“This was Xander’s very first tattoo on human skin,” I say, a smile playing on my lips. “He needed a guinea pig and promised to cover it up once he got better, but I love it. I love my man, andI’m so damn proud of where he came from. I could never get rid of this.”
She smiles at me with warmth in her eyes, and I hold up my other arm next to it. “This lion he did last year, a little bit of progress, don’t you think?”
“Wow,” she breathes out, her gaze fixed on my two lion tattoos. One resembling Mufasa after the wildebeest stampede, and the other a stunningly realistic lion that could have jumped out of aNational Geographicdocumentary.
“I understand why you kept it. It’s so special and cool,” Carolina says, her eyes meeting mine. “Just like you, Clay. You’re so special, and I’m so happy you didn’t let me get rid of you.”
I chuckle. “Jesus, kitten, are you already that drunk?”
“Drunk or not, it doesn’t make it any less true,” she whispers.
I shift my chair closer to hers, our knees touching, and gently rub hers with my hands. “I’m very grateful you didn’t kick my ass to the curb too,” I say with a grin.
Suddenly, she stands and pushes my knees wide so she can stand between them. She wraps her arms around my neck, holding me in a tight hug.
“Promise me you’ll never leave me,” she whispers, her voice filled with vulnerability.
I can’t stop the tears pooling in my own eyes as I squeeze her to me.
“Promise.”
FORTY-THREE
What the fuck happened?
I wake up and groan, my head pounding worse than when Roberto pushed it against the kitchen counter that one time. I manage to open my eyes and find myself in an unfamiliar room. It’s pretty, mostly beige tones, but it lacks any personal touches, giving it more of a guestroom vibe.
“Good morning,” Joshua says from my right side.
I sit up, holding my head and whimpering. “Not so loud.”
“I’m whispering,” he replies, with a hint of humor in his voice. “Here, drink this.” He holds out a glass of orange juice and a pill.
I try to take it, but the smell of the orange juice makes me feel nauseous, and I have to cover my mouth with my hand.
“Over there.” Joshua points to an en suite bathroom. I quickly get up and rush over, throwing up in the toilet. He follows me and gathers my hair, holding it back as he starts rubbing my back. “Let it out. It makes the hangover shorter.”
Once I feel like I’m done, I flush before I sit back down next to the toilet. While I do feel a bit better, my mouth tastes of bile, and to top it off, Joshua witnessed it all. But instead of beingdisgusted, he’s wetting a washcloth and kneeling in front of me. Then he simply washes my face.
“Feeling a bit better?” he asks, concern evident.
“No.” I wince in response.
“Need to throw up again?”
“No, I just need to turn back time so you would not see me throwing up,” I say, covering my face with my hands.
“In good times and bad times, sickness and health,” he says with a touch of humor.
“We’re not married.” I huff, lowering my hands to my lap.
“Want to be?” He grins.
I look up at him, taken aback, but he just helps me up, guiding me over to the bed. After I crawl under the covers, he hands me the pill and the orange juice again. I take them, and after a moment of silence, I feel slightly better, good enough to remember that I messed up.
“I am so sorry,” I say, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks. “I overreacted. I have issues that you’re not responsible for, but you were the one who had to deal with them.”
“No, don’t apologize. It was my fault. I should have asked you. Honestly, it was just selfish. I bought you the phone and told myself it was for your sake because you needed a new one. But truthfully, I couldn’t stand texting you and not getting a response,” he admits, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I see how Xander and Clay text each other all day. And I’m constantly thinking about you. I’d talk to you twenty-four seven if I could,” he says, reaching out to brush hair out of my face. “But the next best thing would be texting each other from time to time during the day. I wanted that so badly that I overstepped your feelings on the matter. That was shitty of me, and I’m sorry.”
