Page 7 of Milo
“She’ll love it!”
“My niece is sweet. She’s only five, and I try to fly in every few months to be with my sister, but it got to be a lot trying to coordinate everything. So, I moved everything here.” I’m so happy to be close to family again.
“Won’t it be hard to get clients? This is a muchmuchdifferent marketplace than New York.”
“I already have a lot set up from networking remotely with a few local companies. It’s not going to be bad, and if it is, I’ll fake it until I make it.”
Milo nods. “You’re smart. My brother fell in love. Then his beau offered me a job at his family bookstore and there was no way I wasn’t taking that. It’d been my dream for so long. And Istill get to do my art. I’m practically in heaven. Back home, my life was crashing in around me. My best friend had pretty much abandoned me and the business we’d created. I didn’t want to continue it alone.”
My heart aches and my Daddy instincts make me want to hold him, but I continue to refrain from reaching out to touch him. “What kind of business?”
“Tattoo artist.”
My eyes dart over the bit of ink showing over the top of his collar. It’s a corset with pink ribbons. His hands and fingers are covered in colors, and I know his arms are covered in ink, but his sleeves cover them.
“Obviously, I don’t have my own shop or anything anymore, but I make sure I’m still in compliance with state laws between Indiana and Kentucky, so I can still show up someplace as a guest artist if I want. When I feel like it or get enough requests, I rent out a space and a few of my old clients come to see me.”
“Sounds like a sweet gig.”
“It is when I don’t overwhelm myself. I tend to say yes when I’d rather say no. But enough about that. I’m sorry that asshat cheated on you. No one deserves that.”
“I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I’m big on talking things through and he knew that.”
“That’s how my brother and I are. He raised me after our parents died and he taught me to always talk instead of keeping things all bottled up. Most of the time, I follow his advice.” He flashes me the biggest grin. “How about I go grab the prints Izzy bought and I’ll met you at your place?”
“Sounds good. See you shortly.”
We both push to our feet and he scurries away as I head back to my apartment. I get a whiff of myself and wonder how he could stand to sit with me for so long.
Not sure what kind of hardware we might need, I just stand around in my living room, scrolling through the notifications on my phone, waiting for Milo. So many people want a piece of my time right now, and all I want is to focus on Milo. His pretty eyes, the sweet smiles he gives me, the blush of his cheeks, how open he is. He’s freaking adorable, too. While he’s covered in tats, it doesn’t take away his boyish charm. I wouldn’t mind chatting with him all night.
Soon there’s a tentative knock. Milo grins at me when I open the door. He’s carrying two reusable bags. “I hope you’re ready for this. I brought some frames and mats. Izzy didn’t add them on the order, but I brought them anyway.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Happy housewarming!” Milo cheers. “Please, unless you have frames, I’m happy to gift them to you.” He goes to the kitchen table and starts unloading the order.
“Izzy outdid herself.” There are so many that I have to wonder what she was thinking. Did she buy one of everything?
“They are going to look so good, though.” He starts compiling the art together in different piles, and I see a pattern emerge. Things he thinks goes together, or perhaps he intended to go together. Milo settles into a seat. “For mats, I have white, black, single, and doubles. Which do you prefer? Personally, I like the white doubles, but?—”
“Those always look so good.”
He nods. “And what kind of frames?” He holds up a few, and I chose the sleek black ones.
I sit across from him. “Anything I can help with?”
Milo shakes his head. “I’ll have these matted and framed in no time. You think about where you want them all.” His nimble fingers take the first print from its wrap and fit it with a mat and frame. It’s an eleven by fourteen. A lot of them are that size, with a few ten by elevens and five by sevens sprinkled in. Thereare several abstracts and landscapes, but it’s the photorealistic ones that blow me away. Milo hums to himself as he works. He really is so sweet, but I can’t assume he’s into Daddy kink. I had noticed all the toys and coloring books in his bags earlier though, however it’s Christmas time and maybe he has niblings to purchase for. I keep watching him, forgetting I’m supposed to decide where to hang the prints. Perhaps Milo can help me decide.
“You know, I’m not very good at decorating anything other than flowers.”
Milo giggles, and the sound goes right to my heart. What is he doing to me? “I’m not very good at it either. My friends Rory and Logan helped me decorate my place. They both have a good eye for things.”
“Do they work with you at the bookstore?”
“Yep! Rory is my brother’s fiance. Logan is his nephew.”
“What does your brother do?”
