Page 55 of Christmas with Four Tattoo Artists

"You don't have to thank me," Adele insisted, her voice soft. "We're still connected, in our own way."

I watched the exchange, feeling a sudden sting of jealousy and suspicion. The way Adele was with them, the intimacy, the closeness… it felt wrong. A play for something more, something she once had with them but no longer existed.

Andrew and James were busy discussing the damage, their voices fading into the background. I felt like an intruder, an outsider looking in on a moment I couldn't fully understand.

Adele's eyes briefly met mine, a flicker of something unspoken passing between us, the first sign since she’d arrived that she’d even noticed my presence. Was it triumph? Jealousy? Whatever it was it was gone before I could decipher it.

“Come on,” Adele said, placing a hand on each of the guys shoulders. “Let’s go into the office, talk things over.”

Finn nodded.

Without another word, Adele led the pair through the wreckage and toward the back office. James and Andrew were off in their own world, speaking to one another in hushed tones about what to do next, who to call.

I was alone. Granted, I knew I was far from the most important thing there. All the same, I stood solo, not sure what to do with myself.

I didn’t want to draw attention, didn’t want to make myself the center of the show. I slipped away, flagging down a cab and climbing inside, a strange, horrible hollowness forming in the pit of my stomach as the cab moved forward, the wreckage of the shop vanishing around the corner.

* * *

I barely had time to slam the door shut when a wave of nausea hit me like a punch to the gut. Stumbling into the bathroom, I scarcely made it to the toilet before the contents of my stomach forced their way out. My body heaved, and my mind spun, disoriented and scared.

This was the third time in the past week.

Wiping my mouth, I sank down onto the cold tile floor, feeling weak and overwhelmed. A horrible realization crept into my mind, settling in with an undeniable truth.

My period was late.

Oh, no.

The words echoed in my mind, each repetition a heavy blow. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. I'd been careful, hadn't I? I knew the risks, knew the consequences. But something deep inside me whispered that careful wasn't enough.

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, my eyes wide with shock and terror. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not when everything else was so chaotic.

Somehow though, deep down, I knew it was.

Chapter 24

Julia

Walking into the tattoo studio was a punch to the gut, just like before. The scent of burnt wood, ruined equipment, and a melancholy heaviness filled the air. But in addition to all that was another turmoil brewing inside me.

Three pregnancy tests. Three positive results.Fuck.

As I stepped around shattered glass and toppled furniture, the weight of it all pressed down on me. The guys were under so much stress already; I couldn’t be the one to add another crisis to their growing list.

I noticed Kai, diligently picking up ruined sketches from the floor, trying to salvage what he could. Andrew was on the phone, sounding like he was trying to get a contractor for the smashed windows. Finn and James were talking in hushed tones, occasionally glancing at the remnants of Klaus's graffiti handiwork still very much evident on the walls.

And there I was, hiding a secret that could potentially change everything between us.

I clutched my bag closer, inside which were the damning tests. Thoughts of fleeing to another state and working another job far from all the mess started to take shape in my mind. Maybe I could waitress again, write a book about my Miami adventures, anything that didn’t involve dropping a baby bomb on four already overloaded guys.

As if on cue, Adele swayed in, the door chime announcing her entrance. With every flick of her hair and swish of her hip, she was on a mission. Her eyes locked onto Finn first, her hands resting on his shoulders as she murmured something in his ear. He tried to pull away, clearly distracted with the task at hand, but her persistence was unnerving.

I watched as she moved next to Kai, the same sly smile, the same touchy tactics. Her fingers fluttered down his arm, and he flinched away, but it didn’t deter her. Then, she turned her attention to Andrew and James, a touch more blatant, making it clear she was playing no favorites.

With a deep breath, I decided to busy myself with the cleanup. Maybe if I kept my hands moving, my thoughts wouldn’t spiral out of control. But every glance toward Adele was a sharp reminder that maybe I wasn’t enough for them. Maybe, with this new revelation growing inside me, I’d become a liability.

The possibility of them rejecting me and our unborn child tore at my insides. My hands shook as I tried to pick up some ruined sketches, tears threatening to spill.

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