Inked Memories (Montgomery Ink Book 8)

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “Meaning when you both get out of here, you’re taking it easy,” Everly ordered. “I’m sure Marie and the rest of them already have a feeding and cleaning schedule for the two of you. Just go with it,” Everly said directly to Jillian. “You’re a Montgomery now, and you’re just going to have to get used to the fact that you’ve been assimilated.”

  She stood up then and went to Storm’s side. “We’ll give you two a few minutes to talk before the horde comes in. As soon as you feel the slightest bit tired, Jillian, you tell us, and we’ll all go. Okay?”

  Jillian teared up again and gave her friend a wobbly smile. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

  Storm wrapped his arm around Everly’s shoulder and kissed the top of her head. “Welcome to the family.”

  And with that, the two of them left her and Wes alone. Her mind whirled, and she knew it would take a while for her to come to terms with everything that had happened, but she knew there was one thing she had to take care of before the rest of the Montgomerys came into her room.

  “Were you serious before?” she asked, her voice carefully neutral.

  He frowned and leaned over her again to run the back of his hand over her cheek. “When?”

  “When you said you were going to ask me to marry you later rather than tell the nurses you already had.”

  His eyes widened, and she watched as his throat worked when he swallowed hard. “Yeah…I wasn’t lying. I was going to wait until we found our rhythm as a couple and I finally found the guts to tell you that I loved you. Then I was going to get down on one knee and ask you to be my wife so we could spend the rest of our lives together. I don’t even have a ring.” He let out a rough laugh. “I was afraid to even look at what would suit you before I told you I loved you. I didn’t want to scare you away.”

  And that did it. There she was, crying again. And from the look of panic on Wes’s face, she’d surprised him with her tears.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “I just love you so much,” she said, and Wes laughed.

  “You love me, so you’re crying?”

  She waved her good hand around her face. “I can’t stop. It’s probably the pain meds.”

  He just shook his head and kissed her brow. “Probably.”

  “Will you ask me?” she blurted.

  He froze hovering over her. “Right now?”

  “Yes, right now. I know you don’t have a ring, and I can’t exactly jump into your arms, but I think it’s best not to lie to the doctors, right?”

  His eyes filled with laughter, and a smile twitched at his lips. “Oh, yes? You want me to ask you to marry you, so you don’t have to lie?”

  “Well that, and I love you so freaking much. I’ve spent so long being afraid of what would happen when I looked for something more than what I used to think I deserved. I wasted so much time without you in my life. I don’t want to waste another second.”

  He leaned down and kissed her softly, ignoring what probably had to be horrible morning breath. “You took the words right out of my mouth. In fact, you pretty much said the perfect things for a proposal. I don’t want to go home after this without you. I don’t want to wake up again not knowing you’re next to me, ready to spend the rest of our lives together.”

  She was fully crying now, and she saw the tears in his eyes, as well. “Come on, Wesley, don’t leave me hanging.”

  He snorted and shook his head before bending slightly at the knee, but not fully going down to the ground since she was still in the bed. “Will you marry me, Jillian, and make me the happiest man on Earth? Will you fight with me and make up with me? Will you add more life to my too organized self and finally end my streak of being the only single Montgomery?”

  She laughed and nodded. “We wouldn’t want you to be the only single Montgomery in town for long. Yes, Wes, my Wesley, my Montgomery. I’ll marry you. I’ll be yours as you are mine. Now and always.”

  And when the nurses came into the room with Marie and Harry Montgomery, laughter and happy tears surrounded them, but Jillian only had eyes for Wes.

  He was the one man she hadn’t been looking for. The Montgomery she hadn’t counted on. The Montgomery that was just for her.

  Her Montgomery.

  Forever.

  Montgomery Ever After

  Wes was one damn happy man. He had his arm around his newly healthy fiancée, a beer in his other hand, and his family surrounding him as they laughed and joked about stupid things that didn’t really matter.

