Page 62 of Derek
Fox’s huff causes me to look up in time to see him shaking his head while laughing. “Oh, I’m glad you find this shit entertaining.”
“I do, in fact,” he laughs. “Because all you fuckers gave me such shit over Torch. Though I have to say, I never offered to give her my house and move out. You obviously have it hard.” I clench my jaw as I look around, making sure no one is snooping.
“I do,” I say through gritted teeth. Fox’s laughter dies immediately, and I can’t believe I am saying any of this out loud. “She’s the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing at night. The days she’s not here working, I worry about her. If my house stops smelling like her stupid-ass candles and lotions, I’ll probably never go back. Every day I find myself more and more infuriated with the fact that I’m constantly wondering whatshewould think about things. Ash tried to nail me in the head with that ink, and all I could think was,‘It’s purple. I wonder if Indy would make some cute comment about it being purple?’I am not an idiot that will deny my feelings for her. I know I care about her.”
“So, what’s the problem?” He asks cautiously, which is understandable. I don’t talk much, and when I do, it isn’t about my feelings.
“The problem is, I ain’t enough,” I state firmly. “That girl in there deserves a doctor, deserves fancy dates, flowers, and lavish vacations. Not some old fucking hick tattoo artist with trust and abandonment issues and a short temper.”
“First off, you make more money than most doctors.”
“It’s the title, not the bank account.” I snap, and Fox rolls his eyes.
“Derek, I thought the same thing with Janie. I knew that girl was too young, too pretty, and too fucking smart to be with me. Fuck, we’ve been together a few years, and I still think about it. I think about the fact that she wants a baby, and it’s just not happening as easily as she wants it to. Maybe if she were with someone younger, it would be easier. The point is I wanted her to have the life that she wanted. But it took me a while to understand that the life she wanted was with me, and if I truly wanted her to be happy, I had to realize that it is okay for me to be with her.” I don’t appreciate how his words feel, mainly because they are true.
“Well, that was your choice. My choice is not to let her settle down with a man in his mid-forties.” I brush by Fox to go back inside.
“So, does that mean you’re going to let her go out tonight? Let her be with another man? A doctor?” I feel my hand tighten on the railing as the thought of another man touching her soft skin enters my brain. I feel angry and dizzy at the same time. Choosing not to answer him, I walk back up the stairs, leaving Fox alone in the parking lot.
Chapter27
Indy
“You look so hot!” Janie squeals, and Sunday runs her fingers through my long, straight hair.
“I feel like a set of pull-through braids will look good with this outfit,” Sunday says as she gets to work while I look at myself in the mirror. I do feel cute in the white mini-dress. It stops mid thigh with white lace peaking from underneath it. I paired it with sheer black dotted stockings and my doc martens. That, mixing with the hair, the smokey make-up Ren applied for me, and the cropped leather jacket, thanks to Janie, I feel attractive but also guilty.
“Should I look hot? I mean, this isn’t a date.” Ren snorts at my comment.
“You aren’t doing this for him. You’re looking good for you. You never go anywhere, and you’ve been having good days. You should feel sexy and go out.”
“You wanna change your stud for a hoop?” Stevie calls from the jewelry area. We were all gathered in one of the piercing rooms, getting me ready. It’s the easiest since I don’t dare invite anyone over to Derek’s, and Janie, Stevie, and I are already here.
“Oh! Yeah, can I?” I call excitedly. A silver hoop is what I’ve wanted this whole time, but I had to wait because Stevie is a stickler about proper piercing care.
“Technically? It would be best to wait six months, but it looks alright. If you start to notice anything weird, let me know, and we will change it back.” She turns on the Autoclave sterilization machine while Sunday finishes my hair, and I give my friends a nervous smile in the mirror.
“This isn’t a date.” Janie reminds me as she grips my arms. “You got this.” Well, at least one of us is confident.
* * *
I walk outof the piercing room to head to the front of the shop, where my Uber is about to pull up. I see my brother talking to Atlas as I make my way over.
“How’s your face?” I ask, while looking at his cheek. “You two idiots really need to stop wrestling,” I mutter. It’s ridiculous Ash and Atlas are constantly acting like children.
“Damn Indy, looking like a snack!” Atlas whistles, earning a shove from Ash. I blush and look away.
“Thanks,” I mumble before walking through the area, stopping for a second and looking at the purple splatter on Derek’s station. That’s new and odd. Shaking thoughts, I shouldn’t be having out of my head, I walk to the front of the shop, ignoring my brother muttering something about me needing pants.
I am so focused on my phone that I run right into someone’s back. Strong hands grab me before I can fall, and I see it’s Derek because, of course, it is.
“H-holy fuck,” he breathes before letting me go and looking me over a few times.
“Hey, sorry.” I laugh lightly, the embarrassment of finding out the entire shop knows we had sex coming to the forefront of my brain. “I was focused on my phone.”
“Where are you going?” His tone comes off more abrasive than I think he means it to by the wince on his face.
“Out with Liam. I told you yesterday. I’m taking an Uber to Quench to meet him now.” I watch his face darken.
