Embraced in Ink

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “Zia?” Bristol asked, her mouth dropping. “You were in London. I told you not to come. Why are you here?”

  Her ex-girlfriend and friend sauntered into the room, looking as gorgeous and put-together as ever as she rolled her eyes. “One of my best friends doesn’t all of a sudden get engaged to her best friend out of nowhere and not think that I’m going to show up.”

  “I barely followed any of that,” Bristol said, laughing.

  Zia threw her arms around Bristol’s shoulders, hugged her tight, and then kissed her square on the lips. “I missed you, baby girl.”

  “We’re the same age. I’m not your baby girl,” Bristol said, hugging Zia tightly. “And you were in London.”

  “And now, I’m not,” Zia said, a sad expression skimming over her face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I’m fine. However, I am going to be staying in the US for a little while longer.”

  “Oh, no. Do I need to go beat his butt?”

  “You need to do nothing of the kind. All you need to do is tell me exactly what happened, and then tell me all the delicious details about Marcus. I’ve been waiting to hear them.”

  “I’m not going to tell you everything.”

  “Wait? Then why are we here?” Arden asked from the doorway. Bristol laughed.

  “Hey, you,” Bristol said as she turned toward Liam’s woman.

  “I’m being serious,” Arden said, grinning widely. She was leaning on her cane, one that she didn’t always need to use, and Bristol quickly brought the other woman in.

  “I’m being serious, too. Do you need to sit down? Are you doing okay?”

  “I’m fine. A bad pain day is all. Liam dropped me off, but I wouldn’t let him come in and grill you. Mostly because you’ve been hiding from the family, and I figured there was a good reason.”

  Zia quickly took the bag of goodies from Arden’s hands and introduced herself. “By the way, I’m Zia.”

  “I’ve seen photos of you, and Bristol talks about you often. Congratulations on the new line.”

  “Thank you. And congratulations on landing a Montgomery.”

  Arden laughed, and Bristol rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, shush, you. And, Arden, go sit down. Liam is going to hurt me if I let you tire yourself out too quickly.”

  “You guys are such fuddy-duddies. I’m fine. I don’t even really need the cane today, I rarely do. I just wanted to be sure, and since I didn’t bring Jasper along, I didn’t have my support.”

  Jasper was her white Siberian Husky, and the most adorable dog Bristol had ever met.

  “You could have brought him over. You know I love him.”

  “I know, but he and Liam are having a boys’ day.” Arden rolled her eyes. “I swear that dog is leaving me for Liam. Not that I blame him. I am going to miss him today, though.”

  “He loves you.”

  “That is true. Now, I brought over some wine, and makings for a charcuterie board like you asked. We’re building them, right? Together?”

  “Oh, it’s my favorite part. I figured we could all work on it together because I brought some things, and I had a feeling that Holland would, too.”

  “And speaking of…” Zia said, grinning.

  Holland, Ethan and Lincoln’s lady love, walked through the door in that instant, her hands full. “I do have the makings for a charcuterie board, and my crockpot is full of balls.”

  Bristol had to laugh. “Of course, you would think to bring the balls.”

  Zia winked. “After all, you are a very lucky lady with two sets.”

  “Okay, that’s enough talk about my brother’s balls,” Bristol said, shuddering.

  “Yes, and considering the other set of balls belongs to my cousin, let’s not talk about that either.”

  Bristol looked at the other woman by Holland’s side and grinned.

  “Madison, you came.”

  The other woman smiled, seeming a little shy. “Thanks for having me. Lincoln said I needed to get out more, and now that he is officially part of the Montgomerys, he said I have a ready-made family waiting for me. Not that I actually want to throw myself into your waiting arms, but it is kind of nice not to only have my family.”

  “You know, you were always welcome to hang out with us. Even before when Lincoln and Ethan were only friends.”

  “That’s true, but I always felt weird joining in on every single Montgomery gathering.”

  “There are a lot of those,” Holland said. And I’m the newest, so I’m still figuring it out.”

  “I’m like a minute more into the Montgomery clan than you are,” Arden said dryly. “We can figure out our roads together.”

  “That sounds fine with me,” Madison said, and they all laughed.

  “Does everyone know Zia?” Bristol asked, herding everyone into the kitchen and making sure Arden sat down. Everyone finished introducing themselves and moved farther into the house.

  “Okay, let’s get making this charcuterie board as a group, pour some wine, and then we can talk about exactly how the hell Bristol Montgomery is marrying her Marcus.”

  Everyone looked over at Zia as she smiled and shrugged. “What? I thought we could talk about the elephant in the room. I mean, that is the elephant in the room, right? Are there any more that I’m missing?”

  “Not that I know of,” Holland said, tapping her chin. “I’m sure we can find more. But first, let’s talk about engagements. Because, oh my God. You and Marcus? How did that happen?”

  Arden clapped her hands together. “Please tell us. Everything. How long have you guys been dating? When did this happen? I mean, we all thought we saw the chemistry, but we didn’t want to overthink it.”

  “You know, I wasn’t even really around as much, and I saw the chemistry. I’m so happy for you guys.” Madison ran a hand through her hair.

