Written in Ink (Montgomery Ink #4)

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Ever.

  Though in all reality, it was always in the back of her mind.

  “So any babies in your future, Meghan?” Callie asked as she ate a cake pop.

  Meghan smiled. “Perhaps.” She held up her hands as the others spoke all at once. “I’m not pregnant now, but we’re not going to wait until after the wedding to try. I’m older than I was with Cliff and Sasha, so you never know.”

  Sierra held out her hand and gripped Meghan’s tightly. “Just be careful.” Meghan kissed Sierra’s palm before letting go. Autumn felt out of place, if only for a moment, at the sight of so many women with so many stories entwined. But she’d been invited, and was part of the Montgomerys at least right then because of Griffin and her friendship with Meghan.

  Holly was the true new one, but she didn’t look out of place. In fact, she looked thrilled to be involved. Sweet and innocent. And happy.

  The door jingled open and everyone turned to see Tabby walk in, her hair in a tight ponytail at the top of her head.

  “So sorry I’m late. Had a last minute thing at work. Oh, are those cake pops?”

  “Are my brothers working you too hard?” Maya asked. “Need me to kick their asses?”

  “Nope. I just wanted to get ahead of tomorrow.” Tabby grinned and bit into a strawberry cheesecake pop. “Oh my God, Hailey. Can we get married? I know I’ll be new at the whole lesbian sex thing, but I’ll learn for these.”

  Autumn coughed up her drink of water as everyone broke out into laughter.

  Hailey wiped tears from her cheeks and shook her head. “Tabby, darling, you are sexy as hell, but neither one of us likes pussy. We’re hard for cock.”

  That sent everyone into a new round of laughter. The only one that looked a little uncomfortable was Holly, but Autumn didn’t think anyone else noticed except for Maya. The group began talking about their days and little stories that made them who they were. Autumn sat back and listened, doing her best not to contribute much. She enjoyed watching, learning what she could about being normal.

  Because Autumn Minor had never been normal.

  And she knew she never would be.

  Chapter Eleven

  “I never thought I’d see you holding a baby like that,” Griffin said as Decker rocked Austin’s son to sleep.

  The women had wanted their girls’ night, so the guys were in charge of the kids. Austin had decided to have everyone over to Decker’s place and have them all watch the kids. Griffin didn’t mind, as he loved his nieces and nephews. It was still a kick in the stomach to see his family have families of their own, though. Everyone was growing up, living their own lives, and sometimes, Griffin felt like he was left behind.

  It wasn’t time for him to worry about that, though.

  Now he wanted to live in the moment.

  Decker just smiled and kept rocking while standing, swaying back and forth as he hummed a little tune. Colin gurgled once, and Griffin took a step closer. Decker didn’t falter; the big, bearded, inked man holding the tiny baby in his arms like he’d always been there.

  Austin grinned from the doorway, leaning on the jam and folding his big arms over his bigger chest.

  “He asleep yet?” the proud father asked, his voice low.

  “Yeah, I think so,” Decker whispered. “You got the crib ready?”

  Jake came out from the back room, Sasha on his back, and a grin on his face. “It’s ready. Sasha helped me put it up.”

  “He needs all the help,” Sasha said primly.

  Griffin had to put a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing and waking the baby.

  Luc plucked his daughter from Jake’s back and kissed her cheek soundly. “You’re right about that. Now let’s get you ready for bed, as well. You’re bunking with Leif and Cliff in the guest room. You okay with that?”

  She nodded sagely. “I like sleepovers. Even with boys that smell.”

  “You’re going to have problems when she gets older,” Wes said as he walked into the living room, Storm on his heels.

  “I don’t mind,” Luc said with a smile and carried Sasha toward the back, where Leif and Cliff were already playing fort.

  “I wonder if I’m going to have a little girl,” Morgan said absently, and Griffin grinned.

  He slammed his hand on Morgan’s massive back and laughed. “I still can’t believe you’re going to be a dad.”

  “You work fast,” Austin said with a grin.

