Twisted Ties, page 22
part #2 of Ties Series
She still had a lot of healing to do, but she was definitely getting there. I was willing to wait for her and help in any way I could. We would figure things out together.
At the end of the day, love is not perfect. It doesn’t protect us or save us from the darkness surrounding our lives. Instead, it is the light that shines through to help us. Without it, we would be consumed by the darkness.
Life was the craziest journey that a person could ever take. I had no idea where Emma and I would be ten months or ten years from now, and I didn’t care. All I knew was that she would be with me wherever I ended up at in life.
After all, we’d been to hell and made it back alive.
Five Years Later
I knew something was up the minute Emma walked through the door. She was trying her hardest not to smile, but she was failing miserably. She’d always been terrible at keeping secrets.
“What’s up with you?” I asked.
“Nothing. Why?” she asked innocently.
I wasn’t buying it. “Bull. You can barely contain yourself. What did you do?”
“Promise me that you won’t be mad first, or I won’t tell you.”
I raised an eyebrow. I couldn’t remember the last time that I’d been mad at Emma. She never gave me a reason to be mad. She made my life perfect.
“I promise,” I said slowly.
“Okay, so you’ll have enough hours to become certified soon, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Why?”
I’d finished college over a year ago with a bachelor’s degree in business. My mother had been thrilled until I told her my plans to get an apprenticeship at a local tattoo shop. She couldn’t understand why I would waste four years of my life at college if I hadn’t planned to use my degree for anything. She thought I was throwing my life away instead of bettering myself like she’d hoped. I’d never seen my mom so angry with me as when I told her I only went to college for her. I’d explained that I had done it to make her happy, but a desk job just wasn’t for me. I wanted to tattoo. She’d cried and begged me to reconsider, but I’d held my ground.
In the back of my mind, I think I always knew that I would go back to tattooing. Or maybe I would have done what my mom had wanted if it wasn’t for Emma. She’d convinced me to go after my dream. I’d told her no over and over at first. I knew I wouldn’t make a lot of money tattooing, and I wanted her to have the best of everything.
Emma had laughed at me every time I’d told her that. She’d said money didn’t matter to her as long as we were together. I knew she meant what she said, but she’d never lived without money before. It was a completely different thing to actually live that kind of life rather than talk about it.
I’d finally caved a few months before I graduated college. The closer we had gotten to graduation, the more depressed I’d become. I knew once I had my diploma in my hand, working life would become a reality, and I’d need to find a job within my chosen career path.
I knew I couldn’t spend my entire life doing something I hated, so I took a chance and walked into a local tattoo shop for the first time in years. I hadn’t known how much I’d missed it until I was back in one. There was just something about the sound of a tattoo gun and rock music playing somewhere in the shop that felt like home. I’d been lucky and caught the owner at the shop when I stopped by. He was a nice enough guy, and he’d agreed to give me a chance.
I’d started by working at the shop part-time while I finished college. Once I’d had my diploma, I’d started taking the courses I needed before I could start my official apprenticeship. Once I had finished them, I’d started my apprenticeship. I was paid next to nothing, but I loved every minute of it.
Emma and I had moved into another house right before we started our sophomore year of college. Neither of us could stand to be in the house that was tied to Ally. The new house was smaller, but it worked fine for us. I tried to find another part-time job to help with rent and bills, but Emma wouldn’t have it. Instead, I felt like the biggest ass ever as Emma paid for everything.
“You know what? I think I’d rather show you instead of telling you. Come on,” Emma said as she grabbed my hand and led me out of the house.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Shush. You’ll see soon enough,” she teased.
I was silent as Emma drove across town. I had no idea what she was up to. Usually, I could tell what she was thinking but not this time.
She pulled up to an empty building close to the college campus. “We’re here,” she said excitedly.
“Where is here exactly?” I asked.
“Come on.”
I stepped out of the car and followed her to the empty building. I noticed a sign in the front window that had For Sale written across it.
“Emma, what did you do?”
She laughed as she unlocked the door and walked inside. I followed her in as she flipped on a light switch. The building was large but completely empty. The walls had a nasty-ass wallpaper on them that looked like it’d been around since before I was born.
“What is this?” I asked.
She walked to the window and pulled the sign off the glass. “This is your new tattoo shop.”
“Huh?”
“Remember a long time ago, I said I wanted to help you get started with a shop of your own?”
I nodded.
“Well, here it is. I bought the building today.”
“Emma, you didn’t!”
She laughed. “I did. I know it doesn’t look like much now, but we can decorate it and paint the walls. We can build a wall across this room and make it a lobby. There are rooms in the back that we can use for clients. I’m sure Andy will help us. He can design a few skateboards to hang on the walls and maybe even a few pictures.”
After everything had happened with Ally, Andy had decided to go back to California. I had seen Emma talking to him one night, a few days before he planned to leave. I wasn’t sure what she had said to him, but he’d finally changed his mind and agreed to stay in Morgantown with us. I hadn’t asked, and I hadn’t wanted to know. He’d claimed that there was nothing in California for him anymore, but I wasn’t buying it. I knew Emma was the reason that I still had my best friend around.
