Page 78 of Beneath Your Beautiful
“She might think she’s all grown up, but she’ll always be my little girl.”
I side-eyed him. Was he going to tell me to stay away from her?
“Look out for her,” he said. “Make sure she stays out of trouble.”
My shoulders relaxed. “I will.”
He nodded and asked me to take his number. I entered it into my phone and pocketed it. “With any luck, you won’t be escorting her to the ER anytime soon. But in case of an emergency, make sure you call me. Raising a daughter is a hell of a lot different than raising sons. I worry more about her safety. Always have.” He shook his head. “She’d call me a sexist for saying that.”
I laughed, remembering the time she’d accused me of the same thing. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“Good. I’ll hold you to it. And don’t mention we’ve had this little chat or I’ll be getting an earful from her.”
“I’ll keep it to myself.”
“And next time you visit, your doors will be booby-trapped. Nothing like a bucket of ice cold water falling on your head in the middle of the night.”
I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing. God, I loved this family. They were everything I’d never had but had always wanted. Supportive. Funny. Loving. Protective. Loyal. Even though Eden’s mom had died much too young, this family didn’t fall apart. Her dad hadn’t hit the bottle to drown his sorrows. He stood strong, like that oak tree in the backyard. And he had passed that strength on to his kids.
I aspired to be a man like Jack Madley. Someday. Maybe.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Eden
Jared wanted a skull, roses, and wings so that’s what I was painting on the side of his two-story brick building that housed the tattoo parlor on the first floor and his apartment on the second floor. It was the Tuesday after Labor Day, but it still felt like summer in Brooklyn. Sweat trickled between my shoulder blades and I was fantasizing about a cold shower when Zeke yelled up to me.
“Yo, what’s up, Picasso?”
I looked down at Zeke from my perch on the mini-scaffold tower. He was wearing a flowered Hawaiian shirt, plaid Bermuda shorts and Vans, his skateboard under his foot. Somehow, he made the crazy outfit work for him. He’d just returned from a week-long vacation in Martha’s Vineyard with his family, and was sporting a golden tan, his hair bleached lighter from the sun and saltwater. I set down my paintbrush and climbed down the scaffolding to give him a big hug. “I missed you,” I said, treating him to my sweaty, grungy self.
Zeke grinned. “Missed you too. Get my postcard?”
“Wish you were here,” I quoted which was all the postcard said, and I found out he sent the same message to every bartender and Ava too, because he sent all the postcards to the bar and we compared notes. “Good trip?”
“Excellent. Spent time with the fam. Hooked up with a hot chick. Did some sailing. Life is good in Zeke’s world.”
“Is it ever bad in Zeke’s world?” I teased. It was impossible not to love Zeke. I kept waiting to catch him in a bad mood, but I never did.
“Nope. My life is awesome.”
I laughed and shook my head but right now, my life was awesome too.
“Speaking of awesome,” Zeke said. “This wall is the bomb.”
I backed up on the sidewalk to look at what I’d done so far. Last week, Killian had power-washed the wall and helped me paint the undercoat because he was the master of all trades. My skull was twelve feet tall, with roses in the eye sockets, around the base, and a banner underneath for the name of Jared’s tattoo shop: Forever Ink. The wings, which I was working on now, extended from each side of the skull and spanned the width of the wall.
“Thanks, Zeke.”
“You want me to grab some lunch for you and bring it back?” Zeke asked just as Killian pulled up to the curb. He cut the engine and stepped out of the Jeep, giving Zeke a onceover. His gaze swung to me and he gave me a big smile like he was happy to see me, and it had been a long time. When we’d woken up together only a few hours ago and he’d dropped me off here with an iced coffee, a bagel, and bottles of water to keep me hydrated. He’d hung out for a while, talking with me and Jared while I painted.
“Hey, baby,” he said, pulling me into his arms.
“Hey.” I leaned into him and gave him a kiss. “I’m all hot and sweaty,” I murmured against his lips.
He nuzzled my neck. “I love your sweat.” He tucked me close to his side and walked us over to Zeke who had a big smirk on his face.
“How was Hawaii?” Killian asked. I elbowed him in the ribs.
