Page 90 of Beyond Oblivion

Worry prickled in my stomach. Doubling everything to have at the shop was going to be expensive. “I don’t know how we’re going to swing it. I guess we can put those things in our baby shower registry and cross our fingers?”

Without missing a beat, Calvin’s voice called from down the hall, “Use the company credit card. Consider it your Christmas bonus.”

The three of us froze. Trenton shook his head slowly, a grin spreading across his face. “Beneath all that gruff, he’s just a teddy bear.”

I looked down at my hand resting against my middle, a smile tugging at my lips. It wasn’t going to be as scary as I thought.

The front door chimed as Beck and Sylvie strolled in, the scent of Beck’s cologne mixing with the familiar bite of disinfectant and fresh ink.

Beck clapped and rubbed his hands together, flashing that easy grin. “Alright, what’d we miss?”

Sylvie set her purse onto the front desk, her braids shifting over one shoulder. “Yeah, y’all have a look. Either something juicy happened, or we just landed a celebrity client.”

Hazel and I burst out laughing. I shook my head, wiping at my eyes. “No, no, nothing like that,” I said, still grinning. “But… Idohave some news.” I pressed a hand against my stomach, my gaze dancing between them and then landing on Trenton. “We’re having a baby.”

Trenton seemed as if his heart might explode from his chest, watching me so easily share the news.

Their explosive reaction was instant. Sylvie gasped, her hands flying up to her mouth, while Beck’s eyes widened before his whole face split into a grin. “No shit?No shit!” he hollered, grabbing me into a careful but enthusiastic hug before passing me off to Sylvie, who practically squeezed the air out of me.

Hazel clapped her hands together. “We’re getting ashop baby!” she cheered. “Cami and Trent are gonna bring the little nugget to work—tattoos and tummy time, it’s gonna be iconic.”

Sylvie pulled back, her eyes shimmering. “Oh my goodness, I’m so happy for you guys.”

Beck shook his head, still grinning. “Man, we gotta throw a party or something. Invite every baddie in town. Do you know how much ass I’ll get holding a baby? Damn…”

Sylvie shot her brother a look and nudged him with her elbow. “Not at the same time, ya nasty.”

“Hell no, Sylvie! The fuck?” Beck replied, appalled.

“Alright, alright.” I laughed. “Let’s pace ourselves. I’ve still got a few months to go.”

Sylvie playfully tugged at my shirt. “Yeah, but we only have so much time to find baby-sized band tees and tiny Doc Martens.”

Hazel gasped. “Matching flannels!”

Beck chuckled, shaking his head. “Kid’s about to be the most stylish baby in town.”

I looked around at my little shop family, overwhelmed with how much love already surrounded this baby. Yeah, this was going to bereallygood.

As the afternoon light waned, casting long shadows across the shop, the steady hum of Trenton’s tattoo machine became a comforting rhythm in the background. The hours passed as I moved about the building, from the front desk checking in clients to turning in paperwork to Calvin to taking calls. Every now and then, I’d steal a glance into Trenton’s room.

Even after years of watching him in his element, the thrill of seeing Trenton bring his art to life on someone’s skin never faded. His hands moved with a steady precision, every stroke deliberate, each design forming under his focused gaze. There was something captivating about the confidence he radiated while doing what he loved, knowing people had come from all over the country just to carry his artwork with them for the rest of their lives.

Hazel’s easy banter floated to the front during every appointment, her blunt responses and off-color jokes putting even the most anxious clients at ease. With each interaction, we fell into a steady rhythm—small talk, buzzing machines, the sharp scent of antiseptic—giving the shop an odd sense of calm as daylight surrendered to the night.

I’d barely noticed the shift in energy when the last client waved goodbye. My eyes were trained on the night audit, fingers moving across the keyboard out of habit more than anything else. The click and hum of the computer filled the quiet as the rest of the shop settled into the final routine of the day. Calvin had headed out shortly after lunch. Beck and Sylvie wrapped up their closing tasks and had just headed out for the night, their laughter still lingering in the air. That left only the steady sound of Hazel’s sweeping, mingling with Trenton’s low, easy voice as he chatted with me from across the lobby.

“So, when are we thinking of pulling the trigger to build up the baby inventory?” Trenton asked, his voice barely louder than the sweep of Hazel’s broom. “It’s too early, right? But, I mean, it’s also not a bad thing to get a jump start. Spreading out the purchases over eight months seems better than waiting and dropping a load of cash all at once.”

A small smile crept onto my face, though I kept my eyes fixed on the screen. The pregnancy still felt surreal—no longer just our secret, yet somehow more real in that quiet moment after hours, the shop dimly lit by the soft glow of shelf lights and the hum of the neon sign against the window.

“We’ve got time,” I murmured, the words meant for both of us. But the truth of those words sank in, settling over me. “We should probably just get the stuff we’re not including on the baby shower registry.”

Hazel dumped the dirt and dust bunnies into the trash bin, banging the pan and breaking my focus. “All right,” she said, sighing. She moved to the front, reaching for the neon sign by the window. Just after switching it off, she paused, her eyes narrowing at something outside.

“Trent,” she called, voice tight. “There are two cars idling in the back of the parking lot with their lights off.”

I frowned and looked up at her, trying to find her face in the dim light. I walked over to join her at the shop’s front windows. Exhaust rose in clouds around the twin black SUVs, and a strange tension pulled at the air, tugging at something deep in me.

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