She let out a satisfied breath. “Good.” Her stare travelled back to Jared and the kids in the sitting room. “Are you sure he hasn’t put you up to this?”
“Don’t give Jared a hard time,” Kyrone said. “He’s a great guy. You’ll love him when you get to know him.”
“Do you love him?”
Kyrone’s heart skipped at the question. “I thought you said a month was too soon to be serious?”
She shrugged. “I think it is, but we’re clearly at odds in our way of thinking. Are you in love with him?”
“I think I might be falling in love with him,” Kyrone replied.
“Then I’d better get to know him, hadn’t I?”
Kyrone smiled. “Thanks, Mum.”
She put her cup of tea down and wandered through to the sitting room. The kids immediately swarmed her, hugging her as they told her about Jared’s drawings. It was hard to hear what any of them were saying as they talked over each other at a hundred miles an hour.
Kyrone leant over the back of the sofa and looked at the drawing Jared had been working on. It was far from finished, but it had the makings of being stunning. Through the sketchy lines, he’d managed to capture not just the likeness of the three children but their spirit too.
“Wow,” Kyrone breathed.
“Thanks,” Jared said quietly.
“Will you finish it?” Kyrone asked. “It would be lovely to give it to Zahra and Montrel.” He could already imagine the drawing framed and hanging on their wall.
Jared nodded. “If you want me to.”
“We do!” the children chorused.
“You have to come back and teachmehow to draw,” Tahiry said.
“And draw George Pig for me!” Kofi chimed in.
Jamir shrugged and ate a biscuit off the plate. He was at the age where he wanted to look tough and cool, but the smile tugging at his lips was a clear sign that he was impressed by Jared’s drawing skills too.
Kyrone took the sketch pad from Jared and turned it around so his mum could see it.
Her eyes went wide and watery. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“Thanks,” Jared repeated.
“You’re talented,” she told him. “Talent like that is wasted on tattooing people’s skin.”
“Mum,” Kyrone said in a warning tone.
“What made you decide you wanted to be a tattoo artist?” Evte went on. “A boy like you must have had plenty of opportunities. You’re young and talented. You have your whole life ahead of you. Why waste the gift God has given you?”
Kyrone stiffened. He was torn between snapping at his mum to shut up and keeping quiet to let Jared answer her question. Jared definitely didn’t need Kyrone to stick up for him, and he was curious to see what his boyfriend would say on the matter.
Jared tapped the end of his pencil against his knee. “I’m not sure what Kyrone’s told you,” he said slowly. “But I almost died eighteen months ago.”
The two younger children gasped. Jamir looked impressed.
“Right now, I’m glad to be alive. I’m thankful that I escaped without worse injuries than I did. I just want to live life to the full. I enjoy tattooing people. I’m creating works of art that are going to last a lifetime. There’s something pretty humbling about that. It might not be what I want to do for the rest of my life, but it makes me happy right now.” He reached up and took Kyrone’s hand. “Just like your son makes me happy.”
“What injuries do you have?” Evte asked.
“Mum, I’m not sure—” Kyrone began.
