He didn’t see it. Butterflies were hosting a rave in my stomach, and he thought I was wearing a regular t-shirt for my regular shift at work.
God, I was so stupid. Eager to hide the embarrassment burning in my cheeks, I reached across my torso with my left arm to hide my face.
“Hold on. Does your shirt have a rip in the back?”
Confused, I turned back to him and hoped the flames had died down.
“Is there something wrong with your shirt?” he repeated.
An embarrassed laugh burbled out of me.
“No, that’s the style. It’s backless.”
His eyebrows shot up.
“That’s a thing? How does it stay up?”
“It’s like a square-cut shirt, turned the other way around.”
“Cool. Can I see?”
With my heart in my throat, I leaned away from him to bare my back. While I’d worn this shirt many times in busier places, I felt more exposed now. Jake wasn’t seeing it by happenstance; I was revealing it to him. It was strangely intimate.
“Damn, that’s amazing. Your artwork is stunning.”
“Thanks, I drew the designs myself.”
“Wow, even more impressive. The way your shirt cuts low in the back is a perfect frame. Very cool.”
Pleasure radiated through me. That’s exactly what I thought when I bought it.
“Do the flowers mean anything?” he asked.
“Yeah, I had them done to remind me of where I came from.”
I swallowed hard, not sure I was ready to share this. But it was a week for difficult things, so I might as well.
“The tulip represents Mom since she’s perfect love, and it’s her favorite. My dad is the marigold for positivity. We never knew how prescient that would turn out to be. I’m the daffodil; it means new beginnings.”
“And what’s the last one?”
I swallowed hard.
“Forget-me-nots.”
“Ah, so you wouldn’t forget Sierra Rose Ridge.” His lips quirked up in that half-smile of his. “You meant it as a literal reminder.”
My eyes met his over my shoulder.
“No, it’s for you.”
He froze for a long moment. Then he cleared his throat, and the world returned to normal.
“Your tattoos are beautiful. Thank you for sharing them with me.”
Okay, so that conversation was done. It’s not like I expected him to declare his undying love after he found out I got a tattoo of him as part of my forever family. I reached for my seatbelt again, and nothing stopped me.
“Thanks. I haven’t worn this shirt in a while, but I wanted to celebrate.”
