I reached my arm around and pulled her closer. “Holy hell, girl, I’m so glad you’re my best friend.”
When we walked out of that gym, I’d never felt better.
***
By the time we walked out of the tattoo parlor, I was flying high. I ended up getting angel wings on my right shoulder in honor of our little girl. I couldn’t wait to show Jeff. The belly-button piercing was perfect. I looked over at Ellie and let out a giggle. She still looked like she was about to throw up.
She asked, “What the fuck did we just do?”
Ellie ended up getting a phoenix tattoo on the right side of her back, and I was damn happy she did. If anyone had been reborn, it was this girl.
Now, the nose piercing, yeah, I’m pretty sure that I was not going to Ells live that one down. I’d never heard Ellie say fuck so many times or use the names she’d called the poor guy who had pierced her nose. I let out another giggle.
“What the hell do you find so funny, Ari? You barely flinched when he pierced your stomach. I thought I was going to die when he put that damn needle through my nose. My nose, Ari. I just pierced my nose and got a tattoo on my back. Gunner is going to freak.”
“No, he’s not. Shit, he has two tattoos himself. He’s gonna think it’s sexy as hell, and you know it.”
Ellie shook her head as she got into her car. “I sure as hell hope this thing doesn’t get infected.” Ellie looked in the rearview mirror. “Oh. My. God.”
When she looked back at me with her smile, I grinned right back at her because I knew what was coming.
“It looks so damn cute!” she said.
I laughed and agreed. “Let’s head home. I want to get me some Jeff.”
“Oh god, Ari. Come on, I don’t need that visual. He’s my brother for shit’s sake.”
***
The drive back to Mason was filled with laughter and tears.
Ellie was starting to get down because she hadn’t gotten pregnant yet, and she was getting worried.
“What if I can’t have kids, Ari? What if I’m never meant to be a mother? I know how much Gunner wants kids. What if.”
“Just stop. First off, you have plenty of time to have a baby, and you will have a baby, Ells. Maybe you’re just so worried about trying that you’re too stressed to get pregnant. You know, my mom and dad didn’t think they were ever going to have kids. They ended up going on vacation, and nine months later, I made my grand entrance in the world.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve already talked to Gunner about maybe not trying so hard for now. I mean, if it’s meant to happen, it will happen. Right?”
“Right!”
“Ari, are you really okay, sweets?”
I looked out the window and felt the tears building for the first time since this morning. Taking a deep breath in, I thought about Jeff with his arms wrapped around me so tightly, his whispers of love in my ear, and the way he just made me feel so safe.
I smiled and turned back to Ellie.
“Yeah, I’m really okay, Ells. For once, I truly feel like Jeff and I are finally on the road we are meant to travel on. I don’t think you can get to where you’re truly meant to go until you travel that one road…the one that’s filled with sharp turns, steep hills, and nothing but pot-holes that you have to try and get around. After you make it off that road, you find the one that is straight, smooth, and filled with nothing but happiness.”
Ellie pulled over on the side of the road and stared at me.
“What’s wrong? Why the hell did you pull over?”
She reached over and put the back of her hand on my forehead. I just looked at her.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“I’m just making sure you’re not getting a fever or something from that piercing and tattoo. Holy hell, that was some serious shit.”
I let out a laugh and pushed away her hand.
“I love you, bitch,” I said, hitting her in the shoulder.
“I love you, too. Let’s get home and show our guys what we got today!”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
JEFF
With Ari’s birthday tomorrow and the wedding in four weeks, my head was spinning in every direction.
Ari had been flying high the last two months, which was a relief. I knew things were definitely getting better when she’d gotten back up on Rose. Our ride yesterday morning had been amazing. We’d made a small pit stop to make love under her favorite oak tree.
I smiled when I thought about how fucking sexy that girl was. I had to shake my head when I thought back to a couple of months ago when she and Ellie both came home with tattoos and piercings. With the way Gunner had looked at my sister when she’d showed him the tattoo, that fucker had been lucky as hell that he was married to her. I could practically read his damn min. Bastard.
I heard a truck coming down the driveway before I even saw it. Scott was coming today to pick up the horses he’d left for breeding. I still didn’t like this guy. He flirted way too much with Ari for my liking.
Scott pulled up next to my truck and got out with that stupid-ass grin on his face. Walking up to him, I smiled and reached out to shake his hand.
“How’s it going, Scott?” I said in the nicest way I could. I couldn’t help but notice him looking around for what I was pretty sure was Ari.
“Hey, bud, how’s it going? How’d those horses do?”
“Good. We left them out in the back pasture for about a week.”
Scott was looking over toward the barn.
Fucker. Okay, let’s just make this short and sweet.
“So, let’s get your boys loaded up in your trailer.”
Scott looked back over at me and nodded. “Sure, let’s do it.”
“They’re in the barn.” I turned around and led the way.
***
After we got Scott’s two studs loaded up, we were about to shake hands when he broke down.
“So, where’s Ari today? Is she feeling better?”
I just smiled at him. “She’s doing wonderful. She and my sister are in Austin today, looking for a wedding dress.” Chew on that, prick.
“A wedding dress, huh? Y’all getting married soon?”
“Four weeks.”
Scott smiled and shook his head. “Well, I don’t have to tell you that you’re one lucky son of a bitch, I’m sure.”
“No. No, you don’t.”
He stuck his hand out to shake mine. From the look on his face, I might have gripped his hand a little bit too hard, but at this point, I couldn’t have cared less.
Ari was due back at any minute and all I wanted to do was get him the hell out of here.
I watched as he drove off, and then made my way back into the barn. I set my iPod on the docking station and turned on my song while I started to clean out the stalls. There was nothing like a little Kid Rock’s “Cowboy” to get me going.
I started to think about Ari’s birthday tomorrow. I smiled as I thought about marrying the girl of my dreams. I was going to do everything in my power to make sure she was happy for the rest of our lives. It was hard to believe a year ago I’d almost lost her to Jason.
Just then, I felt something hit my back. I turned around to see the love of my life leaning up against a stall. I walked over and turned off the music.
“You know, I never thought I would say this, but I actually would prefer for you to listen to ‘Truck Yeah’ again.”
Walking up to her, I grabbed her around her waist and pulled her to me.
“Oh yeah? You don’t like my ‘Cowboy’ song, baby?”
“Um…no. You play it all the damn time, Jeff. I think Ellie is about ready to take away your iPod.”
“I love my sister, but her taste in music sucks. Speaking of my sister, how was the dress shopping?”
Ari smiled so big it caused me to smile.
“I found it.”
I picked her up and spun her around. Fucking finally. I was so tired of hearing Ellie and Ari talk about dresses, looking at dresses, and shopping for dresses. I was just about ready to take her to a beach somewhere and marry her in the nude.
“That’s great, baby. I’m so happy you finally found it. Was your mom with y’all?”