Page 27 of Jackson
He reached down and took my hand in his. “Look at me, baby,” he whispered as Bridge got towork.
I screamed out but thankfully it was a quick process. Before my brain had time to register, it was done. I looked down to see a silver dragon’s head above my belly button and its tail trailing underneath. A blue stone for an eye looked up at me. It was the same colour of blue as Jackson’s eyes. Ismiled.
“I love it,” I said, as I wiped my eyes with my freehand.
“Sit up for a bit, have a look,” Jacksonsaid.
I shuffled up the bed. Although bloody and red, the butterfly had an outline, the shading underneath had been done and one wing was coloured in. It was absolutely stunning. It was situated exactly where the drawing had been, in line with my hip and just off to one side. Jackson handed me my beer, although not cold, I welcomed it. My lips weredry.
“I hurt,” I said with achuckle.
“I’ll make it better when we get home,” hesaid.
“I hopeso.”
“You need to keep moving the bar, it will sting a little but we can’t let it scabup.”
I smiled at him and then lay back down. He continued with the butterfly without speaking. Finally, he sprayed something on my stomach and wiped a tissue over it. He rested back on his stool and stretched out his back by raising his arms above his head. It was as he did that I noticed a large cut, just above the waistline of his jeans. Having seen me look, he quickly pulled his t-shirt down andstood.
I stared at his back as he turned to clean up the metal trolley. I was glad he had. I had half an idea what that cut was. His quickness to cover it, his lack of explanation, gave him away. I wanted to reach out to him, I wanted to speak but I didn’t. I had nowords.
“Can I look now?” I asked. I wanted to break thesilence.
He slowly turned to me. “Sure,here.”
He reached out with his hand to help me from the bed. We walked to a full-length mirror and what I saw took my breath away,again.
“Oh, Jack. It’s stunning. I don’t know what tosay.”
He gently pulled the paper towel away from the top of my panties. I watched his reflection in the mirror as he studied the tattoo. I also looked at the bellybar.
“Dane would have freaked,” Isaid.
“Good.”
“I love it, thankyou.”
I raised my hand to his cheek and he leaned into my touch before reaching up and sliding my hand to his lips. He gently kissed mypalm.
“You’rewelcome.”
He turned to finish cleaning his workstation and I stood at the mirror. I gently ran my fingers over the tattoo, it was sore, very sore, and although Jack had told me when it healed I’d be able to see the colours better, the vibrancy of the blues and green popped out against my paleskin.
“Jack, can you do something forme?”
I turned to walk back to the bed and climbed on. “Put your name underneath, sign it forme.”
“You want my name on your body? Forever?” hesaid.
“Yes,forever.”
He must have known that I’d seen the word, ‘Summer’ on his side. Although a dragon snaked around the letters, it was clear to see. It was another thing that we’d never spokenabout.
He dipped the gun in black ink and swiftly drew his signature under the tattoo. It took no more than a minute, and I loved that it was his signature and not just his name; it felt a little morepersonal.