  Morgan raised a brow and looked all the more like the businessman he was. He may have ditched the suit for a casual button up shirt and jeans, but he was still a little cleaner than the rest of them. It didn’t matter that he had the largest ink of all of them on his back, the man just oozed class.

  And now he was going to be a father.

  It was scary how things changed.

  “Not fast enough, some would say,” Sloane murmured as he carried chips and dip into the living room. The big man didn’t pause as the rest of them rolled their eyes at him. Seriously, the man had been courting Hailey without actually courting her for years, and yet he was the one talking about not going fast enough? Crazy man.

  Morgan pushed at Sloane’s shoulders, and the two of them fell to the couch, sitting down with sodas in their hands and smiles on their faces. Callie might have been the one to do Morgan’s ink, but Sloane had also become friends with the man over time.

  Griffin loved seeing the way that each set of family and friends seemed to mix and mingle within their own worlds and the large construct of it all. The writer in him wanted to untangle those threads to study them without ever harming them. The Montgomery in him wanted to relish in the fact that his family was here, healthy, and getting happy.

  His parents were at home in love and safe.

  The women in his life were enjoying their night together.

  Alex might not be there that night, in that place, but he’d never lose his spot. No matter how far his younger brother had fallen, Griffin would be there to help him stand on his own. He didn’t know how much longer Alex had left in rehab, but hopefully, one day soon, he would be able to visit Alex and see for himself how the healing process was going.

  “What’s wrong?” Decker asked as he walked toward Griffin. He must have handed Colin off to Austin, because Austin was nowhere to be seen, and the rest of the crew had taken their seats in the living room, shooting the shit and eating way too much junk food for men of their age.

  Griffin turned to his best friend and sighed. “Thinking of Alex.”

  Decker nodded and turned to lean against the wall next to him. “I hate that he’s not here. I hate more that he hasn’t let anyone in to see him. At least he’s talking to Marie and Harry, I guess. That has to count for something.”

  “Are you going to forgive him for ruining your wedding?” Griffin asked, not knowing where the question had come from.

  Decker frowned. “There’s nothing to forgive.”

  “What do you mean? He fucked up the reception and scared the kids. Ended up bloody like Luc.”

  Luc turned to them at the sound of his name and frowned. Decker waved him off, and Luc nodded after studying them for a moment. He turned back to the conversation at hand, but Griffin hadn’t missed the curiosity on the man’s face.

  Decker sighed. “Alex was hurting. It was only a matter of time before he hit bottom.” He paused. “I think that was his bottom anyway. We won’t know until he tells us. Miranda and I don’t think our wedding was ruined. We got married surrounded by friends and family at the Montgomery place. There was nothing more we wanted. Do we wish Alex hadn’t fallen? Yes. Do we wish that nothing was wrong with him? Hell, yes. Do we also wish there was a way we could fix it? Fuck, yeah. But we can’t. So we’re moving on. I love your sister with every ounce of my being. We didn’t need the trappings and the perfection of a sunny day with nothing ever wrong to make it perfect for us. It was our moment. That’s all it needed to be.”

  Griffin met his best friend’s eyes, floored at the ma
n’s words. He knew Decker loved Miranda, of course. Had seen it with his own eyes in all that Decker did. He’d known that once the two fell in love, Decker had taken a step away from their friendship because that was what happened when there had to be a place made for one’s soul mate. He hadn’t lost Decker in the slightest, but their relationship had changed. And as it had altered, so had the man before him. He’d been hurt, beaten, and had secrets of his own that no other should hold, but he’d found the one person who could not only heal him but also grow with him until the end of days.

  Miranda was that person for Decker, and it killed Griffin that it had taken so long for him to realize it. Oh, he’d known for a while now, had known far longer than the marriage actually, but at first, Griffin had fucked up and punched his best friend. He hadn’t trusted the man with his little sister and had almost lost everything because of it.

  Griffin didn’t have the same temper most of the Montgomerys did. He was a slow burn that turned into a raging inferno. He’d acted without thinking, and had regretted it ever since.

