Page 81 of The Keeper and I

“You’re not?”

“No. I hate that you’re going through something so frightening, but I’ll never be sorry that this brought us together.”

A smile tugged at her lips, but it faltered and faded. “I wish it had been normal. Like we’d met somewhere and dated like normal people.”

“I believe that would’ve happened,” he said. “Even if Dane hadn’t come into the picture, we'd have found our way to one another.”

“Really?”

“Of course.” He paused and gave her leg a soothing rub. “Laci, I can’t fucking imagine a world where I don’t know you.”

Her bottom lip quivered. “That’s a lovely thing to say.”

“It’s true,” he said.

“I felt like we’d met before the night I found you,” she said. “I still feel like we’ve known each other longer than a few months. Don’t you?”

“Aye, I do.”

“Can you come up here and cuddle me?”

He chuckled. “Aye, I can do that too.”

He pulled the duvet back and crawled up beside her, taking her under his arm and holding her close. She snuggled down and let her head rest on his chest. Her fingers trailed along his arm, tracing his tattoos.

“Here I am saying I feel like I’ve known you forever, and I’ve never asked about your tattoos,” she said.

“We don’t have to go into that tonight,” he said. “If you want to go to sleep, feel free.”

“I won’t be able to sleep.” She shook her head. “Please. Talk to me.”

He gave her a comforting squeeze. “Which tattoo d’you want to know about?”

“All of them. We’ve got all night.”

“At the top, we’ve got lilies,” he said. “Ava and I have matching sleeves, and we started with the lilies to—now, this is a bit sad—but, to commemorate the death of our childhood.”

“Fuck, thatissad.”

“We thought it was funny.”

“You’re both terribly morbid but go on.”

He talked her through each piece down the length of his arm, then the opposite arm. He listed when he got it, what it meant, and how it related to something Ava got if it wasn’t an exact match. They always collaborated on tattoos. He wasn’t sure how normal that was for a sibling bonding ritual, but it was theirs. Laci listened, adding comments here and there on the ones she really liked, the floral designs in particular.

“Maybe I’ll get peonies next,” he said. “That way you’ll have some whenever we’re together, no matter where we are.”

She smiled at last. “Would Ava agree to that?”

“Absolutely, she would. She’s part of what brought us together.”

“Mm, that’s true.” She interlocked her fingers with his. “Any reason you’ve only got black and white?”

“I meant to have some with color, but I went to my first school visit as a pro,” he said. “The kids were all blown away by my tattoos. This wee blonde girl came up to me with markers and asked if she could color them in. I said yes, and it was the most beautiful I’ve ever seen them. Now, I do it every time we see kids.”

“That is,” she placed a kiss on his chest. “The sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. You’re actually a teddy bear, aren’t you?”

“Only for you. If anyone else asks, I’m a fucking grizzly.”