Page 12 of For The Weekend
Jasper, his oldest child, is the first to approach, both of us silently shaking hands. Jaybird, his younger brother, comes in for a laughing hug, slapping my back, telling me, “Good to see you, uncle.” Then he introduces me to his best friend, Cash, who is apparently like an adopted Stone. All these guys are tall and muscular, but not close to my 6’5” or 270, though they cut imposing figures themselves.
The genes we inherited from my father. The wannabe professional athlete who threw it all away for alcohol.
Same thing I did. So I can’t be too judgmental forthatfact. Everything else, l sure as shit can and do blame him for.
Sloane brings up the rear, and Ian explains that she is the only female tattoo artist here and specializes in watercolor. Her work is amazing, as evidenced by some of the framed artwork on the walls. She says she has two kids about Mazie’s age and would be happy to set up a playdate for them all to meet, an offer I plan to gratefully accept. No matter how much I worried about this move, it was the right decision.
This is exactly what Mazie needs, a big support system. Although I’m not too arrogant to think I don’t need it. I did it for myself as much as my daughter.
“There she is,” Ian says, gaze focused outside, and a moment later, the door opens, revealing a brunette with big blue eyes, a long dress with a flower pattern, and a smile only for my brother. He greets her with a kiss and an arm around her waist.
When my siblings came over the other day, they all eventually filled me in on their new partners. Griffin was widowed when his twins were born, but now he’s with the woman he hired to be their nanny a couple of years ago. Taryn is dating a younger, stand-up guy—from all accounts—and I’m glad. Her ex-husband is a piece of shit, and my sister and her two kids deserve the world. Ian told me he and his bookshop girl started off in some kind of triangle of a relationship while she was still married, but everything worked out for the best, and he actually grins when he says, “Roman, this is Nicole.”
She extends her hand to me. “I’ve heard so much about you. I’m happy to finally meet you.”
“You too.” I notice a few tattoos on her that I know are Ian’s work. His eye for detail is incredible, his art one of a kind. “I appreciate everyone taking the time to meet us.”
Ian waves away the thought. “We’re all family, right? It’s what we do.”
And as I sweep my gaze around his girlfriend and kids, biological and not, I suppose we all are. This is what we do.
I’ll have to get used to it.
“Where’s Juniper?” I ask, and Jaybird blows a raspberry.
“Late, as usual.”
As we wait for her, Ian talks about some upcoming fall festival thing at the end of September that apparently closesdown the street. All the businesses set up booths outside, and he proudly informs me that Nicole is a new member of the community association and she’s put the festival together this year, so I better have my ass there.
I offer him a mock salute as a young woman with long curly brown hair enters from the back. It’s Ian’s daughter, the youngest of his three kids, and still in college.
She prances in, a backpack on her shoulders. “Hey-oh!” Her gaze skirts over all of us in the front of the shop, and she smiles when she notices me. “Uncle Roman!”
She runs toward me for a hug I don’t expect. Her arms wrap around me tight, strength belying her tiny stature, and I recall a time when she was in a car accident with her mother and we thought she wasn’t going to make it. But she did, and she’s all grown up now.
“Hey, Junie. Good seeing you.”
“You too,” she says, then kneels on the floor in front of Mazie. “And you must be Mazie.”
“Yep!”
Seeing my niece and my daughter next to each other, it’s funny how much they look alike, and when I glance over at Ian, he must notice too, his brows up in surprise.
“I love all your pink, and you have a cinnamon bun from next door. Did you meet Eloise?” When Mazie shakes her head, June stage-whispers, “She loves pink too. I think you two will be best friends.”
Mazie grins, dimple popping in the same cheek as Juniper’s. It’s eerie, actually. They both take after Mom so much.
“I’m going to be your new babysitter,” June tells Mazie, who cheers.
“And we’re cousins!”
June laughs. “Yes, we are.”
Riley interrupts, leaning in. “I’m not really your cousin, but you can call me that. I’m June’s best friend, and we’re together all the time, so I’ll be babysitting you too.”
Mazie dances in her seat. “Party! Woot Woot!”
Not that I expected this meeting to go badly, but it couldn’t have gone any better. Nicole asks me some questions about myself, my business, and if I like to read. She lives in the apartment above the tattoo shop with Ian and says she’d love to have Mazie and me over one night for dinner.
