Ink Enduring (Montgomery Ink #5)(6)

Maya narrowed her eyes. “You’re like six minutes pregnant. You can’t start using that excuse yet.”

“I’m six weeks pregnant, and I can start using the excuse as much as I want. I had to cut liquor, fish, and other crap out of my diet, plus I can’t dye my hair for a long time, so yeah, I’m going to use this to my advantage.” She winced and rubbed her belly. “Not that it’s an excuse. Damn it! You just made me use my baby for nefarious purposes. You are pure evil.”

Maya sighed. “I had nothing to do with that. You’re the one going evil all on your own. It’s probably hormones.”

Callie just shook her head of black hair and flipped Maya off. “I can’t wait to see you pregnant, Maya. Because you’re going to be the one that goes crazy. I mean, honestly, you’re already a little nuts as it is.”

Maya ignored the way her heart clutched—freaking clutched—at the thought of being pregnant and snorted. “I know what you’re trying to do. You’re keeping me here so I can’t catch up to dudebro and his dudebro posse. I’ll find him, Callie. I always get my man.”

That was a lie, but for a whole different reason. Maya pressed her lips together, tapping her tongue ring on the roof of her mouth. There was no use thinking about that, thinking about him. It wasn’t a thing anyway. She was Maya f*cking Montgomery, and she would be just fine.

Thank you very much.

“Just sit down and finish that sketch so you’re ready for your next client,” Callie said sweetly. “The dumbass who dared to grab my ass is out of here without ink and without a clue. I didn’t break his fingers so that means you won’t either. Remember, Maya, I can take care of myself.”

“That’s not what Morgan thinks.” Morgan was Callie’s Dom of a husband. A few years older than Maya, and even older than Callie, yet the two of them fit together nicely.

“Morgan knows I can take care of myself,” Callie said with a smile. “He just knows if I need help, he’ll show up and be all badass and hot. Then we can go home and make with the sexy times.”

Though she loved them both, Maya really didn’t want images of Morgan and Callie going at it in her head, so she pushed those thoughts away and threw herself into her chair in the corner of her station. She knew she was acting like an immature brat, but she couldn’t help it. She was just in one of those moods.

“Fine. I’ll stay here and draw.”

“Like it’s your job?” Austin drawled as he walked into the shop. Well, walked wasn’t a good word for what he did. He prowled. Just like the rest of the Montgomery brothers. They prowled, stalked, or strolled. A Montgomery didn’t merely walk. Even Maya’s sisters moved like the guys when they wanted to—with purpose.

Maya, however, probably looked like she stomped around when she wasn’t putting an extra sway in her hips so she could saunter.

And why she was thinking about different walks rather than what was going on in the shop, eluded her. Okay, that was a lie. She knew why she kept thinking of random crap. That way, she didn’t think about what was important.

Like the fact that she was falling in love—or rather already in love—with her best friend.

Nope.

Not going there.

She was fine.

Maya was fine.

She kept telling herself that. That she was fine. That she was okay. Because there wasn’t another option. She’d get over this insanity and go about her day. Maybe she’d go out and get laid and everything would go back to normal. She liked normal. At least, normal for her.

“Maya?” Austin’s voice cut through the ever-revolving loop of manic thoughts, and she shook her head.

“What?”

“What the hell is going on with you?” her big brother asked. He sank down onto her stool and ran a hand through his thick beard. “You’ve been out of it for the past few weeks. Is it Alex?”

He’d lowered his voice for the last part, and she couldn’t help but hold back tears. How annoying of her eyes that they would fill every time she thought of Alex. She hated not having better control when it came to him. Their younger brother had been in rehab for a few months now and would be getting out soon. He’d tried to drink himself to death, and had ended up hurting not only himself but also others in their family. She and Jake had been the ones to take him to rehab, and thankfully, Alex had stayed. She didn’t know what haunted him, but she was glad he was getting the help he needed. Or, at least trying.

And as much as knowing she’d been unable to help her brother hurt, that wasn’t the reason she was out of sorts. Not that she could tell Austin that. But she couldn’t outright lie when it came to Alex either. They’d all promised themselves they’d be truthful when it came to him and any issues that arose from his disease.

“I’m happy Alex is coming home,” she said honestly. She reached out and put her hand on Austin’s knee. The thick muscle tensed under her palm a moment before relaxing slightly. “He needs to come home, and I think we’ll all be good for him.” She paused. “At least, I hope so. Are we doing the right thing?”

Austin sighed. “You mean letting him out? Because it’s not our call since he technically went in voluntarily. Plus, I don’t think I want to be the one forcing him to stay. Hell, I don’t want any of us to be in that position. He wouldn’t see us during the whole thing, so I honestly have no idea what’s going to happen. What I do know is that I love our brother, and I’m not giving up on him.” He closed his eyes. “I’m also not going to let him hurt my kids.”