Page 9 of Embraced in Ink

“I was beginning to think you and your whole family were going to hide in the corner all night.”

“You have so many friends here, we thought we’d let you mingle, have fun, and then come over here where the real party can start when you were ready,” his mother said, grinning.

“You know, you are right about that. There are a lot of people here. But I’m so glad that you guys came. Seriously. You’re my second family. And I love you.”

His mother wiped tears from her face, and Bristol pulled away from him, hugging his mother close once more.

Marcus tried not to think about the fact that he felt cold now with her warmth gone.

What the hell was wrong with him? He never used to think like this. Oh, there were occasional thoughts every once in a while, but ever since that ticking clock of her birthday came screeching into his ears, the steady pace of what the fuck he was doing became evident, and he couldn’t stop the stray thoughts from piling on top of one another until it was all he thought about.

“Okay, enough of that. Now, go chat, and bring Marcus with you. He’s been scowling over in the corner for too long.”

Bristol narrowed her eyes at him. “I noticed that. I mean, this is my day. I am the center of attention, the princess. And my best friend can’t even be bothered to roll out the red carpet or make sure others bow in my presence?”

She grinned, and he rolled his eyes. “You only think you’re the center of the universe, Bristol Montgomery.”

“My mama told me so, so I totally believe it.”

“As your mother should,” his mother said. “Now, go, have fun, but make sure you say goodbye before the end of the night. Or if you can’t because you’re the center of the universe and are busy, just know that we love you. And our gifts are on the table. We can’t wait until you come over for dinner.”

“I told you not to get me gifts.”

“Of course, we did. It’s for your birthday,” Andie said. “However, we also donated to a charity like you asked us to in the invite.”

Marcus smiled and slid his hands into his suit pockets. Bristol did really well in her career. She had albums made, had even been nominated for a Grammy once. She toured the world and was an actual soloist. People begged her to come and play for them.

So, she did really well and was good at saving her money. He made sure of that, as did the rest of her family. She didn’t want to blow her earnings on flashy things, even though Bristol loved the shiny. So, her invites had asked for no gifts but said if the guests wanted to do something, they should donate to their favorite charity in her name.

Most people had adhered to that, but not family. Family wanted to do both.

He hadn’t gotten her anything. Well, he had, but in retrospect, it was probably a really stupid idea. And it was something he’d made, something that he’d likely never show her. Not when he kept digging himself into a hole.

“Okay, I’m going to go make sure he parties a bit,” Bristol said, tugging on his arm. “Come on.”

“I’ll go wherever you lead me. As always,” he said dryly, and his sisters tittered behind him.

He flipped them off, then moved out of the way of his mother’s hand. She was really quick, though, and still caught him on the ear.

“Marcus Stearn.”

“Sorry, Mom.”

She laughed, and he kept his arm around Bristol’s waist as they walked from couple to couple and group to group.

“You having fun?” she asked as they made their way around the next couple, a glass of champagne in each of their hands.

A little too reminiscent of ten years before. He sipped slowly, needing a clear head for this.

“I am. But the question is, are you?”

She turned on her heel and looked up at him, her blue eyes wide. “Of course, I’m having a good time. You’re here. Everyone’s here.” She added the last part quickly, and he frowned. He didn’t have time to dwell on it though, because she continued. “I love birthdays, but I’m really more of a fan of everyone else’s birthdays.”

“For someone who is always the center of attention, you sometimes don’t like it, do you?”

“Pretty much. But Mom wanted to throw this for me like she did for my twenties. However, she promised that for my fortieth—dear God—we’d go to Vegas for a road trip.”

Marcus grinned. “That sounds like a blast.”