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Which gave him an idea.
He placed a call, got lucky making an appointment, and booked it out of the house. Caden made it
to Heroic Ink within twenty minutes.
Glad you called, man, Heath said, extending his hand. Been slow as fucking molasses in here
all day.
Caden returned the handshake. This is win-win then because I really wanted to get in tonight.
Well, come on back and let s rock and roll, Heath said. Flying solo?
Yeah, Caden said, the reference to Makenna not making him sad and regretful for once, but
making him even more confident in what he was about to do. Because clearly, he was in need of a
new reminder, a new declaration, a new promise. And ink had always been part of his process for
coping and healing.
So tell me what you re thinking, Heath said, gesturing to the chair at his station.
It s text. I want it on my left forearm, big as you can make it. As he sat, he handed Heath a sheet
of paper he d written on in the Jeep.
Heath nodded. Want any embellishments? Flowers? Ribbon? Flourishes. Have any thoughts on
font?
I m open. You know what looks good, and I always like what you come up with. Just so the
words are bold and the most prominent thing about the piece, I ll be happy, Caden said.
Gimme ten to pull something together, Heath said, opening up his laptop. It didn t even take ten
minutes. What about something like this?
Caden s gaze ran over the design on the screen. It was different from anything he d imagined, so
naturally it was perfect. Do it. Just like that.
The first dig of the needles into his skin was like a balm to his soul. He d always loved the feeling
of getting a tattoo. He liked the pain because it reminded him he was alive. Enduring it always made
him feel stronger. And each new piece always left him feeling like he d donned a new plate in the suit
of armor he d spent a lifetime creating.
This one was no different.
What Heath had designed was intricate, and good-looking lettering took time, so Caden was there
a long while. But he was totally fucking content. For once. Even though tattoos on the forearm hurt
like a mofo.
About two and a half hours later, Heath said, All done.
Caden hadn t been watching because he wanted to wait for the full effect when the tat was done.
Now, he looked.
Solid black cursive words sat at an angle on his forearm in groups of twos, reading from his wrist
to his inner elbow:
One Life / One Chance / No Regrets
Open-faced red roses flanked the top and bottom of the words and wrapped around his arm, while
red and black flourishes curved out from some of the letters and around the flowers. The center of the
bottom rose morphed into a clock with Roman numerals to remind him that time was always ticking
and wasting, if you didn t play things right. The way Heath had combined the elements looked
phenomenal.
Caden might ve survived that accident fourteen years before, but he d never really understood
why. He d never really felt he had anything specific to live for. Meeting Makenna had changed all
that, even if Caden had been too mired in the past to see it at the time. But now that he was working so
hard to get himself healthy again, he saw it with a clarity that was startling.
Caden wanted a chance for a life with Makenna. And though he knew there was a chance she
wouldn t take him back after what he d done, he at least had to try.
Fantastic work as always, Heath. Thank you, Caden said.
Anytime. I hope it gives you what you need, Heath said, leaning in to bandage the piece.
Me too, Caden said. Me too. And though so much remained uncertain, Caden couldn t help but
marvel at how far he d come these past six weeks. Because, sitting there in that chair with his arm on
fire, Caden s soul felt lighter than it had in longer than he could remember because he d renewed his
commitment to Sean.
And, more importantly, to himself.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Lying in bed on his day off, something Caden s therapist had said at his last session pinged around
in his brain: Find ways to close the door on the past.
Caden had been thinking about it for days, wanting to find a way to do just that so he could start
looking forward instead of always looking back. It was the last thing he needed to figure out before
he d feel ready to go after what he wanted.
Makenna James.
His gaze drifted to the stuffed bear on his nightstand, the one she d given him to make him feel
better. All these weeks, he d kept it close well, he hadn t slept with the damn thing because he was
a twenty-eight-year-old man, after all but he liked having something she d touched close by.
And Makenna was what Caden most wanted. If she d have him. And who the hell knew. Given the
way he d bailed on her abandoned her, really, he might as well call a spade a fucking spade he
wouldn t blame her for slamming the door in his face.
Dr. Ward s advice had stemmed from discussing Caden s realization that he d let the past control
him so much that he d made his own worst fears come true. The question was, what the hell did it
mean to close the door on the past? How was Caden supposed to do that? All the people involved in
the accident that he d let define his life were gone. And he d never been one who d found any
answers or solace in talking to gravestones.
The only thing that left was the scene of the accident itself.
Caden had never once gone back. Had never even thought about it. Truth be told, it scared him
more than a little.
Which was probably why he should do it.
He gave it one last thought, and then he hauled his ass out of bed, showered, and got dressed. In his
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