Are You Ready? (Everlasting Ink #3)

Chapter 9

CHAPTER

NINE

Forrest

Five days. That’s how long it’s been since I had dinner at Briar’s place with her and the girls. Five days with no calls, no text messages, no drop-ins at the shop. Nothing. Absolutely nothing from her in five days.

Five days of the guys giving me shit for having pink and purple sparkly painted fingernails. It’s been a good conversation piece with clients. I finally broke down last night and went over to my sister’s and used some of her remover to take it off. I felt guilty for doing it. That’s crazy, right? It’s just the thought of hurting River and Rayne’s feelings guts me.

What’s worse, I was supposed to be stopping by Briar’s to look at her dad’s pocket watch that night, but all I could see was her and her daughters. As soon as I stepped through the door, all thoughts of the watch were pushed to the back of my mind. When I pulled away that night, I realized I had forgotten, but I didn’t want to go back in after already saying goodbye. I thought it would be another excuse to see her.

It’s been five long days .

I assumed she would reach out. I left her my number, but she hasn’t. I’ve been kicking myself in the ass because I didn’t get her number. That means, today, it’s time to take drastic measures.

Glancing at the time on my phone, I see it’s just after seven. If the girls have the same routine as the night I was there, they will be in bed soon. Decision made, I hit Emerson’s contact and place the phone to my ear.

“What’s up, big brother?” she answers.

“Just holding down the couch,” I tell her. “I have a favor.”

“Sure.”

Just like that, she’s agreeing, but she also doesn’t know what I’m asking for. “I need Briar’s number.”

“Briar?”

“Yes. She came to the shop, and we talked about her tattoo, but I forgot to get her number, and I have some questions about her piece.”

“You forgot to get her number? Did she not fill out an intake form?”

“Nope.”

“That’s… unusual,” she replies.

I know I’m busted. She’s going to reach out to Lyra and Drake, the two shop employees who work the desk and find out why. Emerson trained them, after all. “It’s not a big deal, but I need to call her and give her an update.”

“Well, I love you, Forty, but I can’t just give out her number without asking her. Let me text her.”

“Fine. Call me back.”

“No need. I put you on speaker and sent the message. She just read it. Oh, she’s replying. And… she says it’s fine. I’ll text it to you.”

“Thanks, kid.”

“Married and a mom,” she says, reminding me.

“Love you, kid.”

She chuckles at my refusal to call her by her name. She will always be my kid sister .

“Love you, too, Forty.”

The call ends, and I immediately open her text message and save Briar's contact. Instead of a normal call, I hit video call. It’s been five long fucking days since I’ve laid eyes on her. She’s consumed my thoughts, and I just need to see her. Besides, maybe the twins will be up and I can say goodnight to them.

The call connects, and her face appears on the screen. She’s sitting down, and the girls are on either side of her. I smile. “Hey, ladies.”

“Forty!” The girls wiggle with excitement and try to get closer to the phone.

“Razzle, Dazzle, are you being good for your momma?”

“We’re reading a story,” River tells me.

“And then we have to go to bed,” Rayne adds.

“Sleep is important,” I tell them.

“That’s what Mommy says,” Rayne says solemnly.

“Girls, go potty and get in bed. I’ll be there soon to tuck you in.”

“Bye, Forty. Wait.” River grabs the phone and holds it so close to her face that I can barely distinguish her features. “When are you coming to see us again?”

“Soon.” It’s a promise I intend to keep. “I’ll talk to your mom, and we’ll make plans.”

“Okay.”

“Goodnight, Forty,” they chorus.

“I’ll be right there,” Briar calls after them. She watches them walk away before her gaze comes back to the phone.

“Hey, Momma.” I grin at her.

Her eyes soften. “Hey, Forrest.”

“I was so busy enjoying the company of the Pearce ladies last week, I forgot to take a few pictures of your dad’s pocket watch.”

“Yeah, we kind of got sidetracked.”

“No regrets.” My reply is instant. I need her to know that hanging out with her and her daughters was the highlight of my week .

“Do you want me to send you a few pictures?” she asks, biting down on her bottom lip.

“I think seeing it in person would be better.” It’s a lie. A picture is fine, but I want to see her, and not through this damn phone.

“Oh, okay. When are you at the shop? I can drop by and show it to you.”

“You know, I’m actually off tomorrow. Why don’t you come over around six and I can repay you for the dinner you fed me last week? Brogan is welcome too,” I add. Sure, that’s not much of a date, but I’ll take Briar anyway that I can get her.

“That’s not necessary, Forrest.”

