while he told me the story of each and every piece on his body.
“I’m boring you, aren’t I?” Diesel said eventually, and I shook my head wildly. The man had no clue how badly I wanted him to open up to me.
“You couldn’t possibly be boring ever. Tell me more. Which one was the first?”
“Uh. The one on my shoulder blade.” He pointed over his shoulder. “The sunflower. That was for Beth. Sunflowers and marigolds were always her favorite when we were kids, so that was my way of remembering her.” He shrugged. “I guess all of the tats are memories, in a way. Some happy, some cautionary tales. People don’t stick around, but these guys are permanent.” He patted the bird on his collarbone fondly, and his eyes found mine. “You know, Parrish, you and I—”
I leaned forward eagerly… and Marigold began crying.
I closed my eyes and sighed. “I’ll go soothe her quickly,” I said, standing up. “Don’t move a muscle. For real. Two minutes.”
But of course, Marigold’s schedule was slightly different from mine. Two minutes became twenty and then forty. I held her and rocked her, and I even downloaded a white noise app on my phone, but every time I tried to put her down, she’d wake up and scream more frantically.
“You’re fine, my love,” I told her for the billionth time, rubbing her back softly. “We’re right here. Your daddy and I aren’t going anywhere, okay? Shh shhh shhh.”
Diesel touched my shoulder. “Go relax, babe. Let me try.”
I blew out a breath but nodded. I was probably so keyed up, my frustration was fueling poor Mari’s.
Diesel kissed my forehead and tucked Mari against his shoulder with the confidence of a guy who’d done it a thousand times, a total change from a couple of weeks ago. I couldn’t help but smile as I made my way out to the living room and shut the door gently behind me.
Then I saw the empty kitchen table and sighed. Diesel had already cleaned up our dishes and put the leftovers away. He’d blown out the candle and packed up the tablecloth. I tried very hard not to be overly dramatic or to see this as symbolic of our relationship, but I sort of wished Miss Sara was around to talk to.
At this point, either Miss Sara would’ve done.
Instead, I threw myself on the sofa and listened to Diesel singing “You Are My Sunshine” to the baby.
He’d finally figured out the words.
A second later, Diesel’s lips were on mine, and I opened my eyes to find the house in full darkness. The sky outside was pale pink, lit occasionally by flashes of purple lightning and thunder rumbled menacingly directly overhead.
“Marigold?” I asked blearily.
“Asleep, finally.” He rubbed his nose along mine. “I downloaded the same sleep app you have, and I hooked up an extra battery charger too. She went out like a light… around the same time the actual lights went out.” He stood up and held out a hand to pull me up.
“Sorry I fell asleep.” I rubbed at my eyes and yawned. “I guess I was more tired than I thought.”
“You’ve slept about as much as I have the last couple nights. Which is to say, not a lot.” He held me against him in the dark, and I noticed with sudden interest that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. “Have I told you lately how much I appreciate all you do for me and Mari?”
I sighed. “Have I told you lately that I don’t—”
“Want my gratitude, you just want me to be happy? Yeah, you have. And I appreciate that, too, in the moments when I can actually wrap my head around it.” I felt him smile in the dark. “Come on.”
He took my hand, and I stumbled after him.
“Wait. Bedroom’s that way.”
“Yup. But the storm’s outside,” he whispered.
He led me out the back door and onto the porch. The wind rushed over us, and over in the junkyard, something banged. Just beyond the deep overhang, rain poured down in buckets, but the porch itself was perfectly dry.
“Oh, wow,” I breathed, rushing forward to brace myself on the railing and lift my face to the breeze. “This is amazing.”
Diesel slotted himself in behind me, kissing his way down my neck from my ear to my shoulder. “No, Parrish, you’re amazing,” he whispered against my damp skin. I full-body shivered. “And I’m gonna show you how much.”
He reached both hands around me to pull my T-shirt up all the