by Fields, MJ
Kiki laughs. “I’m surprised she hasn’t come home from Italy already.”
“I bet she and Thomas are having the time of their lives.”
“Yeah,” Kiki says on a yawn.
“Go to sleep, Katherine Steel.” Bella leans her head against her sister’s. “You start school in just a few days.”
“It’s going to suck,” she grumbles.
“If I made it, I know you can.”
* * *
Pulling up in front of the townhouse that Bella and I are renting until we decide where and what we want to buy, I feel a sense of peace wash over me for the second time in the past four months.
“Sweets?”
She sits up and looks at me.
“I like it.”
“Yeah?” She smiles.
“Yeah. And I know she will, too.”
I turn and look at her. “You sure this will be enough? I’ve seen pictures of your childhood home.”
“You gonna be here?”
I smile and nod.
“Luna, too?”
“Of course.”
“Paula looking out for her when we’re being badasses?’
I laugh.
“I’m going to be incredibly happy.”
I kill the engine and look in the back seat to see Luna is sound asleep. “You think we can get her into the house without waking her up so we can Christian the entire place?”
She grins. “God, I hope so.”
Bella unlocks the door after giving in to my request of allowing me to carry her across the threshold for the first time in our very first home, a tradition in the most untraditional manner. Then we head up the stairs, trying not to look around.
Inside the room with the yellow nightlight, Bella removes Luna’s shoes, pulls back the blankets, and then I lay her in bed. We both give her goodnight kisses then very quietly back out of the room and shut the door.
I don’t waste any time picking her up and kissing the hell out of her as I carry her down the stairs.
“Kitchen first?”
“Works for me,” she says, grabbing the hem of her dress.
“Isabella?” an unknown voice comes from the kitchen, and I nearly drop her.
“Momma Joe?” Bella squeaks.
“So sorry to just barge in, but I saw you pull up.”
Bella smiles, takes my hand, and then drags me and my hard-on behind her.
“Bella, you need to give me a minute,” I whisper, but she doesn’t seem to hear me.
“Momma Joe.” She giggles as she lets go of my hand and runs into the kitchen, leaving me unshielded.
After they kiss and while they hug, Josephina looks over at me. When she laughs, all I can do is shrug.
“So, this must be Carter.”
Bella turns and smiles at me. Then she sees the same damn thing her grandmother did.
“I’d offer you a piece of lasagna and garlic knots, but I have a feeling I’m interrupting.”
“Um …” Bella chews on her lip.
“I’d offer you a hug, but that may be more awkward than it already is.”
“Oh my God, Tags.” Bella palms her face.
I walk over and sit down at the large wooden kitchen table.
“So, yes to the lasagna?”
“I’d love a piece, Mrs. Steel.”
“Joe is fine, son.”
* * *
We spend two weeks in our new community. Joe and her husband Thomas, Paula, Luna, Bella, and every other day or so, Jase, Carly, and the kids pop in. The community where we now live has a playground, an indoor and outdoor pool, gym, and so many other things and activities, like Friday night family movies that we’ve done as a family, a big, loud, eat way too many carbs kind of family.
We took Luna to her new school the first day, where all the parents were invited to stay, and we did … the whole damn time.
Bella was amazing. She spent the entire day helping Luna make a list of her favorite things in her classroom.
Structure, she gets that Luna needs it, and I love her even more every day because, each day, another level of depth is revealed. And each night, I make sure I show her just how much she means to me.
Two weeks of setting up a new routine in a home with four bedrooms and an office that she spends way too many hours in when Luna is asleep, hell-bent on making every moment in Jersey special and burning the proverbial candle at each end, and now we have to say goodbye to my Luna … our Luna, Paula, Jase, Carly, and Momma Joe, her siblings, but not the cousins who seem to really fucking hate me.
At the airport Bella squeezes my hand as we turn around and wave goodbye.
It was hell leaving Luna before, but I think it’s even more so now that she’s so fucking happy. I mean, she always has been, even going through all the shit she’s been through. But this is a level of happiness that brings a tear to a grown man’s eye.
We ended up sleeping the entire flight to San Fran, which was perfect because I was going to make damn sure we dated hard core while we weren’t being Mom and Dad. We took a magic bus tour of the city and made out in the back of it like teenagers. We fucked at Billy Goat Hill on the tire swing. We went to shoot bows at the Golden Gate Archery Range, paddle-boating on Stow Lake, played put-put, went rock climbing, and Bella posted selfies of us every damn place we went. Oddly, her social media account is even bigger than the cast’s. Apparently, happiness equates to more hearts than art.
We lose Darby but, as per the usual, he got a job in a week. Then we go home and do it all over again.
* * *
The next few months fly by. Home for two weeks, living some sort of normal, then to Honolulu. We have guest artists now, and all eliminations are done by online voting of our viewers.
We cliff-dived, swam with sea turtles and dolphin, went with the remaining guys to a few Hawaiian Luaus, and somehow ended getting dragged on stage and put in a grass skirts.