  In a world where everything other than his family seemed to darken day-by-day, he’d take the laughs about nothing in particular to soothe his soul. He’d take the smiling eyes and the deep belly laughs of his father over the pain and near-death experiences almost all of them had experienced over the past few years.

  His family was happy, healthy, and whole, and would probably be growing bigger in the next few years as his siblings either started or added to their families. Knowing the way he and Jillian were at it these days, they’d probably be joining in the family way soon, as well.

  “You’re looking all philosophical over there,” Austin said from his place on one of the loveseats. Sierra leaned into him, her eyes sleepy. Leif was on the ground, playing with his little brother Colin, who wasn’t all that little anymore.

  “Just thinking about how much has changed in the past few years.” He looked over at his family and smiled, though part of it was a bit sad. “I mean, just think about everything that’s happened since Sierra walked into Montgomery Ink.”

  Sierra grinned, her eyes more alert. “Well, this big brute of a man pissed me off, but what can I say. He’s just so lovable once you get to know him.”

  “That’s our family motto,” Maya put in from where she lay on the floor, her head on Jake’s thigh. Border sat on the other side of Jake but had his hand in Maya’s hair, slowly brushing the strands from her face. Their son, Noah, slept on Border’s lap, his belly rising up and down with his tiny snores.

  Austin kissed Sierra soundly on the mouth, and Leif made gagging sounds. Wes was pretty sure that any day now, that kid wouldn’t think girls had cooties and would rather try kissing, but he didn’t mention that.

  “So, do we get the motto tattooed under the iris?” Miranda asked, a wide smile on her face. She sat next to Decker on their side of the couch with baby Micah on his dad’s lap. Micah alternated between tugging on Decker’s beard and crawling on the floor with their big dog that thought Micah was the best thing on plant Earth.

  Of course, the dog wasn’t the only animal in the room, as Wes and Jillian’s new kitten, Sunny, was currently passed out on top of the dog’s back, it’s little belly up in the air and it’s polydactyl paws spread.

  Jillian had moved in with Wes as soon she was discharged from the hospital. They still had to deal with selling not only her house but also her father’s, but they would get to it. They’d gotten the kitten soon after they started cohabitating because Jillian had mentioned one day that she wanted a pet and, of course, Wes couldn’t deny her anything.

  “How’s your new tattoo feel?” Meghan asked from her spot on the couch between Miranda and Luc. “Actually, how do all of your new tattoos feel?” She smiled and leaned her head on her husband’s shoulder. Their son, Cliff, lay on the floor near them, with their daughters Sasha and Emma playing with him. They’d already crawled over to play with Leif and the others earlier and would probably do so again. Wes liked the fact that all the cousins were being raised almost like siblings—much like some of his cousins and his siblings had.

  “I like that you all chose different places to get them done,” Luc said as he looked down at his own ink on his forearm. “Makes it special, you know?”

  “I guess we’re all Montgomerys, even though we aren’t blood,” Decker said with a wink, the statement heavy with meaning.

  “Austin does great work,” Jillian said as she patted her hip where her new Montgomery iris lay. She, Tabby, and Everly had
gotten them together so they’d have them on their wedding days. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought, and knew it was better than her having his name on her. Hell, he knew Maya and Austin wouldn’t have allowed that. But the fact that the iris was also the logo for their work, family, and other parts of their lives, it was a little different than a name.

  “So does Maya,” Everly added quickly from her spot next to Storm.

  “Yes, she does,” Tabby said with a grin before leaning into Alex.

  “Damn right I do,” Maya said with a laugh.

  “This does mean it’s my turn next to do the ink,” Austin added. “Though it seems to me we’re out of wives and husbands to add to the mix unless we end up with another triad.”

  “I think one triad is good enough,” Jake said as he kissed his husband’s jaw and winked. “I don’t think any of you could handle it.”

  They laughed before Leif looked up and smiled at Austin. “That means I’m next, right?”

