Series Starter Firsts in Series Collection - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,403

sheet is starting to wear at the creases.

The trip to Gatlinburg is nice, the weather is good, and the company even better. Hailey sits in the back with Allison and gets her singing along with the radio. I actually catch a real smile in the rearview mirror, and I make a mental note to do something really nice for my little sister. The cabin we’re staying in is beautiful. It’s a three bedroom, a pool, hot tub, and game room. My parents have really out done themselves.

The first night we decide to go into town and have dinner at the Hard Rock Café. After dinner, we’re walking downtown, checking out the shops when we come upon a tattoo parlor. Our freshman year of college Aiden and I got wasted and ended up getting matching tribal tattoos on our biceps. I’ve been thinking about adding to mine and so has Aiden. We walk into the parlor and speak to the guy at the desk. He immediately starts working on the designs we have in mind. I feel Allison walk up beside me. “What do you think, beautiful, you like it?”

She smiles widely, nodding her head yes. “I want one too.”

This is the first I’ve ever heard Allison mention being interested in getting ink. I throw my arm over her shoulder and tuck her close to my side. “What are you thinking about getting?”

“Well, actually I was thinking of getting script on the side of my foot.”

“I’m digging it. What saying?”

“Live and love fearlessly,” she replies softly.

I kiss the top of her head. “It’s perfect.” I’ve seen her read the letter from Gran enough times to know those are the words written in her letter. I can only hope this will help her heal. What started out as Aiden and me adding to our current tribal tats, turns into all four of us getting ink. Allison gets her script on the side of her foot, and it looks sexy as hell. Of course, anything on Allison is sexy as hell. Hailey ends up getting a fancy H on the top of her foot. Aiden and I both add the first letter of our last names to ours.

The tattoo seems to soothe something in Allison. Maybe she feels like Gran and her words will always be a part of her, but once we leave the tattoo parlor, my girl is back to normal. She’s laughing and dancing in the street with Hailey, and I feel like I can breathe again. I hated seeing her in so much pain and not be able to do a fucking thing to make it better.

The rest of our stay is an absolute blast. During the day we hang out at the cabin, lounge around the pool, and play in the game room. At night we hit up the club scene in Gatlinburg, there’s only one club, but the girls want to dance, so we dance. We laugh, dance, and drink the night away. We close down the club and continue our bash in the hot tub back at the cabin. Aiden and I also brought our guitars along, so we play and sing while the girls dance around the fire and sing along with us. When the day is done and we all retreat to our rooms, I make love to Allison.

Back home after the Gatlinburg trip, life is good. Allison’s still sad at times, but her tattoo seems to help her in the grieving process. The draft is a few weeks away, and I have her engagement ring burning a hole in my pocket, or Aiden’s drawer rather. Aiden and I have talked a lot about how and when. I didn’t want to do it while she was still so deeply mourning Gran, but now she’s doing better. She’d the old Allison, so I need to get my shit in gear and plan how I’m going to ask her to be my forever. I decide I definitely want to do it before the draft. I need assurance that no matter where I get drafted, if I do actually make the draft, she’ll be with me.

Aiden and I are in meetings upon meetings with our coach and agents. I have a fucking agent. This is taking up a lot of our time, so taking Allison away for a night, even to the beach house, isn’t in the cards. I have to improvise with a romantic setting at the apartment. I know I’ll need help, more than just