“This is how I always look before a tattoo.”
“Man, I don’t know if I’d get another one if I freaked out as much as you are right now.”
“It’s a good energy.”
He laughs. “Sure, sweetheart. Whatever you say. You sure you want it on your hip?”
“Is it bad there?” I ask him because he has tattoos everywhere and knows which spots are more sensitive than others.
“Not any worse than anywhere else.”
“Okay. Good.” I take another deep breath, getting my heart rate to slow a bit.
“It’s a good thing we leave tomorrow because sunshine and new tattoos don’t mix,” he says.
“Well then, it’s a good thing we’re about to roll into winter again.”
“Fuck,” he hisses. “I’m not ready.”
“We’ll come back after Christmas and maybe plan a destination wedding here.”
“Perfect,” he says, lifting my hand to his mouth and brushing his lips against the soft skin on top.
“It will be,” I tell him, knowing the future we’ll have together will be exactly that.
Absolute perfection.
22
OLIVER
Christmas– Clearwater, Florida
“How can you look so calm?” Liam asks me, pacing around the room like a caged animal.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
He stops, spins on his heel, and pins me with his stare. “Because you’re getting married.”
“I asked her to marry me.”
My brother drags a hand down his face as he shakes his head. “It’s a big step. Nail in the coffin. End of it all.”
“End of what?”
“Freedom,” he says as he starts to pace again, wearing a path in the carpeting of the hotel room.
The door opens, and Vinnie pops his head in. “We’re ready.”
I give him a nod and turn toward the full-length mirror, making sure nothing is out of place as Vinniedisappears. “I’m ready.” I move toward the door, but Liam stops me, grabbing my arm.
“Are you sure?”
“Brother, if I weren’t sure, I wouldn’t have asked her. What’s your problem?”
He drops his hand and tucks it into the pocket of his pants. “I thought… I don’t know. I thought you’d be single your entire life.”
“I didn’t have plans to get married anytime soon, but when you meet the right girl, you got to make sure the relationship sticks.”
