Page 31 of Four Tattoos

Her finger absently traces a small invisible pattern on the table. “Well … we are so different. Age being the biggest difference; you all have so much more experience than I do.”

My brow arches. “All the better for us to teach you things.”

A light blush colors her cheeks, and she hesitates before asking, “Have you ever been married?”

“I have. It only lasted two years.”

The waiter reappears, delivering our drinks, and we direct our attention to the menus for a few minutes before Rose returns to our discussion.

“Do you think you were too young when you got married?”

“No, that wasn’t our issue. Things just didn’t work out.”

“Have any of the others been married?”

I shake my head. “Hutch has had a couple of serious relationships, but none got to that point.”

“Any of you have kids?”

“No, and I’m glad. If you asked the others, they’d probably tell you this world is too fucked up to bring children into it. So many wars, so much hate.”

Rose nods, but she’s frowning as she does. After taking a long sip of her drink, she says, “Another reason I know you’re not looking for a relationship is because there’s four of you … all … getting involved with me.”

“You don’t think a relationship can work that way?” I ask.

“Relationships are one on one, aren’t they?”

“There’s no reason they have to be.” Beneath the table, I find her leg and gently rub the tip of my shoe against a spot above her ankle.

“Committed relationships, with multiple partners?” Her voice is heavy with skepticism.

“Yes,” I say, nodding slowly. “It’s becoming more common all the time. Love is love, right?”

She’d been about to take another drink, but lowers her glass abruptly. “Love?” Her eyes flicker with teasing amusement.

“You know what I mean, but yes, relationships with multiple partners are very possible. They come with their own set of challenges, but they also offer unique rewards.”

Realization dawns on her quickly. “You’ve been in that sort of relationship before?” When I nod, she adds, “With your ink brothers?”

I nod again, and she stares at me. Her mouth opens to say something, but then she closes it, apparently at a loss for words.

“We’ve shared women a couple of times, and once we were in a committed relationship with one.”

We’re interrupted by the arrival of our appetizer, but even after the waiter exits, Rose is unusually quiet, though I can tell that thoughts are swirling in her head. Her face has changed, but I can’t read her expression, as she seems to very purposefully focus on spreading some of the burrata onto a miniature piece of toast.

“How long ago was it?” she asks finally.

“Several years now. About six years ago.”

The little laugh she lets out sounds uneasy. “While I was still in high school.”

I shrug, not sure why age bothers her. It’s not as if she’s still in high school, or even college. She’s a grown woman; that’s very apparent.

I’m not here to convince her to be in a relationship with us, but I don’t like the fact that she’s written off the possibility before we’ve barely gotten started. It’s been a long time since the four of us were interested in the same woman, and I believe it’s a rare occurrence that shouldn’t be wasted.

23

ROSE

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