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“You’ll tell me if it’s hurting too much?”
I nodded. Of course, it was going to hurt. He was burying a needle in my skin. I didn’t expect it to feel pleasant.
I turned to face Max again, and he leaned down to whisper in my ear. “Just let me know if you need a break, and I’ll tell him I need one.” He winked at me again and lifted his head to watch Theo work.
After the first few minutes, I grew accustomed to the sting and the changing pitch of the needle when it connected with my arm. Sometimes the pain sparked through my overstimulated system, but I did the best I could to keep my winces to a minimum.
Max patted my shoulder. “You’re holding up better than most.”
“Yeah, I don’t think we need to hold your boots down anymore,” Rowan said.
“You’re supporting your sister,” Mom snapped.
“I can do it without holding her germy shoes.”
“I’ll take over, Ann,” Chris said, stepping away from Mom.
“Son of biscuit,” I yelled, when the needle hit a particularly tender part. “Why don’t y’all go bother Lauren and bring us back some coffee.”
They all seemed to like the idea, especially Aiden, and filtered out of the shop, which was thankfully closed to everyone but us. “Back in a bit,” Rowan shouted before the door closed.
As soon as they were gone, I let the tears flow freely. Max kept his expression stoic, and Theo worked several more minutes before he noticed my face was wet.
“Fuck, Poppy,” he said, switching off the needle and brushing a tear from under my eye. “Max why didn’t you say anything?”
“If she’d wanted you to stop, she’d have told you. You picked a tough one, son. Sometimes women just need to cry. Ain’t that right, Poppy?”
“Yep,” I said, with a shaky voice. It hurt like a mother, but I wanted to get over my fear, and as cave woman as it sounded, I wanted Theo to mark me.
“Let’s take a break,” Theo said, rubbing his gloved finger across my cheek. “Do you want to see what I’ve done so far?”
I shook my head. “It won’t be as much as I’ve imagined.”
“I’ve just about got the outline down.”
“Really?” I asked glancing at my arm.
Big mistake. Little drops of blood rose from the black lines Theo had etched in my skin. My vision swam, but I took a steadying breath through my nose and out my mouth and looked again. He really had finished most of the outline.
“That’s incredible,” I said, admiring his work. When I focused on the details instead of the blood, I could look at the tattoowithout feeling dizzy. “I can’t wait to see what you do with the shading.”
Max gripped my shoulder. “Pretty soon you’ll be begging Theo to let you tattoo him.”
I laughed so hard I snorted. “The only place he has left is a small space on his chest, and I’m not putting a needle anywhere near his heart.”
“Nah, that’s taken now,” Max said. “All you’ve got is his ring finger or places I’d rather not think about.”
Theo turned an adorable shade of pink.
“What’s he talking about?” I asked.
“Well, I was going to show you after I finished yours, but since Max can’t contain his excitement, might as well show you now.” Theo pulled his shirt over his head. A bandage covered his chest just above his heart. He peeled it back slowly to reveal a bright red poppy.
My eyes filled with tears again. “It’s beautiful,” I said, reaching forward to touch it. Max placed his hand gently on my mine. “Thank you. It’s some of my better work. But let it heal a bit.”
I turned to Max and gave him a watery smile. “It’s perfect.”
“It was Theo’s design,” Max said, but I could tell he was pleased with the work he’d done. “I just traced and colored.”