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“How much do I owe you?”

He shakes his head and holds up his hands. “On the house.”

“What?”

“Moe covered it.”

I grit my teeth. This was supposed to be about me. I wanted to do this all on my own. It was important to me.

Sensing my frustration, Phoenix lays his hand on my arm. Tingles race up and down my flesh from his touch, and I can’t seem to form a single thought. “If you really want, you can pay me and we’ll say that what Moe gave me is an extremely good tip. Or you could just give me your number and we’ll call it even.”

The question surprises me. So much so, that I’m left gaping at him as I try to collect my thoughts. He’s so forward and I have to wonder how often he uses his job to pick up women. God, he’s a player. I shake my head. “How much do I owe you?”

“It’ll be one hundred.” He doesn’t look deterred as I hand over the cash. He lays it on the table before leading me back to the lobby. “Will you let Moe know that I’ll come by the bar this weekend?”

I turn to him. “I thought you didn’t come by the bar.”

He shrugs. “Maybe I have a reason to now.”

My eyes widen at his forwardness and I quickly stumble through a good-bye, rushing out of the shop before I say something like I would really like to see him again.

Because saying that would be monumentally stupid.

* * * *

I walk into the bar for my shift with my head held high and a sting on my wrist that makes me smile. Four pairs of eyes turn in my direction, stopping me in my tracks before I sigh and roll my eyes. Of course, Moe called them as soon as I left and of course they all showed up. Moe steps out from behind the bar and starts off in my direction with Daddy, Trey, and Tucker right on his heels, all of them with stern looks on their faces.

“All right, let’s see it,” Moe orders as they all swarm around me and I roll my eyes again as I thrust my arm forward, showing them my new tattoo.

“Seriously, guys? It’s just a tattoo. What is the big deal?”

No one even bothers answering me as they lean in collectively and inspect my ink. It would be comical the way they all seem to react as one if I wasn’t so irritated with the constant monitoring. When each one is finished with their inspection, their eyes flick up to my face, filled with concern and I hate it.

“Did you draw this, Em?” Trey asks, running a finger gently around the outside of my tattoo. I nod, grinning at him.

“Yeah.”

It feels like an important milestone and appropriate that the first thing I was able to draw in a year is now a permanent part of me. It signifies my healing and a new beginning for me that I so desperately need.

Trey smiles, his amber eyes shining with pride as he gives my hand a squeeze before dropping it. He wasn’t born into this family but we’re so incredibly lucky to have him and I can’t remember a time in my life when he wasn’t there for me. Tucker met him in kindergarten and they became best friends almost instantly. Trey didn’t have a great home life – his dad ran off when he was just a baby and his mom was hooked on drugs – so he spent a lot of time at our house and somewhere along the way, he just became part of the family. When he was fourteen, his mom died from an overdose and my parents just couldn’t stand to see him go into the system so they fought to adopt him and make him an official member of our family.

Since the moment I was born, he and Tucker have been there for me. From telling the neighborhood bully that if he ever touched me, they would make him regret it every day for the rest of his life to putting the fear of God into every ex boyfriend I’ve ever had, they’ve had my back. I honestly don’t know if I would have survived without them. It was their support and their love that helped me see the light and get free. It kills them to not know everything but letting them in, letting them see those darkest parts of me that weren’t there before – it would change how they see me and I just can’t have that.

“Well, I’m not thrilled about you permanently marking your body,” Daddy says with a sigh, shaking his head. “But it is beautiful, baby girl.”

I beam at him. “Thanks, Daddy.”

He gives me a warm smile, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as he pulls me close and plants a kiss on top of my head.

“Yeah, it’s not bad,” Tucker adds, nodding his head. “Small and tasteful.”

“You’re just happy it doesn’t cover my whole back,” I retort and he snorts out a laugh.

“That, too.”

“Well, now that we’ve got that out of the way, it’s time for you to clock in,” Moe points out and I pull myself out of Daddy’s embrace, backing up toward the bar as I wave good-bye to my brothers.

“See y’all later. Oh, and Moe?”

He quirks a brow. “Yeah?”

“Phoenix wanted me to tell you that he’ll stop by the bar this weekend.”

Moe’s eyes widen in surprise for a moment before a smile slowly stretches across his face. He shakes his head, looking down at the bar floor as he chuckles. “Did he now?”

Tucker’s gaze flicks from Moe and I before he starts shaking his head. “No way in hell!” he hollers and Trey elbows him in the ribs to shut him up. Trey motions for Tucker to follow him and they walk out of the bar together, whispering, as I turn back to Moe, who is still smiling at me.

“Get to work, Girl,” he says and I can tell by the tone of his voice that he thinks I’m the reason Phoenix has suddenly decided to come around. I can’t even find the words to deny it either because truthfully, I’m not sure what I’m feeling right now and that scares the hell out of me.