Page 106 of Ink Me Three Times
Now it’s just us.
“Freddie?” I ask, stepping closer, keeping my voice light but laced with concern. I don’t know what the hell’s going on, but it’s not good.
But he doesn’t respond. Doesn’t blink. He doesn’t even flinch when I speak his name again.
I follow his gaze, scanning the crowd again. But the woman’s already long gone, lost in the mass of convention goers. All I see is the usual bustle, tatted strangers, busy booths, people talking, shopping, getting inked.
Everything’s still moving. But Freddie? He’s not.
"Freddie?" My voice is quiet, cutting through the moment, trying to anchor us all back into the reality of the chaos around us. "What is it?"
He finally exhales, his jaw tightening again. His body’s still stiff, his gaze not leaving the spot where the woman passed.
“I think I just saw Trina.”
His words hit like a punch to the gut.
Trina.
I freeze. My chest tightens. That name. It carries weight, more than it should. It’s the name of a woman who shattered Freddie’s world when she left.
Penny’s mom.
The one who walked away, leaving a mess of broken pieces in her wake.
For a moment, I can’t breathe. The sound of the convention floor fades away, like the world’s closing in on me. I can’t believe it.
Not here. Not now.
Trina. The woman who broke Freddie. The woman who hurt him in ways he’s never fully allowed himself to heal from. She was gone, and yet now, somehow, here she is, uninvited.
“Are you sure?” I ask, though I already know the answer. I can see it in his face. The pale skin, the tightness of his features. It’s her. I can feel it in my gut.
Freddie nods slowly, his eyes still distant, his voice strained. “I’m sure. It was her. I know it was her.”
The words hang heavy in the air between us. I want to say something, but I can’t. The weight of this moment presses down too hard. I’ve seen the scars Trina left on Freddie, and I can’t imagine how hard this is for him. How much it rips at him.
Before I can say anything, Freddie raises a hand. It’s shaky, like he’s holding himself together by a thread.
“I need a minute,” he mutters, the words coming out like a quiet confession. It’s raw, like it’s all he can manage.
I nod, stepping back. I get it. I know exactly what he needs. Space. Distance. Time to breathe, even if just for a moment.
I glance at Mitchell who has the same expression I’m sure I’m wearing.
What the hell is going to happen now?
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ivy
"Penny, slow down!"I laugh, trying to catch up as she bolts toward the food truck with a huge grin on her face. Her little voice rings out across the courtyard like a bell, all excitement and sugar high.
"Grilled cheese! Grilled cheese! Grilled cheese!" she chants, bouncing on the balls of her feet, as if the world is her personal stage and she's the star of the show.
I can’t help but smile as she hops up and down, clutching her tiny hands in front of her like she's holding the Holy Grail. It’s infectious, her enthusiasm. I’m almost tempted to forget everything else, to just sink into her happy little world where grilled cheese is the most important thing on earth.
“Alright, alright,” I say, my voice teasing. “You’ve got your grilled cheese. Don’t wear yourself out before you even get to eat it.”
