Page 27 of Moments in Ink

“I wasn’t expecting you to get it so big.”

“That’s what she said,” Zia said offhandedly.

“Thanks for that. Now I’m going to have dick jokes in my head for the rest of the evening.”

“I always have dick jokes in my head, it’s a process,” Zia said, grinning back at me.

“So, what are you going to get?” she asked.

“I have three or four pieces on my docket, and I’m still trying to see what fits me the most. Callie and I are going to have a conference call where she can go over some of the art again before I even sit down with her. It’s pretty cool.”

“They’re the best of the best. They have a family branch in Colorado Springs and in Denver, and I’m trying to convince them to come up to Boulder and even Fort Collins, where the other cousins are.”

“There are that many?” I asked, laughing.

“There are probably more that haven’t even been unearthed yet.”

“We do sort of take over the world.”

“You just saidweas if you’re a Montgomery.”

Zia blushed. “Force of habit. I’m used to Aaron and Bristol telling me I’m already part of the family and join in on the jokes.”

“That makes sense to me. I already feel like Bristol and Aaron are trying to get me to join them.”

“Resistance is futile,” Zia said.

“So now they’re the Borg?” I asked with a laugh.

“I think so, but they get a little testy when you mention that.”

My lips quirked as I studied her lean lines and subtle curves. “Seriously, that ivy’s gorgeous, it looks like it’s real, dancing on your skin.”

“Because I’m a little swollen right now. It’s not going to look as 3D when I’m not bleeding and oozing plasma.”

“Sexy,” I grimaced.

“Movies tonight? Or are we still going out to dinner?”

I looked up at Zia’s words and shrugged. “Whatever you’re up for. You’re the one who was on your side for hours getting that done.”

“I’m not tired. We can go out. I’ll have to wear a different shirt so it’s not lying directly on the new ink.”

“Okay. You can find something.”

“You know,” Zia said, her voice soft and hesitant. “This is the sixth time this week we’ve hung out. I’m surprised you aren’t tired of me yet.”

I didn’t freeze, but I did slow down a bit, not knowing what to say.

I wasn’t ready for these types of questions, and I was surprised that she had been the one to bring it up. Maybe it was because we had spent so much time together and had talked about family. I wasn’t sure, but I hadn’t told her everything about my past, and I didn’t know all of hers. And I wasn’t sure if I would ever be ready to talk about that. Though until I was, if I was, I wasn’t ready for a serious relationship, even if it would be with Zia.

“I guess you’re okay,” I teased and noticed the light dim in her eyes for a bare instant before it came back as if I hadn’t seen anything.

I was truly a horrible person, but I had been honest when I’d said that I wasn’t ready.

I needed time to figure out what I wanted, and what she wanted. And I wasn’t good enough for her yet. I wasn’t whole enough. I had thought we both understood that, but I guess I had been wrong.

Now, I needed to figure out what the hell to do about it.