Page 75 of Fight For Us
“Nice to meet you,” I responded. “I don’t want to get in the way, so please feel free to make me move.”
Mac chuckled. “You’re completely fine where you are.” He faced Wes. “So man, what are we working on today?”
Wes pulled out his phone and sneakily showed Mac a photo he’d saved. “Something like this, but obviously however you want to draw it. I was thinking right on my left pec area, black and gray.”
“Hell yeah, let’s do it,” he said. “I’ll draw something up. Shouldn’t take long.”
Mac went down a hallway toward where I’m assuming his desk was and I turned to Wes, teasing him. “That phone’s coming in handy, isn’t it?”
“I plead the Fifth.” He pulled me in and wrapped his arms around me.
“So, are you going to let me see what you’re getting?” I was curious and also a bit suspicious since he was being so secretive about it.
He kissed my cheek. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
I scowled, which only made him chuckle. Mac came back out ten minutes later so I let them chat and took a peek at some of the portfolio binders they had set out on a coffee table. Flipping through each one, I noticed right away how different the artist’s styles were. One focused more on colorful, cartoonish pieces, while the other two did mostly black and gray. I stared at one of the pages when I noticed Wes’s wave design on his back. It looked amazing when it was first done.
Once they got started, I peeked and saw that he was getting a gorgeous tiger’s head on his chest. “For my Tiger,” he said.
I had no words to describe how touched I was. Maybe I should have been put off by this grand gesture, but somehow I only felt cherished.He'd look at his heart and think of me.
While they worked, the other artist across from Mac introduced herself and invited me to check out the piece she was finishing up. The woman she was tattooing got a gorgeous, detailed Medusa on her bicep. I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
“I absolutely love your work,” I said to them both.
“Thanks,” the client said. “This one was a long time coming.” Her eyes were damp but she had a proud smile on her face.
“I hope it helps you heal,” the artist said, giving her forearm a squeeze. I watched enraptured as she squirted liquid onto a paper towel and wiped her arm down. It made the tattoo pop and Medusa’s eyes looked vibrant enough to be real.
Once the client stood to look in the mirror, Mac and Wes took a break to come check out her work, telling her how awesome it came out.
An hour later, I sat by Wes’s side, watching Mac tattoo smooth lines across Wes’s skin and making chit chat. “I loved that Medusa.”
“Yeah,” Mac said. “Sarah did an awesome job. It’s always a difficult tattoo to do and I know her client was emotional about what it represents.”
I had no idea what he was talking about, so I nodded and quietly pulled out my phone. A quick Google search told me that Medusa is a symbol of survival, often from sexual abuse or rape.
I schooled my features into a neutral expression but inside my heart pounded and my mouth went dry. I’d met another survivor and didn’t even know it.
“Hey, Sarah,” I called. She looked up from cleaning her station. “Can I book an appointment with you?”
“Of course! Let me check my schedule.”
I knew I couldn’t afford it, and maybe I was acting on a whim, but none of that mattered. Not when I’d be taking another step toward healing.
Chapter 30
Wes
I left work earlyso Oliva and I could take the kids on a picnic at the park. Was this my real life? There was no way I deserved this woman, but fuck if I was going to let her slip away.
I hadn’t heard back from Regina since I sent her an email, telling her my happy marriage news. Knowing her, she was probably moving her chess pieces around, figuring out a new angle to ruin our lives. She could try, but I’d never let her win.
I spotted them setting up at a table under a big oak tree. Alex sat with his cast leg out in front of him, tossing a ball up and catching it, while Lilly helped Olivia pull containers of food from a paper bag. Olivia beamed while she spoke to Lilly. She was so fucking gorgeous it hurt to look at her. And seeing her interact with Lilly had all these feelings bubbling inside my chest. I looked up at the blue sky, like I always did when I wishedDylan was here. “How’d I get so lucky, man? I don’t deserve her.”
A car drove by in the parking lot behind me, blaring country music through their open windows and Olivia turned her head toward the noise. Our eyes locked and her smile broadened. Those feelings in my chest danced around like carbonation from a can of soda. I quickened my pace, needing to wrap her in my arms, even though it had only been a few hours since I last saw her.
“Slow down. We’re not going anywhere.” Her teasing voice had me smirking like a fool. I pulled her into me, breathing her in.