“I know it’s not, but I want to. Nothing fancy. I’ll toss some burgers and hot dogs on the grill. Do the girls still like hot dogs?” I remember when Emerson was little she would change her likes by the day.

“They do, but you don’t have to go to any trouble.”

“It’s no trouble, Briar. I’ll text you my address.”

“Sure. Okay. Six tomorrow.”

“It’s a date.”

Her eyes widen, and I have to bite down on the inside of my cheek to hide my smirk.

“I better go tuck them in.”

“Give them a kiss from me,” I tell her. Her eyes widen again, as if she can’t believe I said that. Was it too much? Hell, I don’t know. I’m out of my depth here, but I know that if I was there, I’d be helping tuck them into bed, and a kiss to the cheek or forehead would be a given.

“Night, Forrest.”

“Night, Briar.”

She waves and ends the call.

Tossing my phone on the couch, I close my eyes and imagine the three of them here in my space. Thinking about them here brings a smile to my face. This quiet house will be full of life for one night.

Today was my day off. I’ve cleaned all day. Not that my house was nasty, but Briar and the girls are coming over and I need—want to make a good impression. It’s just after four, and I’m full of excited energy. I’ve been really good. I’ve only texted her once to send her my address. The only reply I got was a thank-you. I can’t take it anymore. Grabbing my phone from the coffee table, I fire off a text.

Me: I have chips, and I was going to make some mac and cheese for the girls. My internet search tells me that it’s a hit with kids.

Briar: Actually, the girls are going to stay here with Brogan.

I stare at her message, unsure of how to take it. Does she not want me around her daughters?

Me: I’ll miss them. What about you? Mac and cheese?

Briar: You don’t have to feed me dinner, Forrest.

Me: I’m feeding you, Briar.

I can imagine her biting down on her bottom lip.

Briar: Burger and chips are fine. Nothing fancy is necessary.

Me: How about steak?

Briar: Nothing fancy. Burgers are fine.

Me: Do you eat steak?

Briar: I do.

Me: How do you like it cooked?

Briar: Well done.

Me: Well, since it’s just going to be us, I’ll mix up the menu a little. See you at six.

Briar: Okay .

One single word. I can’t get a read on her. I don’t know if she’s dreading seeing me or if she’s excited. Is she trying to downplay her excitement? Fuck, why does this have to be so damn complicated?

I contemplate calling Roman or Legend but decide against it. I’ve got this. This went from seeing her and her daughters, and maybe her sister, to just the two of us. Quickly, I stand from the couch, grab my keys, and tap my back pocket, making sure I have my wallet before heading out the door.

Briar just changed my plans for the night, and I’m more than okay with that. A quick trip to the store and a new plan falls into place.

By the time six o’clock rolls around, I have a vase of flowers sitting on the kitchen island for her. Steaks are soaking in marinade, baked potatoes are already on the grill, and the salad is mixed in the fridge. I have wine, beer, sweet tea, bottled water, and a few kinds of pop to offer her to drink. I even have juice boxes and a new gallon of milk that I’d already bought for the girls, and spill-proof cups. I’ll need them eventually for Lilly, and Legend and Monroe’s new baby, anyway.

When I hear her car pull into the driveway, I rush toward the door and pause. Pulling in a deep breath, I slowly exhale before opening it. Should I let her knock? Probably. However, she’s here, and it’s been six days since I’ve seen her in the flesh. When all I’ve been thinking about is her, having chill or whatever you want to call it isn’t necessary.

I smile widely as she approaches the front porch. “Briar.”

“Hey, Forrest.” She waves and smiles shyly.

She steps up onto the porch, and I lean in and kiss her cheek. “Come on in. The potatoes are already on the grill. I need to get the steaks going.”

“I hope you didn’t go through a lot of trouble. Anything is fine.”

She’s wrong. This is our first date. She might not know that yet, but that’s what this is, and anything isn’t fine. I need to show her I want to see what this is between us. I need to understand why I can’t stop thinking about her .

“No trouble. Come on in. What would you like to drink?” I ramble off my options.

“You drink a lot of juice boxes, do you?” she teases.

“I bought those for the girls when I thought they would be here with you.”

“Forrest.” Her tone is soft, and her eyes sparkle. “You didn’t need to do that.”

“I want to. So, what will it be?”

“Just water for now. What can I do to help?”

“Nothing. I’m all set.” I hand her a bottle of water. “Let me toss these steaks on the grill, and I’ll be right in.”

“I can come and keep you company.”

“You sure? It’s hot as hell out there.”

“I won’t melt.” She chuckles.

“Come on, then, Momma. Let’s get these on and we can chat while they’re cooking. Wait, I have salad too. Do you want that now or later?”