The last night we are there, we fly in a helicopter to the top of Diamond Head volcano.
Hovering over top, she holds my hand nervously.
Through my headset, I ask, “Would you jump with me if I asked you to?”
She laughs. “You’re crazy!”
“Would you trust me, Isabella Steel, if I asked you to jump?”
“I guess so.” She continues to laugh.
Taking a deep breath, I pull the ring out of my pocket. “What if I ask you to marry me? What would you say to that?”
Tears of a different variety well in her eyes as she opens and closes her mouth a few times.
“Isabella Steel, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
She nods, leans over, and hugs me as she cries into my neck.
“I love you so much, Bella. So damn much.”
After she calms down a bit, I tell her that I asked for her father, Carly, and Momma Joe’s permission. Momma Joe insisted that her first granddaughter get her ring from when she married Jonathon Steel.
The next day was elimination day.
I keep Bella focused on planning a wedding. Every night, she spends an hour on the phone with Paula, Joe, her aunts, Kiki, Luna, and often times her female cousins, picking out everything for a New Year’s Eve wedding.
* * *
Kansas City, the date theme continues, and the crew is one less. Dagger went home.
Los Angeles at Halloween time, we have a blast doing every possible touristy thing there is to do.
When Axel gets sent home, Bella takes it hard. Truth be told, so do I. He’s a great guy.
We were told we should stay in LA, enjoy it, but both Bella and I wanted to get home and walk the neighborhood with Luna. She is the moon, of course; Bella is the Sun; and somehow, I become a dog. I’m going to safely assume she was just reminding me of my promise.
Philadelphia was slotted as our last stop, but it’s not anymore.
In Philly, we lose Grimm.
All that remains now is Neo and Ranger.
Our final show of the season i
s going to be live tomorrow and held in Jersey, in the studio called Forever Steel.
Twenty-Nine
Forever Steel
Bella
At Tags’ suggestion, we are doing our last show of the season live. He is as cool as a cucumber, and I’m the exact opposite.
When we arrive, the shop that always felt like home is packed with family and all of the cast that we began with. Dad and my uncles aren’t going to be the only judges, so are all the members of the cast. And this week’s theme is couples.
Ranger and Neo are both ready. They don’t have a choice; we just told them the night before of our plans.
Tags decided we should dress up, making it a formal affair. Being a lover of fancy shoes, pretty dresses, and a hot, tattooed man in a suit, I was all for it.
When the cameras begin rolling, we stand, holding hands.
I begin, “We started with ten men, ten attitudes.”
“Ten artists, ten cities,” Tags continues.
“And tonight, one will walk away with one hundred thousand dollars to start a new life.”
Tags nods. “This is … Convicted Ink.”
When the film begins, it shows all the men, tells the stories of their journeys, and where it has brought them. Tags holds me a little tighter when it’s revealed that they all have jobs in studios that they love. Each man also taped a thank you to us, and that’s when I really begin to tear up.
I look up at him when it’s finished and smile. “Thank you so much.”
“No, sweets, thank you for being mine.”
Two couples are introduced—both of their stories were second chances—and then Neo and Ranger go to work.
Being live, as hosts, we have to keep the show going while they work, which normally isn’t an issue, but I’m extra emotional.
“This week’s about couples, so while the men work, how about you and I tell them our story, Bella?”
I laugh. “Why not? My family already knows.”
“It started like this …”
Again, a film starts, Tags’ voice narrating it.
I look up at him. “When did you do all this?”
“I’ve had some extra time while you were on the phone, planning our wedding.”
There are pictures of us with each of the guys, our dates, and lastly, a film of his proposal. This shocks me. Hell, he doesn’t like being in front of the camera.
When it stops, he looks at me. “Hey, sweets?”
“Hey, Tags?”
“If I asked you to jump, would you?”
“Of course I would.”
“And you trust me, right?”
“With my life.”
“Do you know how excited I am to become your husband?”
“As excited as I am to become your wife.”
He kisses me, and not a normal camera peck, but a fucking toe-curling, feel-it-between-my-legs kiss. And when he pulls back, he gives me a millisecond wink.
I feel a tug on my dress and look down.
Luna holds up her hand. “Come on.”
“Where we going?” I ask.
“Take your time.” Tags smiles sweetly.
* * *
Tags
I look at Jase, who smiles and gives me a nod then disappears down the hall. Then I look at the camera and say, “Just like the men you’ve met here on this show, I, too, have a past that includes a couple arrests. My creative outlet for all the knocks I took in life was always art. But on the streets and in the courts, they call it vandalism. With the help of a woman named Paula, I got my shit together. She told me to learn a trade, and I did.
“Sisco gave me a job in his shop. Under his guidance, I honed a skill, worked at it daily and legally”—I laugh, and so does everyone else in the studio, even the male cousins and Bella’s brother who look at me like they want to kick my ass most of the time. A little freaky, but whatever—“and I became the best artist I could be.
