Bad Boy Ink (Get Ink'd #5) - Ali Lyda Page 0,67

reasons as intense as mine. I mean...that was motivation, for sure. The love between him and his grandmother had breath, it had life. It was generous and beautiful.

Of course, he’d devote himself to something like the FBI job, where he could protect more people like her.

Understanding his motivations was a blessing and a horrid curse.

“Well, boys, that’s about it for my social capacities,” she said. “I need a nap.”

The shift in Bryce after she said this was immediate. His back went ramrod straight and his mouth became a grim slash.

“Are you okay? Do I need to get you anything?” He was doing a visual sweep of her, as if afraid she’d keel over at any moment.

“You need to let an old lady take a nap,” Hannah sassed back, but with a smile to soften the blow. “You take good care of me, Bryce, but not everything is a crisis. And Aiden?”

She held out her hands and I took them, marveling at how I could feel the delicate bones beneath the thin skin. The gifts this woman had given me in one afternoon were priceless, even if they made me heavy with understanding.

“Yes?” I said.

“I hope you'll be coming around a lot more. You're funny and you're not too hard on the eyes, either.” She winked at me and if I believed in Cupid, I would think he'd shot an arrow straight into my heart. I was absolutely smitten with her and couldn't believe Bryce's luck in finding such a wonderful, supportive family member.

Though I knew he'd paid a heavy price.

After Hannah was in her room and the house grew still and quiet, Bryce moved over on the couch and motioned that I should come sit next to him. I snuggled up close, loving how well I fit into the nook of his shoulder.

“Thank you for bringing me here and introducing me to your grandmother,” I said. “It's reassuring to know that there are people who can love unconditionally out there.”

“You just like her because she tells stories about me,” Bryce teased. A moment later though, his lips pressed into my hair and he said, “You're welcome. I can tell she really likes you.”

“I like her, too. I think if I’d had someone like her in my life, I might be a different person. I...I feel like I get you a bit more now.”

I couldn’t say “about wanting the job.” Bringing it up meant talking about it, and I didn’t know if I could anymore. How do you choose whose reasoning is better? Both of us were right in our own ways, both of us had deep, meaningful motivations, and I couldn’t stand how wrong it was beginning to feel.

Even that, though, wasn’t enough to darken the brilliance of the afternoon meeting. I felt closer to Bryce now than ever before.

He turned on the TV and pulled up a movie that I was only half paying attention to. I'd spent so much of my life in a state of constant rebellion. Always on the lookout for how people thought about me, reacted to me. Which meant that I'd also spent most of my life in a state of chronic unhappiness.

My life had been far from perfect. It still wasn't perfect. And the job remained an unspoken hurdle between us, but it was definitely on the horizon. But at this moment? Feeling Bryce hold me close and having met someone who brings joy into the world just by being?

It was pretty perfect for me.

19

Bryce

A week after introducing Aiden to my grandma found me sitting in my final forensic tech class. It was nice to not be worrying about that exam (the rest of mine were plaguing me), but it was bittersweet, sitting next to Aiden and listening to the professor give us his final advice.

This class had changed my semester and my life.

Aiden’s warm thigh was pressed close to mine.

Changed for the better, undeniably.

My phone vibrated, and I subtly glanced at the screen underneath my desk.

Aiden: I had a ticket to the comic convention coming up soon. I bought it ages ago. A friend has an extra ticket he’s selling. Would you...want to come with me?

I knew nothing about comics. I’d seen the movies and clearly I got the references about my looks. But it would be fun to see a wild Aiden in his native habitat, surrounded by nerds.

It was hard to type without being obvious to the professor, but I managed. Sure.

A moment passed, and I saw I had a