Page 111 of Until the Ink Dries

“Whatchu got on my forty, homie?” Shirah asked Benny as she bounced her happy ass through the door.

Jordan was right behind her, throwing up fake gang signs with his fingers.

I shook my head at my best friend and Benny’s.

“If y’all don’t get the fuck outta here,” Benny said, grinning.

He walked over to dap Jordan and hug Shy. Today was the grand opening of his new tattoo shop,Too Off The Wall. After everything that happened with Tierra, he decided to open a smaller shop in another location. The other shop was still open, but this was his premiere location for exclusive clients. I knew he just needed peace from that situation without constant triggering reminders.

“For real, though,” Shirah said, looking around. “Are you gonna let me get a freebie? You know, just to test your skills.”

“Girl, ain’t your man a millionaire?” Benny asked, pointing at Jordan.

“First of all, Jordan isn’t my man,” Shirah corrected him. “We’re friends… with a little bit of benefits.”

Jordan frowned. “Ain’t nothing little about my benefit.”

“Okay!” I said, clasping my hands together. “I didn’t need to hear or know that.”

He shrugged. “I’m just saying. Anyway, congratulations, my brotha. I’m so damn proud of you, Ben. You know I told the team about this. They should be filling your books soon.”

“I appreciate that, J. It feels good to be here. This is a new beginning.”

I smiled. We had more new beginnings than he knew. Today was a day of celebration. I figured now was good a time as any. I walked over to the DJ Benny hired to get the microphone.

I had a cute little speech planned to show my man how much I appreciated him. Before the DJ could hand it over to me, I felt a tap against my side. I looked down to see Charlie with a big grin.

“Yes, Ms. Charlie?”

She tilted her head to the side and swung her dress lightly with her hands clasped in front of her.

“I want to say something too, Ms. Willow.”

I nodded and looked back at the DJ who had been waiting patiently to hand over the microphone. I took it from his outreached hand, then walked over to the bar in the corner to grab my glass. I went back to stand in front of the DJ’s booth.

“Can I get everyone’s attention for a moment?” I asked.

I stood for a moment, looking at the mix between my people and Ben’s. It only made this moment sweeter. My eyes latched onto the one man who today was all about. Benjamin Davis was everything and more. He deserved all of this.

“Thank you! Baby, come up here for a second,” I told him.

Benny nodded and strolled up to the front to stand beside Charlie and me. Before I could say a word, he leaned in to kiss me briefly before allowing me to speak.

“You and that man need to save it for home!” Shirah shouted, causing everyone to laugh.

I rolled my eyes and waved her off before bringing the mic up to my lips.

“First, I want to thank all of you for coming out to celebrate my man’s new opening! If anyone deserves this, it’s him. When I first ran into him at Chrome, it was a little rocky, granted my fault, but life was having its way with me. Thanks, Duke!”

Duke held his hand up with a nod, then continued to munch on his skittles.

“I was on a journey of rediscovering myself, not knowing that in the process, I would uncover love with two of the most special people in my life.” I reached out and touched both Benny and Charlie’s chins. “They have given me something I never knew I needed and I’m so happy to share my life with both of you.”

I leaned in and kissed Benny’s lips before raising my glass, prompting everyone else to do so as well.

“To Benjamin Davis. We are so proud of you, and we can’t wait to see how much further this venture takes you.”

“To Benjamin!” the crowd cheered.

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