Page 24 of Exposed Ink

As I look at my beautiful, smart, mature daughter, I can’t help but think about what Kinsley said today. I don’t know what happened, but somehow, she lost her daughter. And as I recall the tears that spilled from her devastated eyes as she confided in me that her daughter had died, it makes me so damn thankful that my daughter is alive and here to ask for insignificant things, like a nose piercing.

“Sure,” I say. “Let me know when you want to go, and I’ll take you girls.”

“Seriously?” Taylor gasps, obviously not expecting me to give in that easily.

“Seriously.”

“Thank you, Dad! You’re the best!”

Taylor hugs me and kisses my cheek. “Oh my God. I have to call Casey and let her know! Thank you.”

With one last hug, she disappears upstairs to her room while I stand in the kitchen and thank God for the blessings in my life.

And then, once I’ve done that, I say a little prayer for Kinsley because even though I don’t know exactly what happened, I know whatever it was, it must’ve been bad.

NINE

Kinsley

I will not thinkabout Shane.

I will not think about Shane.

I will not …

Dammit! I can’t stop thinking about him.

It’s been three days since he showed up at my shop and I tattooed him. Since I learned he had a daughter. Since I admitted out loud for the first time to someone other than my therapist and my family that I had a daughter and I was the reason she was gone.

“Her name was Brenna … and I killed her before she even had a chance to live.”

I’m not gonna lie. When I told Shane I killed her, a part of me was hoping my word choice would push him away.

Boy, my therapist is going to have a field day with that one when we meet next week.

It’s just that he was there, talking about his daughter, and I felt myself getting too close. So rather than stand by and risk getting burned, I put out the fire myself.

Only I didn’t because even after what I said, he didn’t look at me in horror, like someone would look at a murderer. Instead, his features were filled with sympathy and concern. And instead of running, he scheduled another damn appointment.

I tried to push him from my brain, telling myself he was just another client, but the way it felt when we shook hands after he proposed we start over and be friends told me that despite his possible good intentions, there was no being friends with that man.

My phone pings with a text from Natalia, asking if I’ll see her tomorrow at her parents’ house for the barbecue to introduce Melina’s boyfriend, James, to the family.

Me

Of course!

Natalia

Good. We can talk about how you tattooed that firefighter hottie Shane and didn’t tell me.

Me

My dad?

Natalia

You know our dads gossip like teenage girls when they play poker.

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