Tattoos & Tinsel (4 page)

Chloe would freak out (one of her expressions, not mine) if I

mentioned taking her to Europe, for that reason I was keeping the idea

close to my chest for the time being.

We chatted for a while longer until Lexi joined us and dumped her

sleeping daughter on my lap and Luisa decided it was time to check in

on the location of her own children. Lexi was one of Chris’s oldest

friends and I had grown to adore her too. Their band had disintegrated

after Chris had left, although they did meet up to jam a few times a

month. Since the baby had come along those music dates had become

fewer and further between.

I had never been a natural around children. It had taken time for me to

bond with my own daughter, and even as she grew it took effort on

my part to stay close to her. It was easy to love Ruby, though. She

was adorable, a little pink thing in a red velvet dress who fit perfectly in the crook of my arm. Best of all, she’d just been fed and needed

little more than a comfortable place to sleep while her Mama had

something to eat.

I was content to sit back and people watch for a while, until Chris

came upstairs to find me and situated himself on the other side of my

lap, tucking his feet up into the chair and transferring Ruby to his own

arms. I wrapped both of my own around him and laid my head on his

shoulder.

“How are you doing?” I asked him.

“Good,” he said. “People like my food, so I’m happy.”

“Of course they do. You’re a great cook.”

He beamed. “Thanks.” Looking down at the baby in his arms, Chris

gave her a little bounce.

I debated how wise asking him about children was – we’d had the

conversation before, and while we were both cuddling Ruby it

probably wasn’t the right time to bring it up again. Still.

“Do you want a family?” I asked, throwing caution to the wind.

He looked at me carefully and leaned in to place a soft kiss on my

cheek. “I already have a family, Rob,” he murmured against my neck,

his lips curving into a smile. And I knew he didn’t mean the one he

was born into. “And by this time next year I’ll have a step-daughter.”

I kissed him then, not caring about the baby and claiming him with

my lips. He laughed and caught my cheek in his hand and flicked his

tongue into my mouth, deepening the kiss. It was slow and easy and

perfect, confirming every reason why I’d agreed to ask him to marry

me.

If he decided later that he wanted children of his own, I would never

be the one to take that opportunity away from him. It would be a big

adjustment for us, we both enjoyed our freedom, but things could

change. I certainly had, from being a stoic bachelor only eighteen

months ago, to having a young, tattooed boyfriend and, by next

Christmas, a husband. All of those changes should have left my

nerves in tatters but I was strangely calm.

Thanks to Chris, I already knew how our story would end.