Because in the end, all I wanted was love.
I was just afraid I would never find it.
Chapter 2
Leo
I stood back as my client looked in the mirror, a small smile slowly creeping over her face before it turned into a wide grin.
“I can’t believe it. It doesn’t feel real.” Her voice went a bit breathy as if she’d forgotten I was there and could only stare at the new art on her skin.
“You were a trooper. Barely winced. I can see why you don’t think it feels real.”
She stared at the new art under her breasts, transfixed. She’d wanted a tattoo to showcase her assets—her words—because her mother had recently gotten a bilateral mastectomy, and she wanted to do something for her mom.
I didn’t know what it felt like to have a mother with breast cancer, but I’d met the woman and knew she was damn strong. She had to be to fight the battle she was currently in.
The delicate lace that went in loops under my client’s breasts looked damn impressive if I did say so myself—some of my best work.
We went over the aftercare as her mother wept softly, kissing her daughter’s cheeks. My client kissed the top of her mom’s bald head before they both laughed and burst into tears again, hugging each other.
I smiled, hugged them when they reached out for me, and even shed a tear myself. I didn’t think I was that emotional, but it had been a big day.
“I have the gene, just like Mom, so I know the tattoos might be the only thing left after I make a hard decision someday. So, thank you for making this day perfect for both of us.” She rose on tiptoe, kissed my cheek, then waved as she left, leaving me staring with wide eyes.
“Well, that even choked me up,” Nick said dryly, though I knew he wasn’t lying. The emotions were clear on his face.
I snorted, clearing my throat. “Pretty much, man. I can’t believe she didn’t wince or make a sound during the whole process. But as soon as she saw her mom, she broke out in tears.”
Nick met my gaze, then shrugged. “Makes sense she would. Are you done for the day?”
I looked at my phone and nodded. “Yeah. I said I would meet Caroline in the park. She’s wrangling all the kids on her own today and bringing cold fried chicken as a bribe—not that I need one for family.”
“Cold fried chicken sounds pretty good,” a familiar voice said. Sebastian Montgomery walked in with a bundle strapped to his chest.
The kid was no longer a kid. He was now a single father to the cutest baby girl ever.
Lake pushed past me before I could say anything and plucked her cousin from Sebastian’s arms. “I need some baby time. Thank you.” She winked at Nick, who just shook his head.
“Take your time with that. We’re good being cousins and uncles and aunts right now.”
“Whatever you say.” As the younger Montgomery cleared his throat, she murmured sweet nothings to Sebastian’s daughter.
“Thanks for watching her this afternoon, guys. I have things to do. And, well, Marley’s parents… You know.” He went ashen at the mention of his late wife.
We all stood frozen as awkwardness and pain settled in.
I didn’t know Sebastian that well. Only knew that, technically, he was my boss, even though he wasn’t even twenty yet. He owned the company—or at least had a small stake in it. The plan was that he would buy more into it one day. I didn’t know if that would happen now since he was a teenage dad and a widower to boot. The kid had been through hell and back and hadn’t even been able to truly live yet. I didn’t know how he was functioning. But with the size and heart of his family, I figured he would at least be all right in terms of babysitting and someone to lean on.
Nick leaned forward. “We don’t mind. Lake and I already have the car seat set up in her SUV.”
“Okay, good. Thank you. I’ll just get a few of her things and head out.”
Sebastian nodded at us and then strode past, his gaze lowered and shoulders hunched.
“Jesus,” Nick whispered.
I nodded tightly. “Yeah. But he’s out there. Functioning. At least, it looks like it. So, I guess we let him.”
Nick met my gaze. “You’re right. Go see your sister. Hug her hard for us.”
“Yeah, I think I will.”
I said goodbye and nodded at Tristan as he entered to work the evening shift. The other man was texting at full speed as he walked and nearly ran into me, so I didn’t say anything to him on my way out.
Montgomery Ink Legacy was busy, and most of us had a waiting list, though we did some walk-ins depending on availability. I was lucky I had found my place with the Montgomerys after bouncing from shop to shop since I was seventeen.
When I was younger, my dream had been to work for Austin Montgomery in downtown Denver. But, in the end, working for Austin’s son, Leif, a guy slightly older than me, made more sense. We were all growing in our fields together and figuring out our places.
I was close to my family. And since the Montgomerys put family before everything, I counted that as a win.
I hopped in my truck and drove toward the park. Finding a space was difficult, especially during lunchtime when people came from all over just to relax on the bright sunny day. Still, I finally found one and got out, practically running to where I heard my youngest niece babbling to Caroline.
My sister sat on the blanket, the sun shining on her blond hair as she laughed at something her youngest, Beverly, whispered to her. Her other three daughters—Lane, Willow, and Ashlyn—ran around her, all in sight, playing politely and giggling.
It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.
The fact that my sister sat with her hand over her belly, pregnant with twin boys, made my head spin.
“There she is!” I said, holding up my arms.
“Uncle Leo!” the four girls squealed at the same time.
All of them, between the ages of three and ten, ran to me. I went to my knees to gather them up in my arms, and then we rolled around on the grass as my sister admonished me for the dirt. I ignored her but heard the humor in her voice.
She didn’t care at all. We wouldn’t be in the park if she cared about grass stains.
“If you get them nauseated with all that rolling, you’re cleaning it up,” Caroline teased.
“We’ll be good. Won’t get sick!” Ashlyn screamed in my ear. I winced and then stood, Beverly over my shoulder, Willow and Ashlyn on my legs, and Lane standing beside me, prim and proper.
“Okay, troop, let’s see what help your mom needs.”
“You’re late, so everything is ready to go. We just need to open the containers because I didn’t want bugs in everything.”
“I can smell that chicken, and I can’t wait much longer.” My stomach rumbled, and the girls grinned.
“Uncle Leo’s stomach is growling,” Beverly said pointedly.
“Your Uncle Leo could probably eat an entire chicken on his own. That’s why I brought double what I normally would have.”
I winced at the cost of that. “I’m sorry, Caroline. You should have let me bring something. I would have.”
She waved me off. “You have for the past three picnics in the park. It was our turn. If Alejandro were here to help out, he’d probably eat more than you. But somebody needed to work today. And it wasn’t going to be us.” She winked as she said it, and the love she felt for her husband was clearly etched on her face.