  Bristol smiled at her words, even as she broke out in a cold sweat. “Um, let’s work on cheese first. Because, yeah, I think I might need some wine, too.”

  Everyone stared at her and then purposely went back to work, changing the subject to Arden and Liam’s next trip on his book tour, rather than the fact that Bristol was finally getting married.

  Finally? Oh. That was a word she hadn’t meant to use, even in her head. Or was it?

  The idea of Marcus and her together sent nervous shivers through her system.

  And tempting ones.

  Ones she hadn’t let herself feel before this.

  She pushed those thoughts from her mind, however, because the others would see, and she needed to focus. Everybody got to work, with Madison opening up the wine like a pro. Bristol knew she already liked the woman, but now she had a feeling that Madison was going to be one of her best friends.

  Holland and Arden started organizing and laying out the cheese board in a perfectly artful presentation, while Bristol made sure everything was out of the fridge and ready to go.

  The meatballs Holland had brought were perfect, mouthwatering, and the ball jokes ensued.

  “Seriously, how many ball jokes are you honestly going to make in a day?” Holland asked.

  “I don’t know, as many as I can fit into my mouth,” Zia said, winking before actually putting a meatball into her mouth.

  Bristol snorted, wine nearly coming out of her nose, and reached for her water instead. “Okay, that’s enough of that.”

  “Enough of it as in it’s now time to tell us everything that happened between you and Marcus?” Arden asked, leaning forward.

  “Um. You were there. At my birthday. Marcus and I are getting married. We’re going into the next phases of our lives together.”

  The girls looked at each other and then at her.

  “That certainly doesn’t tell us much.” Arden tilted her head and stared at Bristol. “We won’t pry.” She paused. “Too deep. Nevertheless, you both look happy, if a little shocked at the outcome. I mean, it did seemingly come out of nowhere, but maybe it didn’t. And we’re no
t going to force you to tell us anything.”

  “Believe me, I’ve been part of a relationship where everyone had to know everything, and I love the fact that you guys never tried to ask me all the intense questions—and invasive ones,” Holland put in.

  Zia raised her hand. “I don’t mind hearing details about it, though,” Zia said, and everyone laughed, the tension mellowing out. “However, we won’t talk about the how, mostly because it feels like that’s personal,” Zia put in.

  “But we will be here for you,” Madison said, smiling. “Seriously. Marcus is such a nice guy, and I don’t know him as well as I know the rest of you, but he always seems to be there for everybody in his circle and outside of it. He has a great job, loves you, and makes you smile. I’m really happy that you guys are making it work.”

  Bristol smiled even as her cheeks hurt and a cold sensation skated over her. She didn’t know what it was, though. Shame? Guilt? No, it couldn’t be either of those. Because this wasn’t a fake engagement. This wasn’t a lie. What it was, was something that was starting at the wrong point of a relationship.

  Maybe. Or perhaps she was losing her mind.

  “We just knew,” she said, hoping that was honest. “It was my birthday, and we looked at each other and…knew. And now, we’re getting married.”

  Everybody sighed, their eyes filling, even though she knew they would have more questions. After all, Bristol had a few of her own. If the roles were reversed, she’d be the one leading the charge, always in everyone’s business as she tried to help people into their happily ever afters. But now that it was her? She needed time.

  She could kick herself for how pushy she’d been before, even if people had said they appreciated it.

  Retrospect and all of that.

  “Now, let us see that ring,” Zia said. When Bristol held out her hand, she could only smile as the others gushed and squealed, making this dream of hers even more of a reality.

  * * *

  She sipped at her wine and talked with the girls before everybody headed home, and she was left alone with her thoughts.

  She pulled out her phone and dialed Marcus’s number without even thinking.

  “Hey,” she said as he answered.

  “Hey.”

  “The girls just left.”

  A pause. “I’m still with the guys, though I moved over to another part of the house so they can’t hear me. You okay?”

  He knew her so damn well. Tears threatened, and she swallowed them back. She wanted to hear his voice. Wanted him near. She was a selfish person, but she couldn’t help it. Not when it came to Marcus. Never when it came to him. “I feel like I’m lying even though we aren’t. You know?”

  Marcus let out a rough chuckle, one that immediately made her feel like she was on the same page with him. How did he do that with a simple sound? “I feel you. I just think we need to get to know who we are first. You know?”

  She relaxed at once, even though hearing his voice did something to her that was not at all relaxing. “Exactly. I haven’t changed, neither have you. We’re still Bristol and Marcus. We’re still the ones who fight and laugh and are dorks with each other. You have always been in my life, and this isn’t going to change anything. It’s going to cement the fact that we’ll always be together.”

  “I get that.”

  He paused again, and she frowned even though he couldn’t see her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Do you think it’d be easier if we told everybody what got us here?”

  She bit her lip. “It would be easier in one respect, and maybe painful in another. I don’t know. I’m not good at this.”

  “You’re good at everything you do, Bristol.”

  “Haha. We both know that’s not true, and I sure as hell don’t feel it right now.”

