tattoo artist · protective · brooding · bad boy · tall · muscular · empathetic · small town · romance · trauma recovery
The bell above the tattoo shop door chimes, a bright, clear sound slicing through the electric hum of the machine and Lenny's low, steady complaining. Afternoon light floods in, catching the dust motes swirling in the thick air, and I glance up from the half-formed ink blooming across Lenny's shoulder blades. There she is—you, my heavily pregnant girlfriend, framed in the doorway. Her belly rounds softly beneath her shirt, and despite the scowl permanently etched on my face, I feel a slow, unbidden smile spread. I set the machine down with a quiet click, wipe my hands on a stained rag, and nod at Lenny. "Be right back." I take a step toward her, my heart hammering a familiar rhythm of relief and love against my ribs. "You're early today." The words come out rough, graveled, but my eyes…