After the night of their talk, Emma and Andy had become even closer. Andy was still my best friend, but I understood that they had a special bond. I wasn’t jealous of it. Instead, it made me happy. I wanted both of them to be happy.
The guilt that Andy and I had both suffered from after what had happened to Emma had slowly started to fade away. Both of us had finally realized that Ally had truly been sick, and there wasn’t a thing that we could have done to help her. We’d let go of our guilt once Emma came back to herself. It had taken a very long time for her to do it, but looking at her now, I would never know that something so traumatic had happened to her. She was my Emma once again.
Andy’s boss had fired his brother, Sam, after he caught Sam stealing money. His boss had asked Andy to take over as manager from that point on. He pretty much ran the shop by himself. He’d also started fooling around with photography. He was damn good at it, and he did it as a side job for some extra cash. Andy wasn’t the richest guy out there, but he was happy. He still got into trouble occasionally, but he was slowly becoming grounded.
I was glad to see that he’d found his place in life. I just wished that he would settle down and find a girlfriend. Even after all this time, he still refused to give up his playboy ways. He laughed every time I mentioned it, and he would say that he didn’t want to be a lovesick idiot, like Emma and me. I couldn’t wait until he found a girl who knocked him on his ass. Whoever she was, she would have to have balls of steel to deal with his ass on a daily basis.
“I’m sure he’ll help us out,” I said as I looked around the building. “Why did you do this, Emma?”
“Because it’s your dream,” she said simply.
“What if it fails?”
“It won’t. You have a passion for tattooing, and you have the knowledge of how to run a business. We’ll get this place ready to go, hire a few guys, and watch your dreams come true.”
“I’ll agree to this on one condition,” I said stubbornly.
“And what would that be?”
“You work here, too. I want this to be our dream—together.”
Emma had ended up majoring in accounting. I’d found this hilarious since she’d hated math in high school. When I’d asked why, she’d shrugged her shoulders.
She’d said, Math became my favorite subject the day you walked into my class. I figured if it brought us together, I might as well stick with it.
“I was hoping you’d ask me to,” she said as she walked over and threw her arms around me. “I wouldn’t feel safe with you tattooing girls if I weren’t here. You might run off with one of them or something.”
I laughed, and I pressed my lips against hers. “I only have eyes for you. I’d like you to be my first official client when we open up.”
“I’ll think about it. So, be honest, are you excited? You don’t have to hold it in if you are.”
I pretended to think for a minute. “Maybe a little.”
“I’ll take it. Come on, I want to show you the back rooms.”
I followed her as she showed me each room. I couldn’t help but smile at her excitement. She was more excited than I was. She had no idea how much this meant to me. She was giving me a chance to follow my dreams.
We’d been through hell and back. We’d started out as two high school kids who knew nothing about this world, and we’d slowly grown up together.
Now, I couldn’t wait to see what would happen to us next. The future no longer scared me when I thought about it.
I smiled as I thought about the ring I had back at the house. I hadn’t had the nerve to ask Emma to marry me just yet, but I would—soon. I wanted everything with this woman—marriage, kids, growing old together. I wanted all the sappy shit they write about in books and show in movies.
I wanted everything—and I had it with her.
The End
I’m sure your head is spinning from Ally. I know mine is. Ally took me to a place where I hadn’t known I was capable of going. I’m sure you’re all sitting there, wondering what happened to Ally.
Is she alive? Will she come after Emma and Jesse?
That’s for you to decide.
Emma and Jesse’s story is finished though, so I hope that gives you some peace of mind.
Hugs,
K.A.
Chapter One
I groaned and rolled over to escape the sun shining through the window of Joel’s bedroom. My body tensed as I realized for there to be sunlight, then it must be day. My eyes opened, and I grabbed my cell phone from the table beside the bed to check the time. Shit. It was almost three o’clock in the afternoon, and I had a ton of voice mails and missed calls. I was so fucked.
I sat up and pulled the blanket up to cover my naked body. I had snuck out of my parents’ house last night after they grounded me for fighting in school again. I’d thought I could sneak back in this morning before they woke up, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen now.
My eyes traveled to Joel as he snored lightly beside me. The sun was directly on his back, showing off the skull and crossbones tattoo that covered most of the area. His normally guarded expression was gone while he slept. Joel looked like the typical badass, but he was so much more. His body was covered in tattoos. And when I say covered, I mean, covered. There was barely an inch of him that didn’t have ink with the exception of his face. His hair was a dark brown color, and he kept it just a bit shaggy. His eyes were a startling green color that made people stop and look twice. His cheekbones and overall face structure would make any male model jealous.
