyes heat. “You can’t get me all turned on before I show you around,” he says, before climbing out of the truck and skipping to my side. He literally skips to get to my door, and his smile is infectious. “I can’t believe this is the first time you’re seeing it.” He nods toward the new Everlasting Ink building we’re parked in front of.

“Well, I’m here now, and I’m excited to see it.”

He grins, links his fingers with mine, and leads me inside. “Where is everyone?” I ask him.

“We’re early. Like an hour early.” He chuckles. “I just wanted time with you to show you around. So, this is the entrance.” He grins, waving his hands around the grand waiting room. “That’swhere Drake and Lyra will work. We’re probably going to need to hire more people, considering we have more space for guest artists to work.”

“How does that work?”

“The shop has gained a lot of recognition over the years. We have artists reaching out all the time wanting to do a guest spot. It’s more to help get their name out there. We require them to submit their work, and we vet them before agreeing to let them come to work in our shop. We’ve built this place on blood, sweat, and tears, and we aren’t willing to let someone who is shit at tattooing come in and tarnish our name.”

“So, they come and work for an undetermined amount of time?”

“Sometimes it’s a day, a weekend, a week, or even longer. It just depends on the situation. We didn’t really have room for it at the current shop, but we built extra rooms to allow for it here. We get a lot of walk-ins, and our lists are out six months and longer, so having guest artists come in helps keep that under control.”

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