  “I’m sorry for hitting you over Miranda,” he blurted. “So fucking sorry I didn’t trust you with her. I should have. You’re the greatest man I know, Decker. And I’m so fucking happy you guys have a future together.”

  Decker’s cheeks pinked a moment, and the living room grew quiet. Griffin knew all eyes were on them, but he didn’t care. Not then.

  “I understood why you did it. And you’ve apologized before. It’s over, man. You apologize again, and I might have to hit you just because.”

  Griffin grinned then, his shoulders relaxing. He hadn’t even realized they’d tightened.

  “His hard head could probably use it,” Austin said with a laugh. “Come in and sit down. We have wings, dip, and soda. I know we usually have beer, but with the kids around and all of us having to drive home soon, it didn’t seem like the thing.”

  Decker rolled his eyes. “Thank you for playing host in my house,” he said dryly. “I still don’t know why we aren’t at your place. You’re the one with the crib for the baby.”

  “We did my place last time. We’re going to alternate from now on. Thank God Autumn is cleaning Griffin’s place, or we’d all probably catch something.”

  Griffin sat down on the floor—the only place left for him—and flipped off his brother with his good hand. “Fuck you.”

  “No, thanks. I’m taken.” Austin bit into a chicken wing and moaned. “I’ve missed these. Sierra has us on a diet of no fried food. I miss grease.”

  “You do realize the girls are eating chocolate, cakes, and all that shit right now, right?” Sloane asked. He shrugged as everyone stared at him. “I saw Hailey cooking for tonight. She wanted to fatten everyone up since she knows that no one eats like this usually.”

  “You sure do like knowing what Hailey is up to,” Griffin said casually.

  Sloane stared at him. “How’s Autumn these days? Finally take the step and get her in bed like you’ve been wanting to do since day one?”

  He lifted a lip in a snarl.

  “I’ll shut up when you do,” Sloane said. “I like Autumn. Don’t hurt her.”

  Griffin clenched his jaw, and thankfully, nobody else chimed in. He didn’t want to hurt Autumn—didn’t plan to—but he had a feeling they would both be left in pieces once they were through. He didn’t know what he wanted, and she wasn’t planning on staying.

  Fuck. He pushed those thoughts from his brain and listened as the others talked of Morgan’s impending fatherhood and the fact that Luc and Meghan were trying for a baby. Things moved quickly, too quickly it seemed sometimes, but he did his best to go with the flow. The Montgomerys and friends were being plucked off one by one.

  “I have a question, actually,” Morgan said as he leaned back into the couch next to Sloane.

  “Huh?” Griffin asked.

  “Not for you, but for Wes and Storm. I’ve been watching the way everyone interacts for a while now, and I think I have the dynamics down. Sometimes people surprise me, but usually I can figure out the ties. What I can’t figure out is Tabby.”

  “What do you mean?” Wes asked.

  Storm frowned. “What’s wrong with Tabby? She works for us.”

  “Yeah, and yet I thought she was more to either one of you or both. I can’t figure it out.”

  Griffin choked. “Both? Well, that’s something I hadn’t thought of.” The twins glared at him. “What? I figured one of you were with her, or had been, or were thinking about it.”

  They shook their heads simultaneously. “Hell, no,” they said at the same time then glowered at each other.

  “I’m not interested in Tabby like that. She’s my friend and coworker. Nothing more.” Wes stared at his twin. “Something you want to tell me?”

  Storm held up his hands. “I’ve never even kissed her. I don’t see her like that. I love how she keeps us in line at work so I can focus on other shit, but she’s not the one for me. Seriously.” He turned to the others and glared. “And I’ll ask you to stop making it sound like we’re in some type of twin ménage. We don’t share women. Ever.”

  Wes shuddered. “Fuck, no. I know Austin’s friend Sassy has two husbands, but they aren’t related, and…just fuck no. I like one woman at a time. And I’m not sharing with Storm. Ever.”

  Griffin raised his brows. “I think we got it. Tabby’s not for either of you.”

  “You’re sniffing around Autumn, so don’t think about going near Tabby,” Storm said, pointing his soda at him.

