Shit.
“What did she say to you?” he asked in a low voice.
His mother sighed. “What we needed to hear.”
A brief silence hung over the room, until AJ’s father spoke in a hoarse voice. “We don’t blame you for what happened to Joseph. We never did.”
The shock nearly knocked AJ off his feet. He had to grab the edge of the desk to steady his flailing equilibrium, but staying upright was a challenge when his lungs had stopped working. He blinked through the dizziness, unable to fathom what he’d just heard.
“Brett…” His voice cracked. “She told you…that I thought…” He couldn’t finish. Didn’t bother trying.
“She told us that you blame yourself,” his mother said softly. “And the fact that you do…well, that just means we didn’t do a good enough job telling you otherwise.” Unshed tears clung to her eyelashes. “But your father’s right, sweetie. We don’t blame you. Joseph’s accident…that’s what it was. An accident.”
AJ’s teeth dug into his bottom lip, the guilt moving freely through his body and making his hands shake. “He wouldn’t have been in those woods if it wasn’t for me.”
His mom was on her feet in an instant, her arms around AJ’s neck as she held him tight. “It wasn’t your fault,” she whispered fiercely. “You were a little boy, and you ran away from home, just like millions of other little boys do. Accidents happen. Tragedy happens. It happens every day to hundreds of people, and it’s awful and gut-wrenching, but people survive it. Our family survived it.”
She released him, tears staining her cheeks. “And what you said just now… You’re right about everything, sweetie. We don’t know who you are.” A pause. “We never even tried to find out.”
“We’ve been acting like assholes,” his father agreed.
His stunned gaze flew to his dad. He’d never heard his father curse before. Ever.
“We had an idea of who you should be, and we forced you to conform to it,” Karen said sadly. “Whenever you made a decision we wouldn’t have made ourselves, we offered nothing but judgment and criticism, and that wasn’t fair to you, Adam. You have every right to be angry with us.”
His throat burned. “I’m not angry with you.”
“Yes, you are.” Tom stood up with a shrug. “But that’s okay. We’re willing to work hard for your forgiveness.”
“And we’re dying to get to know our son,” Karen said firmly.
His dad nodded in agreement. “Starting now. If you’d do us the honor, we would love a tour of this nightclub of yours.”
AJ’s heart expanded like a balloon as he stared at their earnest faces. Christ. They meant every word. The sincerity was in their eyes, their voices, their postures. And for the first time in his life, he got the feeling his parents were looking at him—and actually seeing him.
But as incredibly thrilling as that was, he knew he was about to let them down again.
“I’d love to—but it’ll have to be another night. Right now I have to find someone and grovel for forgiveness.”
To his surprise, his parents smiled.
“Groveling can be very rewarding,” his father said helpfully, the corners of his mouth crinkling with amusement. “Just ask your mom. God knows she’s made me grovel hundreds of times over the years.”
“It’s true,” she confirmed. “And your father happens to grovel very well.” She paused in thought. “Maybe Reed and Darcy can give us the tour instead. Reed is around here somewhere, right? I haven’t seen that boy in years.”
Wonders never ceased—because it was the first time he’d ever heard his mother say Reed’s name without following it up with a disparaging remark.
Well…shit. Maybe they really were willing to make a change.
“Sure, let’s go track him down, and then I’ll head out.” He took a step to the door, then stopped to shoot his dad a mischievous smile. “Hey, Dad? Just a heads-up…I’ve never liked football all that much.”
The older man growled. “Oh, hell no, Adam. That’s just blasphemy.”
AJ shrugged and grinned.
“No matter. You’ll just have to pop by every Sunday come September and I’m sure we can twist your arm into liking it.”
He cocked a defiant brow. “And if I don’t?”
His father offered a shrug and grin of his own. “Then we’ll just watch baseball instead.”
Chapter Eighteen
She missed being AJ Walsh’s girlfriend.
She really, really, really missed it.
So much that Brett still couldn’t believe she was the one who’d ended it. But no matter how miserable she’d been these past four days, she wouldn’t allow herself to cave. She’d meant every word she’d said—she couldn’t be with him until he accepted who he was. No, until he embraced it.
Because if he didn’t, he’d just keep living his life as two people. The man he was with her, wild and free and wonderful, and the man who struggled to follow in a dead boy’s footsteps.
“Hey, princess, I’m taking off now.”
She lifted her head at the sound of her father’s voice. “Now?” she echoed, puzzled.
The grand opening of Conlon Ink North was three days away, and she and her dad had been slaving away to get the new studio ready for the public. Construction had finished, staff had been hired, ads had been booked, and word of mouth had spread. The shop was clean and sparkly and almost ready to open its doors, but Brett refused to let a single client walk into her tattoo parlor until every t had been crossed and every i had been dotted. Her brothers had teased her about being a perfectionist, but she couldn’t help it. She was in charge now, and she wouldn’t allow a single snag or hiccup.
“I thought we were supposed to go through the flash binders and take out all the outdated designs,” she said accusingly.
“We’ll do it tomorrow morning.” Shrugging, her father ran a hand through his unruly beard. “I’ll lock up when I leave so no one bothers you during the interview.”
