Little did I know it would be the turning point.
I reached far beyond Pike’s Landing and ended up pulling in clients from neighboring towns, and through word of mouth, summer vacationers started planning their tattoos to align with their vacations.
Then, he asked me to marry him. Now, I’m not one whoneedsto be married, but he’s the man of my dreams. Putting a ring on my finger felt like a privilege. We got married at the courthouse. Besides, I was already pregnant with our first.
After a few years, I decided to search for a new job. Something that was solely my own. I was craving independence and wanted to spread my skills around town. I opened my own marketing firm, and the rest is history.
“Do you want to grab a bite to eat before you head out?”
“Duh. You know I do.” Holt takes my hand. Marci agrees to watch the boys as we step out into the perfectly sunny day we’ve been blessed with. “Let’s eat outside.”
“Ooh, you know I love to dine al fresco.”
Holt playfully rolls his eyes. “You’re such asnob.”
I gently punch him in the ribs. “You know I’m just trying to impress you.”
He holds my hand as we walk to the cafe down the street. I stand a little taller when I am with him. Not only is he huge, and I feel tiny, but he makes me feel strong, powerful, and totally worthy. My strong, sexy husband stops at the front door of the restaurant’s cute little patio. “You can impress me tonight.”
“What’s tonight?”
“Marci’s going to watch the boys.”
“What?” I don’t know what to say. “How…when did you…?”
“Before you got here.” Holt pulls me into a hug and kisses the tip of my nose. “I want mommy all to myself tonight.” My center ignites, aching for my husband like it did on our very first date.
“Oh, you’ll get all of mommy tonight.” And every night for the rest of our lives. I rise onto my tiptoes and, without warning, nibble on his neck. My big, strong tattooed mountain man giggles, rubbing the spot where I got him good.
God, he’s cute. I think I’ll keep him. But, husband or not, I willnotbe tattooing his name on my inner thigh.