I nodded my head again. I’d already talked to Zeke on the phone and by email a few times before coming here, so he already knew what I wanted and where I wanted it.

I mouthed to Hunter that I loved him. He mouthed it back and gave me that sexy smile of his.

Zeke set the tattoo design up on my lower right back, and then asked if I was ready. Again I nodded my head. He turned on the tattoo gun and the buzzing started.

I sucked in a deep breath, it was painful at first. It felt like a million tiny bee stings, but after a few minutes the pain died down a little. Just like Hunter had said.

“Don’t look until it’s done.” I told him. I wanted to see his expression when he read it. If he didn’t like it I wasn’t going to make him get it but I needed to gauge his expression first.

Twenty minutes later Zeke was wiping my back down and sitting me up, Hunter’s eyes still on mine. I hopped off the chair, went to the mirror and looked at the tattoo. I was in love with it. It was perfect and just how I’d pictured it to be.

Hunter came over to me. My back was facing the mirror when he turned me around so I was looking at myself. “Can I see it now?”

“I’m going to go grab a quick drink, you guys want anything?” Zeke asked. I knew he was giving us a minute. Neither one of us answered, Zeke just walked out, I don’t think he expected an answer.

“Yeah,” I watched him in the mirror.

“I could conquer the world with one hand as long as you are holding the other.” He read it aloud, then looked up at me and gave me a small smile.

He turned me in his arms and kissed me until I was out of breath. “I take it you like it?”

He smirked, “Yeah.”

Zeke walked back in, “You ready?” He asked Hunter.

“Let’s do this.” Hunter sat in the chair the same way I just had.

Hunter got the same tattoo that I had but on his lower left back, he was also getting Ryder’s name and portrait on his forearm too.

While Zeke was working on Hunter’s tattoos, they were bullshitting about all the stuff that was going on around here. How the bar was doing, all Zeke’s latest conquests that Hunter knew, then he started on Brittany.

“So did you hear that Brittany is Logan’s cousin?” Zeke asked Hunter.

What the hell? Poor Logan’s related to the bat shit crazy bitch, poor guy.

Hunter’s head shot up to me, he cleared his throat before answering, “Um…”

“Shit!” Zeke interrupted Hunter. “I forgot you went out with that douchebag, Dominic. Forget I mentioned it.”

I was all about forgetting that bitch and from the look on Hunter’s face so was he. Hunter changed the subject and started talking about Ryder. When Zeke was just about done with Hunter, he asked that I text Hailey and Mason and ask them if they still were coming up. Half an hour later there was still no response from them.

“They still haven’t texted back; I don’t want to bother them. They need this time alone.” I explained to Zeke.

“Cool, Cool.” He sprayed Hunter’s arm down, cleaning all the ink from it. “Well I’ll be around if they change their mind.”

“Alright man, I’ll let them know. How much do we owe you?” Hunter asked, looking at his now finished arm.

“Don’t worry about it, it was nice catching up with you guys. I wish you didn’t live so far away, I miss your crazy asses and,” he looked over at me, “Your cooking.”

Cue the guilt trip, “Well Zeke, why don’t you come over around six? I promised Bentley dinner for letting us stay and I know he wouldn’t mind if you came over too.”

“You sure?” Zeke asked, unsure about his invitation.

I rolled my eyes at him, “Of course, I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want you there.”

He smiled, easy laid back Zeke style, “I’ll be there.”

We said our goodbyes and left. Hunter and I took a quick, freezing stroll down by the ocean before heading back to Bentley’s to start dinner. I wished everyday could begin and end with us wrapped in each other’s arms, the only thing missing was Ryder.

Our time here was coming to an end quickly and I mentally cringed, I was actually dreading going home because I knew my time was up and I needed to come clean to CC. I didn’t know what the f**k I was going to do if she freaked out on me and left. What would happen to us? To Ryder? No way could I not see my little man every day, or not wake up with him in the middle of the night for a feeding.

I shook all those thoughts from my head for now, I had her here and I was going to spend every last second acting like there wasn’t a black cloud over my head.

CC and Hailey, who’d finally made an appearance when she smelled the chicken cooking, were in the kitchen finishing up dinner. CC asked Bentley what he wanted, his request — ‘Your bangin ass chicken parm’ — so we’d stopped at the store before coming back because CC said God knows he didn’t have shit in his kitchen.

The guys and I were in the living room playing ‘Call of Duty’ and waiting for dinner when the doorbell rang. Bentley got up off the couch and went to let in whoever was there. Nothing new there; it happened at all hours of the night too. When he walked back in I was a little dumbfounded, his sister Nikki walked in carrying a twelve pack of Coors Light.

She looked good considering she was almost raped a while ago. After that night she’d shut down and things had been really bad. Now she was back and looked hot, not as hot as CC, but still hot. She was a tiny little thing; someone like me could break her in half, but she had these green eyes that drew you in and deep red hair piled on top of her head that looked like it weighed more than she did. The few times I’d talked to her she’d been timid and after that night I’d barely ever heard her talk to anyone except Bentley.

I sat up from where I was lounging on the couch and went over to take the beer from her. I put one arm around her shoulder and gave her a half hug, “Hey. How are you doing?”

She nodded and smiled, “I’m better. Thanks.”

Bentley took her jacket and hung it in the closet behind the door. I walked into the kitchen and Nikki followed me.

CC was at the counter that faced the living room and did a double take when she noticed Nikki behind me. “Hey babe, this is Bentley’s sister, Nikki. Nikki this is my fiancé, MacKenzie.” I made sure to mention that so there was no question from CC later if she got the wrong impression of Nikki, although I’m not sure you could. She was one of those girls you just liked; she didn’t come off like a whore or a standoffish bitch.