I smiled dreamily as I thought about our night together. At twenty-two, he was five years older than me, but our age gap never seemed to bother him. We’d been together for almost a year now, and I couldn’t be happier. I’d met him at my cousin’s graduation party two years ago, and I’d instantly developed a crush on him. He hadn’t paid me any attention then, but when I started hanging out with some of his younger friends that were in high school with me, I’d finally gotten him to notice me.
I’d been drunk that night and braver than usual. He had been surrounded by girls much older than me, but I had shoved through them and walked straight up to him. He’d raised an eyebrow when I stopped in front of him, but I’d simply hopped on to his lap and kissed him until I couldn’t breathe. After I had finished, I’d stood up and walked away.
We’d been together ever since. My parents weren’t happy that I was dating someone so much older who was covered head to toe in tattoos, but I’d sworn to them over and over that we weren’t having sex. Obviously, that was a lie, considering where I woke up at just now, but they didn’t need to know that.
Joel was trouble. I’d known that before I got with him, but I’d still taken a chance, and I was glad that I had. Everyone knew he was the son of the town drunk, and it showed. Joel had one hell of a mean streak. Even when he had been in high school, everyone had been terrified of him. He had been kicked out for fighting more times than I could count. On top of that, everyone knew he was the go-to guy if someone needed a fix. He’d later explained to me that he’d started selling drugs to help pay the bills that his dad never worried about. Joel was good at it though, and he’d stuck with it even when he could have left this town and started fresh.
He was already living on his own by the time we’d met, and I was glad. I wasn’t sure how I would handle seeing the man who had abused Joel for years. I’d want to cause Joel’s father as much pain as he had done to Joel. I knew it had been years since Joel had talked to his father, but it still bothered me.
“Joel, wake up. I need to leave,” I said as I nudged his shoulder.
He groaned in his sleep, but he refused to open his eyes. I sighed as I started hitting his shoulder harder. His eyes finally opened when I started smacking him on the ass. He shielded his eyes as he rolled over to look at me.
“What?” he grumbled.
“I need to go home, like right now. We slept in.” I stood up and started looking for my clothes.
“You’re already in trouble. Why hurry home to be yelled at?” he asked as he sat up.
He didn’t bother to cover himself, and I couldn’t bring myself to look away from his naked body. I loved the trail of black hair that led down his stomach…and to other places. His nose was a bit crooked from being broken more than once, but it didn’t take away from his appearance. If anything, it made him look sexier and dangerous. His eyes were his best feature by far though. They held a vulnerability in them that made me want to crawl into his arms and try to make everything better.
He was in great shape. I guessed he had to be when he dealt with strangers who were high and desperate for their fix on a daily basis. The muscles in his arms were well-defined, and his chest was as hard as a rock. I loved curling up in his arms. I always felt like he could protect me from anything.
“I don’t want to make it worse,” I said as I located my clothes.
They were next to the door, making it obvious as to how they had come off. We’d barely made it to his room before he started stripping me.
“Your parents suck. Why do they care about you fighting so much? At least they know their kid can defend herself. Personally, I’d be proud,” he said as he stretched.
“They’re sick of me getting kicked out of school. Something about college and doing something with my life.”
“I fought, and look at me. I’m living the high life.” He grinned at me.
I rolled my eyes even though I knew he had a point. He used drugs occasionally, but he sold more than anything, and he’d made quite a lot of money doing it.
“I’m sure they’d be so proud of me if I decided dealing drugs was going to be my career choice in life. I might even get the Daughter of the Year award.”
He grinned as he watched me pull on my shorts. I still couldn’t find my underwear, so I decided to skip them.
“Looking for these?” he asked as he held up my underwear.
I walked over to the bed and held out my hand. “Come on, I need to hurry. Give them to me.”
“Make me,” he taunted.
I grumbled as I reached for them, but he held them just out of my reach.
“Damn it, Joel.”
He reached up and pulled me back onto the bed. “Maybe I don’t want you to go home. Maybe I should hold your underwear for ransom, so you’ll stay.”
“Keep them. I’ll get them another time.”
I tried to sit up, but he kept me pinned against him.
“Stay for a little while longer. We can light up and have some fun.”
“I can’t go home stoned. That’s just asking for trouble.”
“But you could go home thoroughly fucked,” he said as he ran his fingers down my back.
I shivered. “I could, but I need to leave.”
“I’ll make it quick.” He started pulling my shorts down my legs.
“Joel…”
“Shh, you know you want to.”
Of course I wanted to, but I was already in so much trouble.
He silenced my protests as he rolled me onto my back. His naked body was tight against mine, and I could feel just how much he wanted me. He tweaked both of my nipples with his fingers, making me moan.
Fuck it. Going home will have to wait.
“Oh fuck,” I said as he nudged my opening with his dick.
He leaned down and ran his tongue across my throat and then across my breasts. I arched my back, trying to get as close to him as possible. His hands traveled down my body to my core, and he started rubbing my clit. His dick was still at my entrance, teasing me. I tried to adjust my body, so he would enter.
