Page 6 of Inked Soul

It’s strange, sitting here eating dinner with a virtual stranger and feeling more content than I have in the past year. Actually, it is probably far longer than that. My marriage was strained and uncomfortable long before I caught my husband cheating.

I don’t know this man, but I do know he is easy to be around. And I am insanely attracted to him, not that I will be acting on any of the dirty thoughts running through my mind. I am a mother now and I can’t just throw caution to the wind.

“Tell me,” he says after finishing his first slice of pizza. “Where is Tyler’s father?”

“Why?” The word comes out more defensively than I intended.

He chuckles. “Relax, Abbi. I just want to make sure some dude isn’t going to take a tire iron to my truck when he finds out I spent half the day assembling his woman’s furniture.”

I watch him carefully, looking for any indication that he is being dishonest. Not that I would be able to tell. I’m shit at picking up on people who are actively screwing me over if my history is anything to go by. Everyone knew Darren was a cheating dickhead and kept it from me, even people I thought were my friends.

“He isn’t in the picture,” I say, trying to decide what exactly I want to say. “Darren and I have been divorced a little over nine months.”

“Nine months?” he asks in shock. “How old is Tyler?”

“Three months tomorrow,” I say with a shrug, stuffing more pizza into my mouth, hoping he’ll let it go.

“What a prick.”

He looks angry. What a strange reaction. I think of all the friends I shared with my husband, people I loved like family, who simply pushed me aside when we got divorced. Everyone blamed me for the demise of my marriage. All those that lied to me and helped him hide his affairs. And yet, this man who has only seen me twice automatically takes my side.

“Why would you assume he was at fault?” I ask, curious about his thought process.

“I can’t think of a single thing that would make a married woman want to be a single pregnant woman, or a single mother for that matter.”

“What if I cheated?” I didn’t do a damn thing wrong but I want to know what he is thinking.

“Did you?” He raises a brow as he continues to watch me.

“No!” I’m immediately defensive.

He shrugs. “I already knew that,” he says. “I’m pretty good at reading people.”

“Tell me then. What do you see?” I want to know. For some reason, which I don’t understand, his opinion of me feels like something important.

He studies me for a moment before answering. “I see a woman who is overwhelmed by the circumstances she has found herself in. I see someone who wants to laugh and live but doesn’t, out of fear of being hurt again. I see a mother who loves her child. I see a fighter, a survivor, a damn strong woman.”

I feel tears gather in my eyes. It’s been a long time since someone said anything nice to me.

“That’s a lot to see in only two encounters,” I joke, trying to break the tension.

“I’m observant like that.”

Laughter bubbles out of me at his serious expression.

“So, what do you do for a living?” Luke asks, steering the conversation to something lighter.

“I’m a veterinarian. I used to have a practice in the city.” I love animals. And I really have missed working with them. I can’t wait to get back to work.

“And now?” He leans forward, completely focused on me.

“Now ... I need to start over. Find a premises and build a new client base.”

He chuckles. “My best friend is going to be stoked about this. He always has to take Tyson to the city if anything happens.”

“Tyson?” I ask, leaning forward as well.

“My friend, Alistair, has a rescue pit bull he loves like a child, and he has been slowly but surely adding to his ever-growing brood. He can’t leave a stray or a rescue alone to save his life. My sister doesn’t help matters. She keeps adopting animals and taking them to his house because she can’t have them in the apartment.”

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