“Later is fine.”

I nod, letting her know I heard her. With the steaks in one hand, I open the door with the other, and motion for her to step out onto the deck.

“Need this?” she asks, holding up the second bottle of water I placed on the island.

“Yes. Thanks.”

She grabs my bottle of water and follows me out onto the deck. I check on the potatoes that are almost done and place the steaks on the grill before taking a seat across from her at the patio table. “How was your day?”

“Good. Uneventful. There’s not much excitement with medical coding.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

“I do. It was the right choice for me at the time. I was young and had the twins to take care of. Choosing a career that allowed me to work from home made sense. I was lucky enough to find a position from home when we lived in Nashville and when we moved to Ashby. ”

“So you’re from Nashville?”

“Born and raised. What about you?”

“Ashby native. I’ve lived here all my life.”

“It’s a nice town. I’m glad I decided to move here to raise the girls.”

“And Brogan decided to tag along?” I’m trying to learn more about her without prying too much.

“Yeah. We lost our mom when we were young. Just before our second birthday. Car accident.”

“Damn,” I mutter. “That’s tough. I’m sorry for your loss.”

She smiles and shrugs. “We didn’t know her. We don’t remember her. We have pictures. Our dad, he was incredible. He made sure we had everything we needed. We never felt like we were missing the love of a parent. Of course, we missed having a mom, but he talked about her constantly, and her memory was kept alive.”

“I noticed you said was.”

“Yeah, we lost him too.” She clears her throat. “He was in the hospital at the same time I was delivering the twins. He was fighting stage four pancreatic cancer. We lost him a few days later.” Her eyes well with tears, but she blinks a few times, pushing them away.

“Briar.” I don’t know what to say to that. I know that there is nothing I can say that would make her feel any better. Now the reasoning behind her tattoo being for her father as well makes even more sense. “Bring it in, Momma.” I stand, move to her side of the table, and wrap her in a hug where she sits. She half laughs, half sobs, and I hold her a little tighter. Eventually, I have to pull away. I wipe her tears with my thumb before forcing myself to take my seat.

“My parents are assholes,” I blurt out my confession. “They’re alcoholics who never should have been able to have kids. There are ten years between Emerson and me. I did the best I could. When I was old enough and moved out, I took her every weekend and every other time my parents would allow it. Honestly, they didn’t care. They were only worried about the welfare check that came their way until she turned eighteen. ”

“That’s tough.”

“As soon as I could, I bought this place.” I point to the house. “I wanted her to have a safe place. A true home. The day she turned eighteen, I moved her in with me and paid her way through college.”

“And she’s married to Roman, who works with you,” she says, as she tries to keep everyone straight.

I laugh. “Yeah, one of my best friends. He’s good to her, and they’re happy. That’s all I want for her. For both of them.”

“So, you were fine with it?” She raises an eyebrow, and her tone tells me she’s surprised that I would be.

“Not at first, but I’d have to be blind to not see the love between the two of them.”

She’s quiet, and I feel exposed. I wanted her to know about my life, but I also hate to talk about it. Standing, I turn the steaks before returning to my seat. I want to ask her more. I want to ask about the girls’ dad. I want to know… everything. However, I need to pace myself.

“I have a lot of ideas for your tattoo,” I tell her.

Her entire body seems to relax at the subject change. “Yeah?”

“I guess you inspire me.” I wink. She laughs, and I love the sound and the way her face lights up.

“I don’t know about that. Speaking of tattoos.” She reaches into her small purse that’s still hanging across her body, pulls out the pocket watch, and hands it to me.

I take it and inspect it, my mind already going crazy with ideas and details for the tattoo design. “Do you mind if I take some pictures?” I ask her.

“Of course not.”

After digging my phone out of my pocket, I zoom in and take several pictures from different angles before handing it back to her. “Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you. I feel like you’re putting a lot of work into this.”

“I would love to tell you that you're special. Well, you are special, but this is what we do. We make sure every client is in love with their design before we ever start. We’ve made a name for ourselves, not just from our talent with a tattoo gun, but the artistry as well.”

“I’ll admit I did some internet research after Emerson and Monroe told me your shop was the best. Not that I didn’t trust them, but this is permanent.”

“Exactly. We want it to be everything you could have ever dreamed it would be before we even start to lay the ink.”

“Do all of your clients get a steak dinner?” she asks curiously.

I smile. “Nope. You’re the first client I’ve ever invited to my home.”

“For dinner.”

“For our first date.”

Her lips part, but she quickly recovers. “Who said this was a date?”