“What interview?”
“Oh, didn’t I tell you? We’ve got one more applicant to see. He’s waiting in the lobby. I’ll send him in before I go.”
There was someone else in the shop with them? Jeez, she really was out of it. For the past hour she’d been in the back pouring over stacks and stacks of flash—premade custom designs—and she hadn’t even heard the front bell go off.
“Wait—what am I interviewing him for?” she exclaimed as her father made for the door.
“You’ll figure it out.”
The cryptic response only freaked her out more. So far, her father had sat in on every interview she’d conducted, and now he wanted her to do a solo one?
You’ll be fine.
She clung to the reassuring voice in her head. She was worrying for no reason. Artist or piercer—those were the only two positions Conlon Ink had to offer, and she was perfectly capable of judging a candidate for either one. Except…she’d thought they’d already hired all the staff. Her father hadn’t said a word about needing more help.
As footsteps sounded from the hall, Brett quickly straightened up the mountain of papers on her desk. God, she was so not prepared for this. Her office was a mess. Her tank top was inappropriately skimpy. This applicant was definitely not going to take her seriously.
“Come in,” she called when a knock rapped on the door.
A second later, Brett stood up to greet her candidate—and gasped.
“Evenin’, angel,” AJ drawled. “You ready to do this thing?”
It took a second to unhinge her jaw from the floor. Then another one to properly steel herself against the incredible picture he made. Black pants, black T-shirt, black boots—the dangerously sexy attire told her he must have come from the club.
Dragging a hand through his short blond hair, AJ sat in the visitor’s chair and looked around. “Nice office. Are you going to be spending most of your time in here, or at your tattoo station?”
Brett gaped at him. Had
he seriously just waltzed into her office after four days of radio silence and started making small talk?
“What are you doing here?” she stammered.
“Interviewing for a position.” An impish smile lifted his lips. “The position of Brett Conlon’s boyfriend.”
Her jaw fell open again and her knees got so embarrassingly shaky that she sank into her chair with an ungraceful thud.
“This is insane,” she muttered, her brain still trying to process not only AJ’s unexpected presence, but his even more unexpected announcement.
“More like unprofessional,” he chided. “Do you tell all your potential employees that they’re insane? That’s not what you should be leading with in an interview, angel.”
She just stared at him. His cheerful demeanor was starting to annoy her.
“Ask me why I want the job,” AJ prodded.
Brett mumbled a curse under her breath, then decided to humor him. He’d come all the way here for this craziness. Might as well let it play out.
“Fine. Why do you want this job?”
He leaned back in his chair, long legs stretched out in front of him as if he had all the time in the world. “Well, first off, I think I’d make an excellent boyfriend. I’ll open doors for you and buy you flowers on your birthday.”
She raised one eyebrow. “Very unoriginal. I can get that from anyone.”
“I’ll watch any teen vampire show you become obsessed with.”
“Better, but not by much.”
“Okay, how’s this? I’ll have sex with you whenever you want, however you want it.”
A laugh struggled to break free. “Sounds intriguing. But still not a good enough reason for me to hire you. I have very high standards, Mr. Walsh.”
“Trust me, I know.” He looked like he was fighting a laugh too. “Ms. Conlon.”
“Then what else have you got?” she challenged.
Without breaking eye contact, he gripped the hem of his shirt and began dragging the cotton up his chest.
Brett’s mouth went dry when his tight six-pack was revealed. “Don’t you dare distract me with your bare chest,” she ordered.
“Can’t help it. I’ve got something to show you.” He drew the fabric higher and exposed his pecs.
Brett gasped in shock. “Oh my God. What did you do?”
Heart pounding, she draped half her body across the desk to examine the small line of black text tattooed above his left pec.
It was a date.
Fucking hell—the idiot had gotten the day they’d met tattooed on his chest.
“Oh God, I really hope that’s not permanent.” But she knew it was. She could see it in the swollen redness of his skin, which told her the ink was only a few hours old. And she’d recognize that distinct style anywhere—this was Rob’s handiwork, no doubt about it.
“Are you nuts? You finally get inked and this is what you choose?” she blurted out. “The day we met? What if we break up again, huh? Then you’ll be stuck with the memory of me forever!”
AJ’s laughter echoed in the office. “It’s not just the day we met.”
“Yes, it is!”
“Yep, but it’s also the day I finally stopped pretending.”
That shut her up. Hard. Her pulse sped up as she glimpsed the intensity in his eyes.
“That was the night I truly let go,” he said quietly. “I gave in to the urges I was always fighting, and I did what I wanted. I took what I wanted. Even if you and I don’t have a future—which we do, FYI—that night was important enough that I never want to forget it.”
She was too stunned to move, let alone talk.
“So, you wanted to know what else I’ve got—this. A promise that I won’t hide any part of myself, not anymore.” His voice went husky. “From this point on, you get me. Just me.”
Brett’s heart skipped a beat as she studied his face. God, she’d never seen him look so…free. Was that the right word? Maybe unburdened was more apt. Relaxed. Open. Honest. Whatever adjective she used, they all reflected the same damn thing—something had shifted inside him, and it was written right there in his gorgeous green eyes.
