Page 44 of Connected By Love
“I don’t think he’s keeping it a secret,” Emma says. “He just hasn’t told you yet, kind of like what Noah did to me about being an author. It may not be a big deal to him, or maybe he wanted you to get to know him first before he told you how loaded he was. I’m not exactly sure why he still works as a tattoo artist if his portraits make so much, but maybe it’s something he loves and makes him happy. I still work three days a week at the library because it makes me happy, not because I need the money.”
“Are you going to tell him, you know?” Bella asks me.
“I’m not sure. I don’t think I’ll mention Addison until he’s ready to talk about it. If his art comes up, I’ll see what he says and play it by ear.”
“Sounds like a plan to me. It’s all going to work out. You’ll see.” Emma pats my arm, and I smile back at her, wishing with all my heart that she’s right on this one.
Chapter Eighteen
Travis
I lookup when Maverick and Bella walk in. I haven’t seen them since the night at Rusty’s. Smiling, I get up from behind the counter and walk over to them.
“You guys ready for your new ink?”
“I am, but this one is a little nervous.” Maverick grins down at Bella.
“First-time jitters are normal. I promise to go easy on you and explain everything step by step. The tattoo isn’t that big, so it will go by fast.”
“I’m more excited than nervous, I think. I’m just glad it’s you doing my first. I hear you’re really good at what you do.” She looks up and studies me, and I get the feeling she’s holding back on what she wants to say. I know she and Sophia are close, so I’m not sure what’s been said so far.
“Thanks. I do my best to give my clients what they want.” I motion to the private back room. “I thought we could do it in there since you both are getting one and I had a feeling Maverick would want to be right next to you. I already brought in an extra chair.”
“You thought right,” Mav grins at me. His eyes are the same green as Sophia and a pang of longing hits me. I’m not used to missing someone. I was more bothered than I care to admit when Sophia didn’t stay with me at all this week. On Monday, she said she had a lot of work to catch up on, and on Wednesday, she had promised her mom she would have dinner with her.
I don’t like needing or wanting someone this much. It puts me in a vulnerable state, and for the first time in my life, I find myself at someone else’s mercy. When Addison left, it hurt, but I knew deep down that I was going to be okay. It was Max that I hurt the worst for. With Sophia, though, the thought of her not in my life brings a paralyzing fear to my body and a certainty that it would destroy me.
“Let’s get you guys settled then.” I walk them to the private room and shut the door. “Who’s going first?”
“I’ll have Mav go first so I can watch and get a better feel for it.”
Maverick takes a seat in the chair and laughs. “I guess I’m going first.” He takes off his shirt and grins at Bella, who is watching his every move. I can feel the electricity between them as her eyes roam his body.
“So, where are you putting the tattoo?” I ask, clearing my throat and bringing them back to the present.
Bella breaks eye contact with Maverick and looks at me. “Right here on the left side under the heart.” She places her hand on his chest and shows me. “We want it close to our heart, but I also want to be able to see it when I wear a swimsuit. I didn’t want anything across my chest or directly on my breast, so we thought underneath would be a good spot, slightly below where a swimsuit bikini top would lay.”
I place the transfer on the spot she’s showing me and get to work when it’s exactly where they want it to be. Mav alreadyhas a ton of artwork down one arm, and across some of his chest, so this will be a simple tat compared to what he’s already had done.
“So, is there a story behind this tattoo? Usually, when couples get matching ones, there is meaning behind it.”
“It’s Perseus and Andromeda,” I hear Bella say as I start on the artwork. “Their love story is one of the greatest love stories of loyalty and love. When they died, the gods put them in the stars side by side as a reminder of how powerful love can be. The daisy flowers you intertwined into the constellation are my favorite flowers,” I look up and see her smiling back at Maverick. It’s clear how much they love each other, and I find myself thinking of Sophia again.
I break away from the moment they’re sharing and continue my work. “One of the better stories I’ve heard. I can’t tell you how many tattoos I’ve had to cover up over the years from couples who got drunk one night and branded their names on each other.”
Mav starts laughing, and I stop the needle to grin at him. “As much as I love Bell and would gladly put her name all over my body, I’m a bit superstitious about that. I feel like all couples who do that end up hating each other for some reason or another. Besides, I think tattoos should tell a story of bits and pieces of your life. I gave Bell her first daisy bouquet at twelve years old, and the stars have significant meaning to us. It was a no-brainer what we wanted when we decided to put our story on our bodies. A name just wouldn’t do with how I feel about her.”
“Now you’re making me cry,” Bella says, wiping her eyes before leaning down to give him a quick kiss.
“Sounds like you guys were lucky and found each other at a young age.” I wipe the ink and continue with the machine.
“Let’s just say it took me a while to see what had been rightin front of me the whole time. Fear messes with your head, and sometimes, it’s easier not to put yourself out there. You can’t get hurt if you don’t.”
His words hit close to home, and I pause the machine to take in what he said. I can feel Bella’s eyes on me as I gather my emotions.
“I think it’s normal to be scared, especially if the feelings are so strong,” she says softly. I sense that she’s no longer talking about her and Maverick.
“And trust me, I was scared shitless from what I felt. I tried to fight it, but in the end, it came down to me wanting to be in her life and having to trust that she would always want to be in mine.” I let the words sink in. Her brother and I are more alike than I thought. I rub my chest to ease some of the tightness before finishing my work.
