She nodded, even though it wasn’t a question.

“When?” I meant when had she found out, but coherent questions were beyond me.

“My doctor confirmed yesterday. I’m eight weeks along.”

I shoved out of the chair and swept her into my arms. “Just when I think you’ve given me enough to keep me happy forever, you shock the hell out of me with something I never even dreamed about.”

Yve whispered in my ear. “You’re going to be a daddy, and I can’t wait.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, the wave of emotion threatening to overwhelm me. “I promise I’ll never be anything like my father. Our son or daughter will never—”

Yve pressed a finger over my lips and her whiskey-colored eyes were serious when they met mine. “I know. You’re going to be an amazing father. You’ll never let yourself be anything else.”

I wrapped my arms around her and gripped her tight. My whole life was in my arms, and it was a glorious one.

“We putting some ink on this asshole today, or what?” Con asked as he walked into the lobby.

“Fuck off, Leahy. We’re busy.”

Yve giggled.

Somehow, Con knew something monumental was happening in that moment, and he backed off. “Let me know when you’re ready.”

When he disappeared, I stared into Yve’s eyes. “I love you. With everything I have, and everything I am, I love you.”

“I know. I love you, Lucas.”

We held each other for long minutes in the lobby of Voodoo Ink as I thanked God for letting a bastard like me find his happily-ever-after.

* * *

Rix

“Let’s see it, duchess. What do you want inked on me?”

Valentina, soon to be mother of my son, handed me a sketch pad, and I stared down at the drawing on the page. Simple. Strong. Perfect.

“It’s a coronet. Fit for a duke and duchess.”

“I’m not the one who should be royalty here, though,” I told her.

She shook her head. “That’s where you’re wrong. You’re the best man I’ve ever known, even when I thought you were . . . someone else.”

I knew what she was talking about, and hearing those words meant a lot. My woman was the daughter of a judge and had been half dating a cop, but she’d fallen for a man she thought was a criminal. If taking that risk wasn’t a sign of true love, I didn’t know what was. It had killed me not to tell her the truth, but I would protect her at my own expense every time.

And now she was giving me the greatest gift ever—our baby. A family of my own. Something I’d never had.

“You probably deserve better, but damned if I’m ever letting you go to look for it.”

Valentina met my gaze. “How could I deserve better when I already have the best? I love you, Beauregard Hendrix, and don’t you dare ever question me on that.”

I looped an arm around her waist and pulled her toward where I sat on the chair so I could whisper to her belly. “Mama’s fierce, and that makes us the luckiest men in the world.” I glanced up at her. “And we’ll never forget it either.”

Her lips curled up into a beautiful smile. “It goes both ways.”

“Then bring on the ink. I’m ready. Ready for every damn thing.”

* * *

Bishop

All week, we’d had friends in here cementing their bonds with ink, and something about it struck me as poetic, not that I was a romantic kind of guy.

I’d been waiting my turn. Delilah had volunteered to help Eden with the drawing, and I couldn’t wait to see what she’d come up with. Like Con, I was starting to run out of real estate, but I was determined to make whatever mark Eden wanted to put on me fit in perfectly. I trusted my sister’s hand, and I knew it would.

Eden wasn’t getting hers done for quite some time because she was carrying our little boy or girl. We’d decided not to find out because we were both rebels like that. We also hadn’t told her father yet, and I expected the mob boss would have something to say when he found out. Not that it mattered much because Eden was mine and that wasn’t changing.

When our turn rolled around, I sat in the chair where I usually worked on clients, and Eden handed me a sketch pad.

“What do you think?”

It took me a minute to realize what I was looking at. The New York City skyline. I jerked my gaze up to meet hers.

“I know what you’re going to say—that we both have bad memories tied up with New York, but it made you who you are. It made me who I am. I’m incredibly grateful for that, and I want to celebrate it, not hide it. But if you hate it, we don’t have to go through with it.”

I dropped my attention back to the sketch pad for a few moments and wrestled with the image.

New York was the scene of my biggest failure, but also my greatest triumph. Indisputably, it was a city that would always hold intense meaning for us both. She was right. It wasn’t something I needed to hide anymore. Eden knew everything, and because of it, I’d gotten her. It was a fair trade.

I cleared my throat. “I think it’ll fit in the open spot on my rib.”

“You’re sure?”

I met her eyes again. “As sure as I am that I’m going to spend the rest of my life loving you. You changed everything, Eden. I love you.”

A tear slid down her cheek. “Stupid hormones,” she said, snuffling. “I love you too. And as soon as I can, I’m getting it tattooed on me.”

I pulled her close and placed a hand on her small belly. “We’ve got more important things to worry about before that.”

She laughed. “Like how I’m going to tell my dad . . .”

“Maybe it’s time for a trip home.”

Her eyes lit up. “Are you serious?”

I nodded. “Yeah, no more demons in New York.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

* * *

Rhett

Ari had been quiet for days, and I knew it had to do with the tattoo situation. She was a perfectionist, and with something this permanent, she’d need a lot more time to process and consider.

I was in the chair while Con was working on the transfers, and the suspense finally got to me. “Are you going to tell me or make me wait until after it’s done?”