“With that said…I like to fuck and fight and take chances,” AJ said roughly, repeating the same words she’d thrown his way when they’d last spoken. When she’d broken up with him.
“Is that so?” she murmured.
He nodded. “But you know what else I like? Actually, you know what I love?”
“What?”
“You,” he said simply.
Her breath jammed in her lungs.
“I love you, Brett. I love every second I spend with you.” Conviction rang in his voice. “I like who I am when I’m with you, and I think you like who you are when you’re with me.”
He had her there. Being with AJ had taught her things about herself she’d never expected to learn. Like the fact that she could be in a healthy relationship. That she didn’t have to be consumed by a man, that she could have fun without getting wasted and dancing on bar counters. That proving yourself was all the more rewarding when you had someone cheering from the sidelines, someone who was proud of you, someone who believed in you.
AJ was kneeling in front of her now, his warm hands cupping her cheeks. “Give me another chance, Brett. Let me be the man I know I can be.”
“The man you are,” she corrected.
“The man I am,” he echoed. His thumb swept over her bottom lip in a tentative caress. “What do you say?”
She supposed she could have left him hanging. God knew it was always fun tormenting this man.
But her heart was so full of emotion it was dangerously close to overflowing, and the past four days without him had been too agonizing to ever have to endure again.
“You’ve got the job.”
The boyish grin she loved so much made an appearance. “Yeah?”
“Of course.” She rolled her eyes. “I love you, too, idiot. Did you really think I’d say no to that heartfelt speech?”
“The thought occurred to me,” he admitted.
“Then you’re an even bigger idiot.” Laughing, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him close. “Now kiss me before I change my mind.”
As AJ’s lips covered hers, a wave of sheer belonging washed over her. Oh yes, they belonged together, all right. They fit. Not just their mouths and tongues and bodies, but their hearts. She and AJ brought out the best in each other, and as long as he was willing to stop hiding who he truly was, then she was willing to open her heart to him.
They were panting when they pulled apart, foreheads resting together, AJ’s hands gently stroking her hips.
“Makeup sex?” he suggested with a grin.
She grinned back. “Hells yeah.” As his eager hands immediately tugged on her shirt, she quickly spoke again. “Oh, by the way, you should know, I—”
“Son of a bitch.”
His hiss of pleasure cut her off, and she knew he’d glimpsed what she’d been about to reveal.
Brett shivered as his features stretched taut with arousal, as his fingers skimmed up her rib cage so he could toy with the silver hoops on each of her nipples.
“When did you do this?” He growled out the question as he touched the nipple rings.
“The day after I broke up with you.” She gave a sheepish shrug. “I do crazy things, too, when I’m upset. You should know that for future purposes.”
He gave the piercings a little tug, sending a shiver racing up her spine. “Crazy? Nuh-uh, baby. This is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.” He licked his lips. “Can I put my mouth on you?”
She reluctantly shook her head. “Not yet. They’re still healing.”
“God.” He growled. “You mean I’m going to be inside you, looking at these sexy fucking things, and I can’t lick them?”
“Nope.”
“Suck them?”
“Nope.”
He cursed loudly.
Brett laughed and ran a reassuring hand over the
five-o’clock shadow rising on his jaw. “You can lick and suck other things, if you want.”
“Damn right I will.”
His hands were already reaching for her waistband, and even though Brett’s father had locked up, she still shot a wary glance at the open door, wondering if this was a good idea. This was her shop now. She had to set a good example for the rest of the staff.
Right?
Sensing her uncertainty, AJ chuckled and slipped one talented hand inside her jeans. “Come on, bad girl,” he taunted, green eyes gleaming. “Are you gonna come out and play?”
Her reluctance melted away, replaced by a rush of reckless passion. “For you?” She leaned forward and grasped his zipper. “Always.”
Epilogue
Three Months Later
“Did you ever in a million years think you’d see that?”
Brett jumped as AJ sidled up to her, his astonished gaze focused on the same astonishing sight she’d been gawking at. “Never in a trillion years,” she corrected. “No, a gazillion.”
On the other side of the small church, Tom Walsh continued to roar with laughter as Jimmy Conlon told an animated story that involved a lot of hand gestures and several meaningful winks. Next to them, AJ’s mother chuckled over something Brett’s brother had whispered to her. Karen warmly squeezed Mike’s tattooed forearm and leaned in to whisper something in return.
Their families liked each other.
Brett was still reeling from the shock, even though she’d witnessed exchanges like this often in the past three months. AJ hadn’t been kidding when he’d said that his parents were determined to make amends. Not only had they apologized to Brett and promised to stop judging a book by its cover, they’d actually followed through on it. Brett had spent a lot of time with AJ’s mother since then, and it wasn’t long before her hurt and resentment toward the woman had faded away.
Sure, Karen was still old-fashioned about some things, but she was warm and loving, and once she’d taken the time to get to know Brett, she’d been nothing but wonderful to her. Whether they were working in the garden or having lunch by the pool, Brett genuinely enjoyed Karen’s company. It was nice having a mother figure in her life again.