Teasing Her: A Small Town High Heat Romance (Inked Bad Boys Of Beaumont Book 2) by Kelsie Calloway

Author:Kelsie Calloway [Calloway, Kelsie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-01-20T06:00:00+00:00

5

VALENTINE

W hen I show up at Inkphoric for my first day of work, I’m anxious. My stomach is flip-flopping, but that could just be the baby. I sit in my car with a hand over my belly making shushing noises as if I’m talking to someone right next to me. “It’s going to be alright,” I whisper to the baby,

“these are just first-day jitters.” Am I trying to convince him, or myself?

The obstetrician said she wouldn’t be able to tell me the gender for another two months. She directed me towards a few clinics that would do anatomy scans early, but she insisted that if it was too early, there’s a chance the scan could be incorrect.

I keep praying for a boy even though nothing I do now will change who he or she is. I’m terrified of having a girl for a lot of reasons, the most prominent one being if she finds herself in the same situation I did. What if I can’t give her a good life and she winds up with a man who verbally abuses her? Or worse. I guess the opposite side of the coin is having a son who grows up to be an abuser. There’s no winning when you’re a parent.

I get out of my car and cross over to Lilac Street. Inkphoric used to be next door to rolled ice cream shop named Penny’s. Hunter and I went there a couple of times, but it was a rare treat. Now all I see is an empty interior through the window panes. The stickers that once proclaimed their name have been peeled away, leaving a slight residue in their absence.

A bell announces my entrance at Inkphoric, but it’s unnecessary. The guys sit around at their respective tattoo booths, all eyes turning toward me when I walk in. It is silent for a minute, then Abe jumps out of his chair and heads over to greet me.

“Valentine, welcome. I have the guys here today so you can meet them.

You’ll probably be working with them over the next few weeks. Everybody, this is Valentine,” he turns around to usher toward the guys, “Valentine, this is Stone, Maddox, and Remington.”

They’re a group of good-looking men, I’ll give them that. They look like they work out quite a bit, too, so I have no doubt that they’ll be able to help with the demolition and heavy lifting. “Hello,” I greet quietly, unsure of what to say to these men. “I’m Valentine Price, interior designer.” I wear my job title like a piece of armor, hard proof that I belong here.

Abe gestures me toward his booth with a smile, chairs sitting on both sides of the desk. “We’re going over the plans for the space. Join us!”

Over the course of the hour, absolute chaos unfolds and I love it. I try not to add anything to the conversation and it turns out I don’t have to. As Abe talks about his plans, the men do enough talking for me.

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