“Well, I invited you over. We’re having dinner, good conversation, and I bought you flowers.”

“What?”

I’ve managed to surprise her. “Those.” I point to the house and the bouquet on the kitchen island. “I was so excited to see you. I didn’t give them to you when you first got here. You scrambled my brain, Briar.”

“You bought me flowers?”

“That’s first date appropriate, right? We could call this our second date, but the last one wasn’t planned.” I’ve shocked her, so I give her time to process the news. I stand and check on dinner. It’s ready. “Time to eat.” I turn off the grill.

“Let me help.” She hops up from her chair and pulls open the patio door. “What can I do?”

“Plates are in the cabinet to the right of the sink. Grab us two and start making yours. I’m going to get the salad. I have ranch and French.”

“Ranch, please.”

I smile because ranch is also my favorite. Emerson eats both, which is why I have both. We work together, making plates and our salads before sitting down together at the table. The conversation flows easily. The more time I spend with her, the more I crave time with her.

“This was great,” she says, wiping her mouth. “I can’t eat another bite.”

“Well, I guess you’ll just have to take some dessert home with you.”

“No room,” she groans.

I stand with a chuckle and clear our plates. She stands to help, but I wave her off. “Oh no, that’s not how this works,” she says, trying to imitate me. “You cooked. I clean.”

I smile. “Fine, I’ll rinse, and you can load the dishwasher.”

“Deal.”

We work in comfortable silence. When the kitchen is cleaned, I offer her dessert again, which is just a pack of chocolate chip cookies I picked up at the store earlier, but she declines.

“I should be getting home. I want to be there to put the girls to bed.”

“Sure. Let me grab your flowers and the cookies.”

“Oh, we don’t need those.”

“Tell the girls I bought them for them, and the flowers are for you.” I move to the kitchen and grab both, meeting her at the door. She opens the door for me and closes it behind us as we walk toward her car.

“Thank you, Forrest. For dinner, the flowers, cookies, and my tattoo. I’m really excited to see what you come up with, and… I’m glad it was you I got scheduled with.”

I don’t tell her that whoever she was scheduled with, I would have made damn sure her name showed up on my schedule instead. It sounds insane even to me, so I keep that information to myself.

“You’re welcome, and me too.”

She straps the flowers into the passenger seat and sets the cookies next to them. She closes the door and smiles at me.

Unable to help myself, I lace her fingers with mine and walk with her to the driver's side of her car. “When can we do this again? ”

She stares up at me. “I’m a single mom.”

“I know. Razzle and Dazzle are great.” I wink at her, and she chuckles.

“This is my first date since the girls were born. If that’s what we're calling it.”

Something possessive washes over me that it’s been years since another man has had her attention like I did tonight. “Understood.”

“What do you understand, Forrest?”

Keeping one hand laced with hers, I place the other against her cheek. “I understand that this is something new not only for you but for your girls. I understand that there are three hearts involved. Wait, four, because mine should be included in this as well.” I pause to collect my thoughts as she stares into my eyes. “I understand that we’re going to need to take baby steps. I understand that those girls are your first priority, and I’ll handle that however you want. I’ll follow your lead. I understand that I really like you, Briar. The more time we spend together, the more that feeling grows. I’ve never felt this—whatever it is. I think we owe it to ourselves to see what we could be together.”

“I don’t want their hearts to be broken.”

“I promise you, no matter what happens, I will be in their lives. I’m an adult, and it might kill me to not have you, but I will never turn my back on those girls. If this doesn’t work out, I’ll still be there for them, and for you.”

“You’re saying all the right things.”

“But?”

“I’m going to need for you to show me, Forrest. My trust was broken and now, I don’t give it freely.”

“Done.”

“Just like that? What if it’s weeks, months, or even years? I haven’t dated for so long. I don’t know….” Her voice trails off.

“You tell me when you’re ready. I’ll be here. I’ll follow your lead with the girls. I just want to spend time with you. I would be honored if you would give me the chance to show you I’m a man of my word. ”

Indecision is written all over her face.

“Take some time. Think about it. Can I call you? Text you while you’re thinking?”

She nods. “I’d like that.”

Leaning down, I press a soft kiss to her lips. Just a peck, but it lights a fire inside me. “Drive safe, Momma. Kiss the girls for me.”

“Bye, Forrest.” She opens her door and slides into the driver's seat. I step back and watch her as she pulls out of my driveway. I stand here until I can no longer see her before heading into the house.

I laid it all out on the line tonight. I know she’s scared, but she doesn’t have to be. I want her, and I know she’s a single mom. Those girls are a part of her, just one of many parts that I can’t wait to explore.