I hold out my littlest finger and say, “DeVille promise.”
His gaze narrows on the ink running along the inside, his mouth tilting up a smidge more. “Does it still count if I don’t have the tattoo?”
“It’s legally binding but there’s loopholes.”
“Hmm.” He hooks his pinky around mine. “Guess I know what I’m getting the next time I go to the tattoo shop. Don’t need loopholes.”
“Wait, for real?”
“Focus, Ariana.”
“Stop saying distracting things, Luca.” I really like the idea of him getting the tattoo if he wants it. Ink looks good on him.
He smirks. “I’ll try.”
“Good enough. So, about a year after…” I drag in a ragged breath. Luca drops my pinky and moves closer, curling his hand around my hip protectively. “Mom and Becca went on a trip for a few days. It was the first time anyone left for more than a few hours, but they needed it. And we needed to watch a bunch of Fast and Furious movies with Dad.”
“When you’re ready for a rewatch, count me in.”
He really does get me. “So Lil and I, we talked Dad into letting us get tattoos.”
“Wait, wait. You were what, fourteen?”
“Yeah.”
“Marco let you get tattoos at fourteen?”
“Yeah.”
“How the hell did you manage that?”
Dropping my eyes from his, I open and close my fist. I can’t tug on a bracelet while I’m laying this way and I really need to tug on a fucking bracelet right now.
Luca sits up slightly, and slips his finger under the bracelet closest to my hand. He slides it off my wrist and onto his.
It’s too tight, overstretched so there’s gaps between the beads.“What are you doing?”
Instead of answering, he puts that hand on my hip again, takes my hand and places it on the bracelet, then settles back onto his elbow. “Now you can mess with it. Well, kind of. Make a few that fit me, okay?”
My brows pinch together. “Why?”
“So you always have more fidget options.”
I rub my fingertip over the beads. Huh… that works surprisingly well. “You’re going to wear friendship bracelets?”
He shrugs a shoulder. “Why not?”
“Like all the time?” I knew he was the one for me before today, but he keeps doing and saying things that make me realize just how true that is. He’s going to wear a pink wedding band for me, and now friendship bracelets?
“Yes, baby. All the time. Now focus.”
“But I was just about to kiss you.” I stick my lower lip out.
“Later. Back to the tattoos.”
“Oh. Yeah. Right. I just… I hated the scars. Still do, but not like I did back then.” Luca opens his mouth but I don’t give him the chance tospeak. I need to get these words out. “When we first floated the idea, he just laughed it off. I don’t blame him. But I was dead set on it by then. I told him it wasn’t fair that I had all these ugly scars someone else forced on me. If I had to wear something on my skin for the rest of my life, I should be able to pick the damn thing myself.”
“Damn. That’s a pretty good argument.”
