just shook me up. I didn’t expect to make enemies with a neighbor so quickly.”
“You turned down the music, you kicked everyone out, and you skipped over a willing hookup. You’re more than shook, Javi. I think you have a crush.”
Her laugh was like coins falling, quick and light as she teased. I couldn’t help it—I grinned.
“I’m being stupid,” I signed, still unwilling to try to speak. “He’s out of my league, and he thinks I’m a total ass.”
Her grin fell as her eyes softened. “One day, Javi, you’ll realize how amazing you are. That you deserve good things because you’re a good person.”
My hands clenched, a reflex against the compliments. I knew Trinity meant well, but some lies hurt too much, even if they came from a place of kindness.
We said our goodbyes, and I was left standing in the sudden silence. Because I’d ushered everyone out so quickly, my house was a train wreck, but the mess gave me something to focus on while my mind replayed the events of the night.
It kept coming around to Trinity calling me out on my attraction. Because she was right. I admitted to myself, in the stillness of the house, that I had a thing for the single dad, however stupid I was for indulging it. Maybe it was his protective anger, or the way his eyes had dragged over my tattoos—admiring, I thought, not judging.
He was so radically different from the other men I fell into bed with. Not just in looks (because really, the mussed hair and pajamas were a first), but in his fierce and unflinching protection of his little girl. That lion quality, complete with his unkempt mane, had made my heart throb more than my dick.
But he was a dad. A great-looking man who was willing to do what he needed to for his family. Which meant I was right, and he would never be interested in someone like me, even if we’d met under better circumstances. Hell, my own parents hadn’t wanted me, leaving me behind when I was still a child. What could I possibly have to offer someone as good as my neighbor clearly was?
As I wiped off the last counter, my heart gave a final whomp. A lifetime of letdowns and lies and false hope had helped toughen my skin. It was armor, easy to put on. Too much in my life had taught me where hope led, and it was nowhere good. I wasn’t going to let hot dad get under my skin—I couldn’t do that to myself. But what I could do was be a good neighbor.
I could offer that much.
Reagan liked us to open Get Ink’d early, but it wasn’t to tattoo. It was because he ran his business like a family and insisted we eat together at least once a day when we were working. Since tattoo artists work afternoons and nights, our family mealtime was breakfast. By the time I’d arrived the morning after the party, there was already coffee for everyone, seats set in a circle, and the Boss Man waiting with his notebook.
It had taken me time to adjust to Reagan’s notebook when I first started apprenticing at Get Ink’d. He always carried it with him, and he wrote comments about designs we drew, customers we’d inked, and reviews we were getting online. He also checked in with us every few months, asking us those stupid questions like “where do you see yourself in a year?” and “what do you hope to get from this job?”
I’d hated it until I loved it. Having a boss who cared about me as a person and not just a source of income was new. Having someone who pushed me, every day, to be better than I was the day before?
Reagan had me for life. Between work and volunteering some days at the local youth center, I’d managed to create a hodge-podge family of my own. Or at least enough support to keep my darker demons at bay.
Dane walked in after I did, carrying a giant box of donuts. Reagan, Trinity, Mateo, and Dane descended on said box like they hadn’t eaten in weeks. By the time I got there, the only ones left were the glazed donuts. Suited me just fine.
We sat down, munching and waiting for the meeting to start. The coffee was hot in my hand, warming my fingers. It would help keep them loose and ready to draw up some ideas for the client I