“I’m gonna help them finish setting up,” I tell him, nudging his arm. “If you want to wander, that’s fine. We’ll meet back here.”
He’s not listening—too busy staring at Marcus.
“Lucas.”
He startles. “Right. Yes, wandering. Wonderful idea. I’ll meet you back here.”
He heads off, looking wildly out of place and completely delighted. I don’t miss the extra glance Marcus sneaks his way.
Jaxon hands me a stack of tattoo sheets to sort while he and Marcus start tag-teaming an explanation of Alex’s new game, each taking turns roasting him affectionately. I settle in behind the table, but I can feel Dom nearby like static, and I know sooner or later I’m going to have to talk to him.
I don’t know Jasper all that well, though I feel like we’ve become friends over the last few months, but I’m not prepared for what happens next.
“Marcus isn’tonlyAlex’s Mr. Moneybags… He’s also my doctor, and he’s been treating me sincethe incident,” Jasper says with a rushed exhale.
Well, that’s a mighty coincidence.
“And he also raised me along with his husbands. From the age of sixteen, I grew up as a part of Matthew House.”
Holy. Shit. I was not expecting that. An entire group of eyes ping-pong back and forth between Jasper and Marcus.
“I think we both know that you were a little more than justa partof Matthew House,” Marcus says, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I’m proud of you,” he whispers before making his way out of the booth.
Spencer chuckles. “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 themask off over and over. It’s Marcus… no wait, it’s Mr. Withermore… no, it’s Doctor Who…or maybe, dun-dun-dun… Dad?” We all laugh.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!NotDad.” He holds his hands up with a smile. “He’s something much, much better. A friend, a guide. He’s family. They’re my family.”
“Wait, that means you knew Matthew. Like you really knew him,” Alex says, putting two and two together.
Jasper looks at Olly, who squeezes his hand and gives him a nod of support. “I was there when he was healthy. I was there when he got sick… and I was there when he died.”
Oh, poor Jasper. I lost my parents when I was young, so I understand grief and the toll it takes on loved ones. I’m glad he still had Marcus and Jacob, plus he has us now too.
“You would’ve been working at Ink Me when Matthew died. How did we not know?” Jaxon says, his voice empathetic.
“Growing up in the system, I learned to keep a lot of things to myself. When I first started working for you, 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 graduated from high school. I was finally seeing things differently, and then Matthew died. There was a lot to process, and a big part of me didn’t know how.”
Jaxon stands up. “You’ve always been family to me, from 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 looks at each and everyone of us, but I see the way he lingers on me.
His sense of responsibility to me is both a comfort and an annoyance.
It’s right there that I see it. I look around at this mix ofcharacters. None of us are the same, but yet we’re not so different either. We’re all just trying to find our way through this messy life. I’m proud of Finn for having the guts to walk away from blood, knowing he needed to save himself first. And he just happened to find love along the way. I look over at Jaxon, who’s only got eyes for Alex. Seeing the carefree smile on his face fills my heart. He finally allowed himself the chance to see what love for himself looks like, instead of his overwhelming need to watch over all of us. Now he has the love of his life to watch over. It’s a win-win.
“That first day you came in for your so-called tattoo,” Dom says. “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.”
I study Dom, taking in his admission. I didn’t realize he’d played such a big part in Jasper’s hiring.
Jaxon laughs. “Yeah, the fucker even threatened to quit.”
I glance in Dom’s direction. I’m learning new things about him with each passing day, and it’s always something uplifting, never disheartening.
“Dom, that’s… You shouldnotput your job on the line for someone you don’t even know,” Jasper says.
That just makes them laugh even harder. “Please,” Dom says between fits of laughter. “Like Jaxon would ever fire me.”
Never, you say?
“So you don’t think there’s anything you could do to make Jaxon fire you?” I say in challenge, eyebrow raised.
