“Yes, ma’am.”
“An owner?Someone like you?”Eugene raised a brow, pointedly staring at the exposed tattoos on my arms.“And I suppose that's… profitable?”
“As profitable as any million-dollar business.You'd be surprised by the amount of people looking to make a long-lasting memory with some ink.”
“He's right, Granddad.”The boy beside him nodded, chewing on the last bits of his food.“Between Booktok, drunken mistakes, and cool designs, you'll never run out of clients.”
“What the hell is a Booktok?”
“Think of it as Internet fun with books.I'll explain later,” the boy said, waving a dismissive hand to Eugene.
“Nerissa does a lot of those tattoos,” I mentioned to Savannah, meeting her gaze.“You'd never believe how crazy women get with book tattoos.The current obsession has something to do with—and I'm quoting here—‘shadow daddies and dragons.’I'll never understand.”
Her laugh was music to my ears.
“Still, your limit only reaches tattoos.”
“Not at all,Eugene.”I smiled, making sure he could see there was no chance of breaking me down.“Creativity has no bounds.The city actually entrustedsomeone like mewith the Westfort Medical mural commission.”
“No way!That's you?”the boy exclaimed.“It's killer, dude!We're all talking about it at school.I walk past it all the time when I have to bring Granddad in.Didn’t know the guy in charge was sitting at my table.”
“Almost finished,” I said, shifting a little in my seat and reaching for the water again.“Few more panels to complete before the big reveal.”
A lot of eyes were on me for this project, and it was times like this that reminded me of that.Sure, I was confident about the skill and design, but with so many expectations of what it should look like, it was hard to focus.It was also another reason why I stopped working on it during the day—there was nothing worse than people crowding me while I worked.
Though, I'd be lying if I didn't say it eased my mind to know that I wasn't screwing it up.Some people actually liked the progress so far.Good.
A knee brushed against mine, sending a jolt straight through me.But this wasn't teasing.It was grounding.
I wanted to lean down to kiss her again, but two taps echoed through the speakers.
My gaze shifted to the right, fixed on Chase and Lori standing behind the head table, microphone in hand.Lori held a glass of champagne in her hand while Chase had his arm around her waist.
The room gradually quieted.
Everyone at our table adjusted their positions, either twisting toward the couple or turning their chairs completely.Only Savannah and I didn't have to move.
“Alright, everyone.I just want to thank you all for coming out tonight,” he began smoothly.
“It means a lot to Lori and me to have our closest friends and family here as we get ready for the next few days.”
Lori beamed beside him, squeezing his arm as applause ran through the room.
Savannah’s expression remained composed, holding her chin high, but I felt the tension coiled in her.The way her shoulders held just a little too straight.I inched her closer to me, making her lean a little into my chest and her arm on my knee.I threw an arm around her chair, my eyes never leaving thehappycouple.
“This week has been… eye-opening,” Chase continued.When his eyes briefly drifted to our table, I made sure he saw how comfortable she was in my arms.That's right, asshole, she's mine.“It really shows you who’s meant to be in your life long-term.”
I didn’t miss the way his eyes lifted to meet mine, and I relished in the jealousy coloring his eyes.He may have been all smiles for the crowd, but underneath, he was probably plotting my murder.
Good thing I didn't go down easy.
At least, not unless it was about going down on my woman.
Lori stepped forward, meeting the crowd with a wide smile.
“Exactly, my love.I truly believe everything happens for a reason,” she said sweetly, looking this way, too.“Sometimes we go through relationships that prepare us for the one we’re actually meant to have.”
My jaw tightened at the soft laughs and murmurs that echoed in the room.