  “Then let’s take that and run with it. You and me. We’ll solve this problem of ours.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Meaning, you and I have had countless dinners together, movie nights, we’ve gone on trips together, we have literally seen each other around the world, but I’ve never taken you out on a date. And if we’re going to be real about this and find that next path like you keep saying, let’s make it work. You and me. A date.”

  She froze, nervous excitement filling her. “Our first date?”

  He cleared his throat. “We’re engaged, after all. We might as well figure out what the fuck we’re doing.”

  Laughter bubbled up in her throat. Who knew she could laugh when she had so many other emotions running through her? Marcus, that’s who. “Well, that’s a good thing to think. Because I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  His voice lowered. “We’re getting married, that’s the big thing, but maybe that’s not the right answer.”

  She froze. “Getting married is not the right answer?”

  “No, that’s not what I meant. Getting married is the right answer. Because that’s what we want.” He paused, and she didn’t say anything. She was afraid to.

  “So, where are we going on this date?”

  “Well, let’s figure that out. Shall we? I already know what you like to eat, where you like to go, so…do we want to go somewhere we already love? Or find something new?”

  She thought about that, wondering what the right answer was. Because they already had a lot of places they loved, but that was as friends. Were they going to build on what they already had? Or try something new?

  Because she was afraid that she wasn’t going to give the right answer, she went with what she knew. “Let’s go to that Thai place we love.”

  She could hear the smile in Marcus’s voice as he spoke. “The Thai place works. You know I crave their soup.”

  “And you always get it so spicy it makes both of us cry, but it’s the best.”

  “See? We’re already on the right path.”

  “This was my idea, you know, Marcus? This whole marriage thing. And yet you’re the one soothing me. It’s always like that.”

  “It’s not. I get stressed out over things, too.”

  “But I’m the one who blows up. You’re always stoic and stern.”

  “It’s my last name, it’s what I do.”

  “Dork.”

  “I’m a nerd, thank you very much. You would do well to get it right.”

  She laughed, warmth spreading through her. This was the Marcus she knew and loved. The one she was used to. She wasn’t used to the other Marcus. The one that gave her butterflies and made her think about dirty things and warm things that confused her. The one that kissed her and touched her. And made her want more.

  There was no holding back now, there was no going back. She didn’t want to. Not when the feelings inside her wouldn’t go away. She’d hidden them for so long, told herself it would be wrong to want, and yet, here she was.

  Near him.

  With him.

  A temptation encased in passion and trust.

  “Have fun with the guys,” she said softly after a moment.

  “We’re starting now, your brothers haven’t interrogated me yet, but they will I’m sure.”

  “Tell them I’ll kick their asses if they try.

  “No, that’s not how it goes. You know my sisters are going to want to interrogate you, too.”

  She winced, literal fear crawling over her skin. “I know. I’m worried about that.”

  Marcus laughed. The jerk. “They don’t bite. Much. Your brothers, on the other hand?”

  “I’ll fight them.”

  “No, I’ll fight my own battles. Doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks or what they say. You know it’s only you and me, right? We’re going to do this, find us. You and me.”

  “You and me,” she repeated.

  After they said goodbye and ended the call, she sat there wondering if she was making another mistake. She was getting good at that. Because this wasn’t make-believe, this wasn’t playing pretend. This was real life, real feelings, real…everything.

 
; And the fact that she was still going through with this meant it wasn’t just a facade. She wanted to know exactly what it would feel like to be with Marcus.

  And given that she was using this deal and promise as an excuse, that told her that she was far deeper into her own version of Alice in Wonderland than she cared to admit.

  There was no going back—for either of them.

  The parts of her that she tried to ignore were fine with that.

  And the rest of her?

  That was the question, wasn’t it?

  Chapter 8

  Marcus ended the call and looked up as Aaron walked into the room. “Was that Bristol?” Aaron asked, leaning against the doorjamb.

  They were at Ethan and Lincoln’s place, deciding to have a guys’ night, although Marcus knew it was mostly so they could interrogate him. He didn’t mind. After all, if anyone else had been with Bristol, he would’ve been in on the interrogation.

  And the fact that anger and jealousy slid through him at the thought of anyone else with Bristol meant that he needed to get a handle on his emotions. He knew he’d been having issues when it came to her long before he’d said yes to their engagement, way before he proposed again.

  Because he had always wanted her, deep down inside, even if he told himself that he didn’t want to.

  And that was something he’d have to deal with.

  Though he didn’t know how.

  “Yes, it was Bristol,” Marcus said, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

  “Well?” Aaron tapped his foot, though thankfully, he looked as if he were exaggerating.

  Marcus raised a brow. “What do you mean, well? She’s doing fine, the girls just left her place, though I didn’t realize they weren’t going to stay for long.”

  “Their thing was earlier, while ours is running later. Although I don’t think Holland’s coming home directly, so she won’t end up hanging out with us at the house. She had a few things to do at her store.”

  Holland had moved in with Ethan and Lincoln, so technically, this was her place, too. She also owned a fantastically eclectic shop on the main drag of the touristy places in Boulder. She did decently well selling art and knickknacks, and things from local artists, including unique craftsmanship pieces.