“Me too, so I guess we’re really in this thing, huh?”
Jariyah nods and beckons me closer with a curl of her index finger. My feet move without my need to say anything. I don’t know how Jariyah got me to wage war on every opposition to our relationship. But I’ll be damned if I take it back. I might have found myself slightly jealous of Deacon finding love. But I didn’t know my ass would be in the same boat so soon after he fell.
This must be a sign of Dad’s prayers or something, because the lightness in my chest when I reach Jariyah can’t be explained. The expression of love, desire, and commitment in Jariyah’s eyes nearly stops my heart. I don’t know where we’re going from here, but the minute Jariyah’s arms wrap around my back, I confirm that love is about to bite me too. Maybe wedding bells and a lifetime pledge with this woman are on my bingo card after all.
Sometime The Next Day . . .
“Hey, Cousin. Sorry for the last-minute accommodation. I’m glad you could squeeze me in,” I say before I place my purse on the chair and hug my cousin.
“No worries. I’m shocked you called me. Does your mama know that you’re here?”
Jordyn Holmes, better known to her colleagues as Happy, is a tattoo artist at Shane’s Ink Palace, which is why I’m here.
“Girl, no. You know Madam Owens would shit bricks and die if she knew I was about to get a tattoo. It’ll be our secret for now.” I hold my index finger to my lips as Happy laughs heartily.
“I got you. Do you have a design in mind already?”
I grab my phone and take a seat in the lounger next to her equipment table as I scroll through the mock images I’ve found. When I have it on my screen, I extend my phone toward Happy. Her heavy gaze bounces from the phone to me and back several times before she laughs.
“Girl. I know you’re lying. Your bougie ass has never gotten a tattoo, and this is what you want to start with?”
I smirk as my eyes shift from my cousin to my shoes, because the design is definitely uncharacteristic of me.
“Okay, riddle me this, Ms. Hyde . . . Who’s the man whose dick got you speaking in motorcycles?” Happy asks.
A loud laugh falls from my mouth when my cousin’s words register in my brain. It’s crazy, but not far from the truth. The giddy feeling that invades my body at the thought of my man is a high I can’t ignore.
“His name is Righteous. I love him, Cousin.”
“Whoa.” Happy’s mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water as her eyes balloon.
Silence stretches between us as I pull the phone back to look at the tattoo design again. The heartbeat lines with a man on a motorcycle, a heart completing the design, is my ode to Righteous. It’s a statement piece that I hope he appreciates because this is something I’ve never done for any man before him. I have always thought women who get men’s names tattooed on them were stupid. But here I am at my cousin’s job, ready to mark up my skin in my man’s honor.
“I know. He makes my head spin and my heart dance. I also love the way he makes me feel protected even when he’s not with me.”
“I guess that explains the two men standing guard at the front of the shop like Kevin Costner. That man must have put it on you something fierce,” Happy says, and my eyes return to her.
“You have no idea,” I mutter.
“Okay. Let’s do this. Where do you want it, and is there anything else you want on it?”
My lips twist, and my head tilts to the side as I contemplate the best spot for my first artistic expression. After a couple of seconds, I point to the area I want and then tell her what else I want to include. Happy nods before she goes through the process of cleaning the area and then turning on some music. I appreciate the distraction that hopefully will occupy my mind and the potential for regret to sink in. My heart races and my underarms perspire when Happy places what looks like sketch paper on my body.
“What are you about to freestyle this design?” I ask.
“Mhm. The design is simple, and I want to add my creative spin to it. Don’t worry. I promise you’re gonna love it when it’s done.”
I close my eyes and allow my cousin to do her thing as I get lost inside my head. My thoughts shift to Righteous and what he will think about the tattoo. I hope he’ll like it because when the needle pierces my skin, it takes an abundance of prayer to keep me from quitting. I don’t know how long it takes Happy to complete the tattoo, but I’m on my way to the Baxtown Iron clubhouse in no time. Business for the club hasn’t stopped, and another party is happening tonight. The idea of my ability to forget about Mom’s plan and the guys who were after me fills me with euphoria.
“Well, I guess the party is already in full swing,” I say when I see an abundance of motorcycles in front of the clubhouse.
There is a group of men in vests near the front door who look like they could eat Ving Rhames for breakfast. I park across the street and exit my SUV with a tinge of pain that reminds me of the work I just got. When I notice Nox and Trouble standing at the back, I plaster on a smile and head toward the entrance. A sense of exhilaration fills me when I walk through the door andsee my man immediately. I’m sure his minions let him know that I was here, but the heavy assessment in his eyes as he watches me sends tingles to my core.
“I missed you, Navae.” Those words pour over me like gravy on an open-faced turkey sandwich, and I smile like a teenage girl who finally got to go up in bra sizes. I step into Righteous’s frame and bury my face in his stomach as I sigh comfortably. For a minute, I simply bask in his presence as peace settles within me. Well, for a second it does until he wraps his arms around me, and I flinch and whimper.
“What the fuck?” Righteous drops his hands and steps back to look me over.
Hm. I guess his brothers aren’t required to give him a play-by-play of my whereabouts.
