The laughter stops and he stares at me, trying to figure me out. After a few seconds he blinks out of whatever he went into. “His name’s Oscar? Who’s the mom?”
“Not important.”
“Meaning you’re not with her?”
“Meaning it’s complicated. There is another reason I stopped.”
“You stopped cos you saw me coming out, you didn’t intend to come here.”
“I didn’t think you’d want to do me the favor, but no harm in asking.”
“What favor,” he looks through the window, so I do too, the little dark-haired girl has her arms crossed as she watches us. I’m not touching that problem. He wouldn’t want me to ask.
“A tattoo.”
“For you?”
“A woman.”
His brow lifts. He knows what I’m saying. He grew up around the MC, comes to the parties occasionally, or used to, before shit went sideways with his best friend.
“I want you to meet her.”
“Your son and your woman, must be my birthday.”
He walks past me and heads to the door. There aren’t a lot of people who would dare to walk away from me like that. Phoenix is one of the few who gets away with it. He always has.
I love this kid, whether he likes it or not. I’ve kept him at arm’s length to protect him, to allow him to live this life he loves here at Blackhawk Ink.
“Bring her by Tuesday, around nine. I have free time.” He doesn’t look back as he goes in the shop.
It’s a start.
Might as well get all the shit over and done with before I go back to Taylor. Speedway asks about Oscar, wanting to know his nephew is okay, which I confirm, telling him it’s unlikely he’ll remember it and we don’t need to worry.
“Where the fuck is Sheridan?”
“Fucking Kentucky. Went to visit a friend.”
I’m too tired to care. “When is she coming back?”
“That’s the thing,” he says sounding pissed. “She said she isn’t. Said Oscar is safe with you so you can keep him.”
“What?”
He explains she met a guy, and they’re eloping and she doesn’t want Oscar, sounding defeated.
“I’ll keep trying Prez.”
“Don’t bother. She’s already lost any right to him.”
“She’s his mom.”
“A mother doesn’t say someone cankeep himand come back from that, Speedway. I know she’s your sister, but she is dead to me after that.”
“Shit, Nero, come on.”
“I’ve had a long fucking night, I’m tired and I’ve been away from my son too long after what he went through. We’ll talk when you get back but it’s gonna take a lot to change my mind.”