  Sierra let out a groan, and Austin shook his head. “You’re still a ways away, kid,” Austin growled, though his eyes smiled as he said it.

  “Keep telling yourself that, Dad.” Leif ducked as Austin playfully swiped at him and laughed.

  “Oh!” Autumn exclaimed. “Did Griffin tell you the good news?” She winked at her husband, who just sighed. “Okay, I know he didn’t but I can’t hold it in any longer.”

  “What is it?” Marie asked as she leaned toward her son. “What’s going on?”

  “Well, they’re going to finally announce it tomorrow, but I guess I can tell you guys if you promise to keep it off social media.” Griffin glanced around the room, and everyone nodded. They understood what was meant to be kept secret and would never let it leak. “Fatal Ties is going to be made into a movie. It was not only optioned, but picked up. They’ll start filming in two months.”

  Everyone screamed and shouted, and soon, Griffin had to push people off of him so he could breathe. Wes couldn’t believe his little brother had come so far and was now going to have a damn movie with his name on it. How fucking cool was that?

  “I’m so proud of you,” their dad said as he cupped the back of Griffin’s head. “And I’m really damn happy I’m going to be around to watch it.”

  Emotion clogged Wes’s throat, and Jillian leaned into his side. While his father had beaten the cancer and was still going strong, Wes knew that Jillian was still healing over the loss of her dad. They talked about that and the shooting often, and even with a therapist to make sure they were always honest and open about their worries, it was still a heavy subject.

  “You’re a damn amazing writer, so here’s to many more successes,” Alex said, toasting his water glass to break the tension.

  They toasted with him, and Wes watched as Alex laid his hand over Tabby’s stomach when he thought no one else was looking. Well, that was interesting. Considering how much Alex had been through in the past, Wes was so freaking happy for the couple if what he thought was true.

  Storm and Everly’s twins woke up from where they’d been napping with Randy, their puppy, who wasn’t a puppy any longer, and joined in to play with their cousins. Wes just grinned at the look on Storm’s face. His own twin was one happy papa and still best friends with Wes’s girl. Maybe if they were any other family, it might have been an issue, but they’d all gone through so much shit over the years, worrying about something that everyone said was in the past wasn’t worth it.

  “So, when do you think you’ll be done with the warehouse?” Austin asked.

  They’d had to close down work for two weeks due to the police investigation but thankfully they were well on their way to setting up each of the individual businesses within the main building.

  They’d handed the lockbox over to the authorities when Jillian was still in the hospital, along with everything else they’d found. The current owners of the warehouse had been open and honest and truly had no idea about what had been going on before they bought the place. There were still criminal trials coming up for the men who had attacked Wes in the alley and then again in the warehouse, and even more charges for those who shot Jillian, broke into her home, and the other things they’d found on them. Wes wasn’t sure exactly what would happen since he wasn’t an attorney and all of it was out of his wheelhouse, but he’d do what he could to make sure that his family and homes were safe from whatever had tried to hurt them.

  “A month if we stay on target,” Wes said, clearing his thoughts from things he truly couldn’t fix. Everly’s bookstore had reopened with a special grand opening two weeks ago, and some of his crew was now working on other projects under the company umbrella. The Montgomerys were moving on and moving up—something he knew each and every member was a part of.

  “That’s good,” his mother said with a shudder. “I’ll be glad when my babies are able to work on other things.” She was close enough to kiss Jillian’s fully healed shoulder and give her soon-to-be daughter-in-law a hug.

  Wes couldn’t help but grin at the look on Jillian’s face. His parents had pretty much adopted Jillian at this point, and he was sure that if he hadn’t already been marrying her, they’d have found a way to make her a legal Montgomery anyway. It was just how they worked.

  “There’s another project coming up, though,” Storm said with a wink, and Wes just grinned.

  “Oh?” Miranda asked. “What is it?”

