Natalie hip bumped Linda with a grin. “And when it became possible, we had another ceremony and got married for real.” The two of them waved their fingers at Blake, their diamond rings glinting under the lights. “We updated our rings, and this time, Alisha got to be part of the wedding.”
Blake looked down at Alisha, who smiled brightly. “I was the best woman and maid of honor,” the little girl explained.
“And though we have all of that, we still want something that’s just for us,” Natalie added.
“So, for our anniversary, we want to get identical piercings since we got tattoos last time.” Linda laughed. “We, apparently, like marking time with fun things.”
Blake smiled while she quickly pierced Alisha’s ears. The little girl didn’t even gasp, and Blake was happy for it. She knew how to make it as painless as possible.
“All done,” she said softly. “I try to get new ink or a new piercing for special occasions, too,” she added.
“Can I see?” Alisha asked. “I mean my ears, not your tattoos that I can’t already see.”
Blake laughed and nodded. “Sure thing.”
By the time the three of them headed out, Alisha was glowing with her newly pierced years, and her mothers had decided on nipple rings when they came back. Blake couldn’t wait. She seriously loved that family and the way they interacted. It reminded her of herself and Rowan with their sarcasm and private jokes.
She cleaned up her station and stretched her back before going up to the front of the shop to see if there were any more appointments for her. She had a tablet she could have checked, as well, but she liked walking around since it gave her time to clear her head between one client and the next.
Oddly enough, none of the Montgomerys were in the shop today since they had some family barbeque or something, so the place was relatively quiet. Autumn, their receptionist, was with one of the Montgomerys so she wasn’t there either. In fact, it was only Derek, her, and another floater named Brandon on the schedule today. Even the other two full-time non-Montgomerys were at the barbeque.
If she’d been working with them for longer than a minute, she might have felt slighted at the lack of invite, but she wasn’t their family, and she was just fine being alone. She rolled her neck and took a look at the schedule on the computer.
“Light day,” she commented under her breath.
“Yep,” Brandon said with a smile as he walked up to her. He really was one beautiful man. He’d mentioned once that he was half-Korean, half-Irish, and both of his parents had firmly stamped their presence on his features. Strong cheekbones, dark eyes, and full lips on a smooth face. He’d cut his hair recently because he wanted to impress some woman, so it lay around the top of his head in layered chunks. Part high-end model, part just rolled out of bed. She wasn’t sure she could ever get her hair to look like that, even if she tried.
“So verbose,” Blake teased, the sarcasm evident.
Brandon grinned, and if she’d been any other woman, her breath might have caught. Seriously, the man was freaking gorgeous.
“You’re not particularly verbose yourself,” Brandon said as he sidled up to her. “And yeah, it’s a light day since the rest of the crew is out and since Derek and I are floaters, we don’t get as many appointments.”
“I don’t know why,” Blake said. “You’re both freaking talented.”
Brandon winked while Derek snorted over his client’s arm. “Why, thank you, darling. And it’s not that we’re not talented, it’s that it’s not our job to be the pull for the shop. We’re here to fill in. I get to do my large pieces up in Portland and Seattle, while I come here to try to work on new things and be surprised with walkins. It keeps me fresh.”
“If you say so.” She put her hand on Brandon’s chest and pushed him back so she could get out from behind the counter. He moved easily away, not crowding her in the slightest. That’s what she liked about these guys—none of them ever made her feel uncomfortable. They didn’t treat her like the little woman or someone they could bang in the back because she was there. They respected her and actually talked to her like a human being. She’d worked in places where she had to fight off unwanted attention daily, and had even broken a few fingers on her way out the door. She never wanted to be put in that position again.
And yeah, things could have been different if she’d gone into the family business and stayed with the people who had raised her to be nothing more than a pawn, but she hadn’t, so she’d learned to be who she needed to be. Montgomery Ink would allow her to find another part of herself because while she would never fully relax, she could at least breathe somewhat easier around those she worked with and just…create. Just…be.
She hadn’t been able to do either in a long time. But Rowan needed her to be strong, to be whole, and Blake would do anything to make that happen.