large it broadcasted a warmth we could all feel. He deserved this, a family, but I was the one who was lucky enough to be able to give it to him.
Dana got out of her chair and went to Javi, embracing him tightly. His arms hung for a moment at his sides, but then he hugged her back, his eyes shut tight. Mason came over, hugging the both of them. Then my mother joined in as well, and I stood back and held Giuliana’s hand as she sat in her highchair, letting Javi have this. Seeing my family accept him was a blessing for the both of us.
When everyone released and went back to their seats, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Javi was swallowing repeatedly, and I reached under the table to put a comforting hand on his thigh. He finally nodded. “Thank you. It means s...s-s-so much t-to me to be a part of your family.”
We all raised our glasses, Mason leading the final toast. “To family,” he said, and we all repeated it and drank.
To family. How I could ever have believed that I was supposed to shut everyone out except for Giuliana was beyond me. When I looked around the room, at all the faces of my family, I knew this was forever.
And when Javi grabbed my hand under the table and held it tight, as if holding on to stay afloat, it was clear he knew it, too. This was forever.
We were forever.
30
Javi
I loved how Gordo looked all laid out before me. The long, muscled expanse of his back exposed to me. The sheen of sweat on his neck, so lickable and enticing. But if he moved one more damned time…
“Quit squirming, I’m almost d-done,” I said.
He groaned but his hips stopped shifting. There was only a little bit of shading left to do, a rich and saturated brown that would bring Giuliana’s face alive. Coloring usually wasn’t terrible for clients, but Gordo had been sitting for me for hours, and I was going over a sensitive area. I knew he was close to tapping out. I tried to keep my hand as light as possible without losing the efficacy of the needles.
I did one final pass, sat up, and admired it. It was done, and it was beautiful. Portraits weren’t something I did often, especially of children. There were too many ways it could go wrong, and those beaming, cherubic faces were dear to the client’s heart. If I screwed it up, it was bad. But tattooing Giuliana had been an act of love, and besides, I knew her face so well I could draw it with ease. From her brown eyes to her mischievous smile, she was forever inked in my heart.
“Okay,” I said, putting down the tattoo gun. “Let me wipe you d-down.”
When I was finished, I gave him a mirror so he could look at the finished product in the large, full-sized mirror. Seeing a client’s reaction to a tattoo is always the best part of the job. Seeing Gordo’s reaction to his daughter’s image, forever inked into his skin? Priceless. The sheer volume of unconditional love that stretched his smile lifted my heart, and I knew I’d nailed it.
“She’s...she’s perfect,” he said, voice cracking with emotion.
“I’m glad you t-trusted me with her.”
He set the mirror down and came over to cup my face. “I’ll always trust you with her...and with my heart.”
I chewed on my lower lip, wondering if it was a good time to ask him the question that had been burning inside of me for days. “Gordo...I was wondering…”
“Yes?” he asked, hitch in his voice.
“Would it b-be okay for me to get a s-similar tattoo? Of Giuliana?”
For a moment Gordo said nothing, and I was afraid I’d asked for too much. But then kissed me suddenly, hard and fierce. “Nothing would make me happier.”
“Not even—” I sucked in air, steeling my quaking nerves “—if I want to b-be able to adopt her?”
Shock pulsed out from every single one of Gordo’s pores. His eyes were glassy and wide, his hands shaking as they reached for me, stopping just short of grabbing my waist. “What are you saying?”
I took his hands and kissed the knuckles before stepping closer, my arms going around his waist, his arms draped over my shoulders. “I want you to b-be more than my b-boyfriend. And I want her to b-be my daughter. Officially and forever.”