  “Well, we can’t tell you yet,” Wes hedged. “But I can tell you that it might involve almost every Montgomery here…and a few down in Colorado Springs.”

  Austin and Maya shared a knowing look, and Wes couldn’t wait until they were ready to spill the details. That, however, would be for another time. Now, he just wanted to hold his woman and learn more about what had gone on with his family over the past few days since he hadn’t really seen them.

  “I’m happy,” Jillian whispered as the others talked around them.

  He leaned down and took her lips. “Yeah? Me, too.”

  “And I can’t wait to be Mrs. Wesley Montgomery.”

  Wes narrowed his eyes. “What did I say about calling me Wesley?”

  “That you love it and want that iced on our wedding cake?”

  He growled and bit her lip before kissing away the sting. “You’re going to give me gray hair, Jilli.”

  She studied his temple and frowned. “Going to?”

  He growled again and whispered low, “You’re going to pay for that.”

  “So you keep saying. But, Wes? I’ll always be here to see what you have up your sleeve. Always.”

  And though his family still laughed and joked around him, he only had eyes for the woman in his arms. He hadn’t been expecting her, and he knew she felt the same way about him. But in the end, he’d found his happily ever after—not in the person he’d thought he would find it with or even down the path that had seemed the easiest.

  They’d fought and clawed for their happiness.

  And that was the only way he knew how.

  It was, after all, the Montgomery way.

  Up Next?

  The Montgomery Ink Series moves south to Montgomery Ink: Colorado Springs and FALLEN INK.

  A Note from Carrie Ann

  Thank you so much for reading INKED MEMORIES. I do hope if you liked this story, that you would please leave a review! Reviews help authors and readers.

  I’m so honored that your read this book and love the Montgomerys as much as I do! Now don’t be sad that Wes was the last Montgomery to get his book because there are MORE Montgomery Ink books on the way!

  Not only will there be at least two more bonus novellas in the Montgomery Ink series, but the series continues with Fallen Ink (Montgomery Ink: Colorado Springs Book 1). Adrienne, Thea, and Roxie are Shep’s sisters and ready for their HEAs. Adrienne is up first in FALLEN INK.

  And don’t forget Jake’s brothers from INK ENDURING have their own series: The Gallagher Brothers series. LOVE RESTORED is Book 1. And Tabby’s brothers from
INK EXPOSED also have their own series, The Whiskey and Lies series. WHISKEY SECRETS is book 1.

  Don’t miss out on the Montgomery Ink World!

  Montgomery Ink (The Denver Montgomerys)

  Montgomery Ink: Colorado Springs (The Colorado Springs Montgomery Cousins)

  Gallagher Brothers (Jake’s Brothers from Ink Enduring)

  Whiskey and Lies (Tabby’s Brothers from Ink Exposed)

  If you want to make sure you know what’s coming next from me, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.CarrieAnnRyan.com; follow me on twitter at @CarrieAnnRyan, or like my Facebook page. I also have a Facebook Fan Club where we have trivia, chats, and other goodies. You guys are the reason I get to do what I do and I thank you.

  Make sure you’re signed up for my MAILING LIST so you can know when the next releases are available as well as find giveaways and FREE READS.

  Happy Reading!

  Montgomery Ink:

  Book 0.5: Ink Inspired

  Book 0.6: Ink Reunited

  Book 1: Delicate Ink

  Book 1.5: Forever Ink

  Book 2: Tempting Boundaries

  Book 3: Harder than Words

  Book 4: Written in Ink

  Book 4.5: Hidden Ink

  Book 5: Ink Enduring

  Book 6: Ink Exposed

  Book 6.5: Adoring Ink

  Book 6.6: Love, Honor, & Ink

  Book 7: Inked Expressions

  Book 7.5: Executive Ink

  Book 8: Inked Memories

  Montgomery Ink: Colorado Springs

  Book 1: Fallen Ink (Coming Apr 2018)

  Book 2: Restless Ink (Coming Aug 2018)

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