Page 99 of Defect
“Yeah. I told her I’d visit her after I got off work.” I raised an eyebrow and looked at him for further explanation. “You know I’m not going over there. I only said that to get her to leave once I saw Vince walking toward you.” Hearing Vince’s name made fresh images of Malachi being snatched away from me flood my brain. Tears pricked my eyes before they fell down my face.
“I hated letting him go,” I sniffled, looking down at my hands. I ran my fingers lightly over the red string and it made me feel a little better.
“Me too. That shit tore me up inside, I can’t even lie. He called me a superhero and I couldn’t even save him from his fucking father. Solo, we have to get custody of him. He cannot live with Vince anymore. All I’m going to think about is if he’s eaten or not or if he’s scared because his dad is on a rampage.” Ezra sat in the parking lot for a minute to gather his thoughts and I fully understood. There had been times when I left Malachi and sat in my car and cried for twenty minutes before I could pull off.
“I know you have a class to teach in an hour but can I take you somewhere real quick? I need to see that smile to take my mind off this fucked up situation.” Ezra looked to me for an answer and I nodded emphatically. I needed the same thing. I couldn’t help crying every time I replayed Malachi begging to stay with Ezra and me. I put on Drake’s newest CD and tried to stop thinking about it while Ezra drove me somewhere.
When we pulled into the parking lot of a tattoo shop I sat up a little straighter and took the seatbelt off. “A tattoo shop?” I quizzed.
“Yeah. My treat. Come on.” We walked into the empty shop and the woman behind the counter was eager to help Ezra right away.
“Hi, welcome to Whiskey Skulls Tattoo Shop. What are you looking for today?” She batted her lashes at him and he smiled politely.
“I want to get a tattoo for my girl,” he tossed his arm around my shoulders and the woman’s smile slipped a little.
“Oh…sure, okay. What can I do for you? We’re not busy at all so take your time looking through what we have on the walls.”
“Nah, I want something personal. Can you put a red string around her ring finger?” He held up my left hand and pointed to the string that was still firmly tied around my finger.
“Aww, that’s so cute. Okay, we can do that in no time. Have a seat and I’ll get the forms.”
“Is that cool with you, Solo?” He asked me.
“Of course it’s cool with me.” I smiled and rubbed the back of my finger. “It’ll look really cute peeking up from under my ring.”
“To remind you that I’ve always wanted you. Even before we had a wedding date or a one-year anniversary. I wanted you. Even before Malachi has siblings…I wanted you.” He rubbed my stomach and kissed my neck, making me tingle from my scalp to the soles of my feet. I wanted him too. I wanted him more than he knew. I wanted him no matter what anyone else would say about us.
I filled out the forms for the tattoo and sat in the chair while the tattooist cleaned my skin. I heard the familiar buzz of the tattoo gun and got a rush of adrenaline. It was just as exciting as getting engaged. I didn’t need all the fanfare. I only needed Ezra and his sincere commitment.
Fifteen minutes later, I was the proud owner of a red string tattoo on my ring finger. Forever a reminder that Ezra was mine and I was his. I didn’t expect for Ezra to get a matching red string tattoo on his fourth finger as well. When he sat down after I was done, my eyes widened in shock but a smile burned the corners of my lips.
“What? I’m yours too…remember?” He winked at me and my heart soared.
I could never forget in a million years that he belonged to me.
…
EZRA
Little by little, Sun Goddess started coming back together. Honestly, it was turning out to be even better than it was before. The bay window got fixed and Solana picked out a new design to go on the glass. It was transparent enough to let the sun through but it was private enough so that nobody from the street could look in. I knew that decision was made so I could fuck her in the warmth of the sun without anyone seeing.
I wasn’t mad at it.
The same day it got installed, we tested its privacy and I made love to her against the window while people walked by. It lived up to the hype because nobody noticed.
We both busted our asses to get the studio back up and running for classes. It took weeks between her teaching classes at the college, me filling orders for my teas on Etsy, her meeting with the lawyer for Malachi’s custody case, and everything in between but it started to shape up and in another couple of weeks, it would be ready. Solana had already started taking private clients in-studio again.
I’d made enough money in a few weeks off my gourmet tea blends so that I could get my own car. It was used and it had some issues but it got me where I needed to go and I paid for it in cash. It saved me from having to fold myself into Solo’s yellow tin can.
The Sunflower Tea Company was actually taking off and I wasn’t even shocked. Every day Solana spoke positivity over me before we stepped out of the door and I saged her from the tip of her head to her toes. I knew her mind was going crazy with the back and forth between her and Vince.
Some days, he would let her have Malachi and then he’d snatch him back. It wasn’t enough time for us to help him gain weight though. It pissed me off in ways I can’t explain. There were no words.
Even though the lawyer Solo worked with had a case a mile long that he guaranteed her would get her custody of Malachi, we still had to wait weeks for the hearing. Sometimes, I needed several meditation sessions before I was okay with handing Malachi over to his father. The more time I spent with that little boy, the more I loved him. The more I wanted to be the superhero he saw when he looked at me.
Sitting in Sun Goddess with Solana, watching her pour over the dozens of new clients rolling in, I knew she needed something to take her mind off everything. I also knew she wasn’t really concentrating on those clients. She was thinking about Malachi.
I made a mug of her namesake tea and took it to her at the front desk. “You wanna talk about it?” I asked her quietly. She rubbed my hand and sighed softly.