“I saw a girl standing outside Sisco’s studio back in May, the day before leaving to become a contestant on this show. It was lightning, and it was serene. Never felt that way before. Never will again. So, right now, as Neo and Ranger work on two couples who want their love to be forever etched on their bodies, the woman I love is in the back room of a studio where she grew up to know love, loyalty, art, and not to judge a book by its cover. She’s back there with the people she loves the most, possibly in shock, because we were supposed to get married on New Year’s Eve. When her father mentioned doing the final show here, I knew there was no other place that would mean as much to her as this one to start our lives together.”
Axel laughs. “No shit?”
“None, brother.”
“I’m hoping she can change quickly, or I’m going to have to stand here and talk a hell of a lot longer than I planned.”
‘Wild Love’ by James Bay begins playing, and my racing heart slows.
Looking down the hallway, I see her cousin walking down the hall. Then I see Kiki with my moon.
She’s doing really good, so fucking good. My chest tightens as I watch her dropping daisies with each step.
I look behind me and see Carly, Joe, and her aunts coming in the front door from the alley, as planned. Carly is smiling as tears fall down her face.
* * *
Jase
I feel my hands shake when she walks out of the bathroom. “You look beautiful, Little Bell.”
“He loves me, Daddy, and I love him more than I ever thought possible.”
“I know.” I swallow hard as my eyes start to tear up.
“Please don’t cry, Daddy. If you do, then I will, and … Oh my God, I’m getting married today. I’m getting married here. Here, Dad.” She hugs me so tightly that I’m sure she thinks I’m holding her together, but the reality is, she’s doing that for me.
When she steps back, I hold her little face in my hands. “I love you so much, Bell, and I know that man out there does, too.”
Her lip pouts out, just like it did … yesterday. It seems like yesterday.
I sniff and nod. “He does. The two of you are gonna have a beautiful life, so why don’t we go make that happen now?”
She hugs me again, kisses my cheek, and then whispers, “I love you, Daddy.”
Walking her down the hall, I focus on Carly. She’s crying and smiling, and she’s fucking beautiful.
He looks at my little girl just like I look at Carly. I knew it from the first time I saw him look at her. Pissed me off. Doesn’t anymore.
I kiss my baby girl then give him a hug. “I’m trusting you with a big part of my heart.”
“I’ll guard it with my own. Thank you.”
This is the time the audience will watch tape of all the art the two remaining contestants have created. Tags wanted it that way. He wanted their vows for him and her, for Luna, and for us.
With my arm around Carly, I hear the vows they exchange, traditional vows in a nontraditional setting with a very short ceremony.
When our priest pronounces them man and wife, Carly tightens her arms around my waist.
When he cups her beautiful face, he does it with reverence, just the way I want my little girl to feel for the rest of her life.
Carly whispers, “She did good, Jase.”
When the kiss deepens, I’m a little hot around the collar. I mean, what the fuck?
Carly laughs, and I raise an eyebrow at her.
“Oh please, don’t tell me you don’t hope that part of her life is as good as ours.”
“Baby, tell me you’re joking.”
“Not in the least.”
“And Kiki, you want her—”
“Yep. And don’t ask me about Max. You and I both know that boy is having sex at least ten times a day. It may be by himself, but—”
“Carly Steel, I’m gonna have to ask you to shut it down.”
She pushes up on her toes and kisses me. Against my lips, she whispers, “I want you to rub that Steel ball all over my tongue.”
“Who am I to deny the mother of the bride?” I give her a little Steel.
When Carly leans back and smiles up at me, I kiss her again. “Gotta close this thing down.”
“I’ll be here waiting.”
“You better be.”
I walk around the shop, or as the kids are now calling it, a studio and nod to the camera man focused on the men working on some pretty great tattoos.
“You ready?” The camera man mouths and I nod.
I move to the predetermined, spot, one that won’t catch them on camera and begin.
“While our happy couple finishes up a kiss that’s lasting a little longer than the father of the bride is comfortable with, let’s check out the finished product.”
The camera goes to Ranger, who’s rinsing and wiping down the female’s tattoo.
“Tell us about the piece.”
“Tom and Pam wanted their pieces to represent him being her king and her being his queen. Instead of doing the typical card or going with a crown, gave them the idea to use both and add something a little personal. They’re both of Irish descent, so Pam has the queen of clubs with a crown over one corner of it and his name above it. Tommy has the king of clubs, the crown, and Pam’s name above it.”
“Looks great, Ranger. How about you, Neo?”
“Ziggy and Slade wanted ‘till death do we part.’ After a short conversation, I found out they met at Mardi Gras and both dig skulls. Slade has ‘Till Death’ above his Mardi Gras inspired skull, and Ziggy has the words ‘Do We Part’ over hers.”
* * *
Bella
Unable to focus on anything but Tags, and he on me, Dad took over.
“We need to close this up.” I smile at my husband.
He is mine.
“Viewer votes are sixty percent Ranger,” Shelly, one of our interns, tells us.
I look at my uncles. “You guys have a favorite yet?”