  Griffin narrowed his eyes. “I’m not doing anything of the kind. Don’t say things like that so it makes it sound like Autumn is nothing but something to prowl around.”

  The others stared at him and he cursed. “Shut up,” he mumbled.

  “Anyway…” Jake interrupted. “I don’t know what your problem is with threesomes. They can be nice. Well, I never had a threesome while sharing a woman with one of my brothers, but… sharing a woman, in general, can be hot as hell. Plus, fucking another dude while doing it makes it hotter.”

  Griffin blinked. He knew Jake was bi since he’d never hid it, but the ménage thing was new.

  “What the fuck?” Austin said. “Threesomes? Really?”

  Decker snorted. “Not much of one to talk, bro,” he said to Austin, and Griffin held his head in his hands.

  “This is way too much information,” he whined. “Let’s talk sports and do nothing. Okay?”

  Jake smiled unrepentantly. “Just saying. If you’re single, and they’re willing…”

  “You better not be talking about Maya right now,” Wes mumbled. “I don’t want to know.”

  Jake sobered. “I’ve never slept with Maya.”

  “So you’re talking about Holly?” Griffin asked despite himself.

  Jake looked a bit pale and as if he hadn’t meant to say all he had. “It was a long time ago. Holly and I are good just by ourselves.”

  There was an awkward silence, and Griffin wasn’t sure what he was going to say to try and make it better. Instead, Sloane kicked the chips slightly toward Jake.

  “If we’re all done talking about our dicks, I want to talk about this client of mine. Could use the help.”

  Jake relaxed as the others started to talk about ink and not about kink. Griffin kept his eye on the other man, though. It seemed they all had secrets. Ones that once opened to the world might hurt more than just themselves.

  He stayed silent as the others spoke, unsure of what he wanted to say. He didn’t know where he was in life, who he was, not anymore. He was just now figuring it out after all these years. Things changed, people changed, and Griffin was learning to change with it.

  Instead of his book filling his thoughts like it should have, though, it was Autumn.

  The woman would hurt him. He knew it. Hurt him and scar him like no other.

  Yet it was all he could do not to go see her, to feel her under him.

  Things had changed all right, and he wasn’t sure
if he was ready to see the result.

  JAKE

  Jake sipped at his beer and wondered how the fuck he’d ended up here. By here, he meant sitting at his brother Graham’s house while his other brothers Owen and Murphy played air hockey in the other room, cursing at each other while keeping the score tied as usual. Neither one of them could get a leg up on the other.

  He hadn’t planned to come over for a family meal since he’d just had one with the Montgomerys, but as much as the latter wanted to adopt him, he still had a family of his own.

  Of course, the reason they wanted him over wasn’t just Jake’s sparkling personality.

  The real reason currently sat snuggly next to him on the couch, laughing at something Graham had said.

  The Gallagher brothers laughed when they felt like it, brooded more often than not, and didn’t care much about what people thought. They were big, bearded, and tattooed much like the Montgomerys, but sure as hell not as large. Plus, there weren’t any sisters to add estrogen to the pool, so they were a bit gruffer.

  At least that’s what Jake thought.

  Maya usually brought in the estrogen when she visited, but she hadn’t come with him that day.

  Instead, he’d brought Holly.

  His girlfriend. The one he actually truly liked and who liked him back. He had a feeling she was well on her way to loving him, and if he gave in to what wouldn’t happen with…well with… He stopped. No, he wouldn’t think about either one of them. He could see himself falling in love with Holly if he gave in. He just had to give.

  “I’m going to go use the ladies’ room,” Holly whispered before kissing his cheek softly. “I’ll be right back.” She smiled at him before heading to the hallway.

  “She’s nice,” Graham said smoothly as he leaned back in his leather chair.

  “Sweet even,” Owen said as he walked in, Murphy on his tail.

  “Too good for you,” Murphy said with a grin.

  “I can’t argue with any of that,” Jake said and tipped back his beer.

  “Why didn’t you bring Maya, though?” Graham asked. “I thought you two…”