Alex raises his brow, “Oh, Daddy, you get all the privileges, but you and I both know it’s Mr. Moneybags here who has the final say.”
Marcus laughs, “Riiiight. Like I have any say in the matter. I basically hold out my wallet and your boy here gets anything he wants.”
“See, Mr. Moneybag agrees; Superhuman speed. Just imagine…” Jaxon waves his hand in front of Alex’s face. “Your player racing around the city at lightning-fast speeds, all while shooting flaming arrows and being chased throughout the night. The gamers are already begging for it. Well, that’s what the forums are saying. I’m telling you, it needs to be added as a perk in the expansion pack.”
“Jaxon, baby, how many times have I told you to stay off the forums? You’re already sleeping with the game developer. And if I recall, you found a very convenient way to make me reveal all my secrets.”
“Oh, my God. For the love of all things, make it stop,” Spencer says, rounding the corner with Baby Spy strapped to his chest, feet dangling. “Please, somebody do something. Cover your ears, Mazie.”
So, listen, I’m not proud. I panicked. Can you blame me?
“Marcus isn’tonlyAlex’s Mr. Moneybags… He’s also my doctor and has been treating me since ‘theincident.’”
Shit! Now, I’m word vomiting.What the fuck?
I catch Marcus’ eye and he gives me a gentle smile.
Carrying 150 cupcakes followed by confessing your most intimate secrets to your co-wor—friends, wasnoton today’s to-do list.
But I guess it is now, so I take a deep breath and continue spewing words.
“And he also raised me along with his husbands. From the age of sixteen, I grew up as a part of The Matthew House.”
I can’t even bring myself to look at anyone, my gaze fixed on the floor, my chest feeling heavy with guilt. I’m sure their mouths are hanging open, eyes wide with shock and disbelief. Maybe even disgusted.
I peek an eye open at the presence of someone in front of me. “I think we both know that you were a little more than justa partof The MatthewHouse,” Marcus says, giving me a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I’m proud of you,” he whispers before making his way out of the booth.
I look to the sky, trying to coax away the tears building that I know will eventually fall.
That’s when I feel it. The slide of his fingers as he threads them through mine. Calm settles over my nerves. “Me too,” Olly whispers before kissing my temple.
If I wasn’t freaking out so much right now, I would have turned into a southern belle, fainting over the fact he just kissed my temple.
“So let me get this straight. First Olly, with a mysterious baby. Not that we’re complaining, of course. And now you have a Scooby-Doo-type mystery. It’s like pulling the mask off over and over. It’s Marcus, no wait, it’s Mr. Withermore, no… it’sDoctor who,”he laughs at his own joke, “Or maybe… dun-dun-dun… Dad?” Spencer chuckles, and it helps ease the tension. I need this conversation to not be a big deal.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Not Dad.” I hold my hands up with a smile. “He’s something much, much better. A friend, a guide. He’s family. They are my family.”
I see the moment it clicks in Spencer’s, then Jaxon’s eyes. The pity hiding in the crease of their smiles. But Dom? Dom just fucking stares at me with this weird smile, looking more deranged.
“Wait, that means you knew Matthew. Like you really knew him,” Alex says.
I nod my head, and Olly gives my hand a squeeze. I look at him when I say this next part. The feel of our bodies pressed together ground me. “I was there when he was healthy. I was there when he got sick… and I was there when he died.” Olly cups my cheek, and I lean into the touch as his thumb swipes a stray tear that has finally fallen.
“You would’ve been working at Ink Me when Matthew died. How did we not know?” Jaxon says, his voice empathetic.
I turn in Olly’s arms and shrug my shoulders. “Growing up in the system, I learned to keep a lot of things to myself.”
“And now you have people you can lean on—if you choose to do so.”
I look up at Olly. “I do, and I won’t take that for granted anymore. I’m gonna learn how to lean.” I kiss him firmly on the lips, which is followed by a few whoops and hollers. I expect nothing less from this bunch during a sweet and tender moment.
“When I first started working for you,” I say, turning to Jaxon, “I wasn’t quite ready to explain everything. I was still coming to terms with a lot myself. I had these three amazing men come into my life. My view of the world was changing. I was seeing things differently, and then Matthew died. There was a lot to process and a big part of me didn’t know how.”
Jaxon scooches Alex off his lap before walking up to me. “You have always been family to me the second you walked through the front doors of Ink Me, whether you realized it or not. That’s never going to change. Every single one of you,” he says, looking around, and my eyes follow suit.
Everyone is here, surrounding me in this booth. Arms draped over shoulders, friends and lovers. It doesn’t matter. We are all family.
Dom’s deep voice, now much closer, startles me. “That first day you came in for your so-called tattoo. I knewyouneeded Ink Me just as much as Ink Me needed you. You left that day, and I called Jaxon as soon as you walked out the door. I told him I didn’t care how, but he needed to hire you.”
