Page 14 of Love Restored

4

Blake looked at the needle in her hand and held back a smile. The two women beside her weren’t quite arguing, but they sure weren’t agreeing with one another either.

“I really think nipples would be the best thing,” the blonde one named Linda said smoothly.

“I was thinking more like the nose,” Natalie, the brunette answered back just as smoothly. She waved her hand toward Blake and the other person in the room. “And can you not say nipples like that around our daughter.”

Alisha, the daughter in question, smiled widely, the light brown of her skin shining under the harsh lights of the piercing room. “I know what nipples are, Mom, geez.” She rolled her eyes in a way that reminded Blake of Rowan. Apparently, thirteen-year-old girls had the same thing down as her ten-year-old.

Natalie sighed and ran her hand over her face. She looked much like her daughter Alisha, though while Alisha wore her hair natural, Natalie had hers in braids. Linda, also Alisha’s mother, had paler skin than Blake, and the three of them together were one gorgeous family.

Blake cleared her throat. “Okay, how about we pierce Alisha’s ears before we decide what we’re piercing on the two of you either today or the next time you come in, hmm?” She said it with a smile, and Alisha giggled.

“Yeah, let this be about me.” Her moms narrowed their eyes, their mouths twitching. “After all, this is my thirteenth birthday present, and I’m like the only girl in the entire school who hasn’t had her ears pierced yet. I mean, come on, you don’t want me to be picked on, do you?” She fluttered her eyelashes, and Blake did her best to keep a straight face.

“Butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth now, would it?” Linda asked dryly. “And Alisha, darling, you were the one who wanted to wait to get your ears pierced. We would have done it earlier.”

Alisha blushed. “Uh…”

“Yeah, uh…” Natalie said with a snort. “But you’re right, today is about you. We can discuss what parts of us we’ll pierce later.”

Blake couldn’t help it, she laughed. The other three women in the small room looked at her before joining in. “I’m sorry, I tried not to laugh, but you guys are adorable.” She shook her head and bumped her hip against Alisha’s, though the child sat on the table. “Anyway, I can do the ears quickly, and then we can discuss what you guys want.”

Linda smiled softly. “Thanks. I know we could have gone to the mall or some small place to get her ears done, but I’d rather someone who isn’t a few years older than Alisha do it. I mean, they must train those people with the little guns and all, but I want my baby to have the best.”

“Mom…” Alisha sighed the sigh of a thousand embarrassed teenagers, and Blake bit her lip to keep from smiling. She really liked this family.

“No problem,” Blake said once she could keep her face neutral yet calming. “Many of those places do have certified people, but I get the reason for coming here. I don’t let my friends get second piercings in their ears or anything without my help. I’m picky that way.”

After a few more minutes of discussion about Alisha, she went about getting the little girl’s ears ready. Since this would be her first time, and they weren’t going to gauge or anything, it would be a quick job.

“So,” Blake continued as she worked, “What’s the occasion for the piercings for the two of you? I know the ears for Alisha are for her birthday, but what about you guys?”

Linda and Natalie smiled at one another with so much love that Blake almost felt like a voyeur. The two women held hands and gave identical sighs.

“We had a commitment ceremony before Alisha was born,” Linda explained. “We exchanged rings then, and even though it wasn’t legal, we still considered ourselves married in every sense we could.”

Natalie hip bumped Linda with a grin. “And when it became possible, we had another ceremony and got married for real.” The two of them waved their fingers at Blake, their diamond rings glinting under the lights. “We updated our rings, and this time, Alisha got to be part of the wedding.”

Blake looked down at Alisha, who smiled brightly. “I was the best woman and maid of honor,” the little girl explained.

“And though we have all of that, we still want something that’s just for us,” Natalie added.

“So, for our anniversary, we want to get identical piercings since we got tattoos last time.” Linda laughed. “We, apparently, like marking time with fun things.”

Blake smiled while she quickly pierced Alisha’s ears. The little girl didn’t even gasp, and Blake was happy for it. She knew how to make it as painless as possible.

“All done,” she said softly. “I try to get new ink or a new piercing for special occasions, too,” she added.

“Can I see?” Alisha asked. “I mean my ears, not your tattoos that I can’t already see.”

Blake laughed and nodded. “Sure thing.”

By the time the three of them headed out, Alisha was glowing with her newly pierced years, and her mothers had decided on nipple rings when they came back. Blake couldn’t wait. She seriously loved that family and the way they interacted. It reminded her of herself and Rowan with their sarcasm and private jokes.

She cleaned up her station and stretched her back before going up to the front of the shop to see if there were any more appointments for her. She had a tablet she could have checked, as well, but she liked walking around since it gave her time to clear her head between one client and the next.

Oddly enough, none of the Montgomerys were in the shop today since they had some family barbeque or something, so the place was relatively quiet. Autumn, their receptionist, was with one of the Montgomerys so she wasn’t there either. In fact, it was only Derek, her, and another floater named Brandon on the schedule today. Even the other two full-time non-Montgomerys were at the barbeque.

---