“Stupid and illegal,” he spouted, and glanced at her arm. “And don’t call that toad on your arm a tat. If I were you, I’d choose one of those nice drawings you’ve done, and have me ink you a cover up. It’ll be big, but between your artwork and mine it could be spectacular.”
She grinned. “I might just do that.”
Sam watched the exchange. Eddie was an old friend of Travis’ but the guy was definitely eccentric. Sixty if he was a day, he had a long gray braid running down his back and a full, bushy beard. His T-shirt advertised ‘Free Mustache Rides’ so he was obviously a ladies’ man. Sam wasn’t sure he liked the looks Eddie tossed in Mel’s direction.
She smiled at the old fart again. “So, do you think you could use some of these drawings?”
“I know I could. Give me your phone number and the next time I get a special request I’ll call you. I usually take a couple of days to work up an image, so that should give you enough time, too.”
“Great!” She beamed.
Sam thought she looked five years younger without the drug pall over her. He was thrilled that she seemed to be thriving.
Mel walked around the tattoo shop, looking at all the patterns and designs on the walls. She nosed behind the counter and commented, “This place could use some organization.”
“We get along just fine,” Eddie replied.
“A woman’s touch, you know.” She batted her eyelashes.
He gazed at her levelly, his eye wrinkles betraying every one of his years. “I couldn’t pay you big bucks.”
“I wouldn’t need big bucks, just enough to get by. I think I could learn so much from you. I might even want to try tattooing.”
He made a thoughtful face and nodded. “Can you learn piercing? That would be helpful. Piercing is a pain in my ass, so to speak.”
“Of course!” She clapped her hands together. “I’d love that.”
“We might just be able to work something out.” He put a plastic bandage over Sam’s tattoo and gave him care instructions. “If you forget something, ask him.” He jerked his thumb toward Travis. “One hundred and twelve tattoos later, he ought to know the drill.”
Travis smiled. “I’ve got my eye on one-thirteen. I really love that picture of Levi. It makes a great chattoo.” He looked at Eddie. “Levi’s terminology.”
Eddie blinked. “Where are we going to put the kid? On your ass?”
“Maybe my hip?”
The tattoo artist nodded. “I could manage that.” He looked at Sam. “I do asses, but that’s not the best place for a picture of your kid. Unless he’s a little shit.” He laughed at his own joke. “And I won’t do Mr. Winky. No needles should ever come near Mr. Winky.”
Travis nodded in firm agreement.
“Um, right.” Sam bit back a laugh. He paid then Eddie and Mel exchanged phone numbers. Travis gave Eddie a quick hug and they left with promises to be back soon.
“He’s done all your ink?” Sam asked as Travis drove.
“All but the first two. He made some little changes to those later, though, so he could claim my whole body.”
“Gee, and I thought I had claim to your whole body.”
“Just the cat.” Travis winked at him.
Sam smiled. They’d been okay since Mel had revealed her halfway house plan to him, and he’d been able to tell Travis he wasn’t moving out. They’d argued a couple more times but Trav had been quick to apologize, and the makeup sex had been totally worth it. Things were good, on the surface at least. Down a little deeper, their lives were still on edge as he’d never gotten up the courage to ask Mel to consider giving them custody of Levi. Travis had been pissed, but had told him it was probably best not to talk about it. So they hadn’t.
The next hurdle would come in a few weeks. They had to enroll Levi in school, but had yet to decide
which
school. Sam was a bundle of nerves when he let himself think about it.
Mel leaned forward. “Thanks for picking me up and dropping me off. I know it’s a long way, but it was fun to watch my brother lose his tattoo cherry.”
“It was fun.” Travis grinned at her in the rear-view mirror. He glanced at Sam. “What do you think? Get another one some time, maybe?”
“Oh, hell yeah. Tomorrow, if we can find the right design. I might be addicted.”
“I can suggest a group for that,” Mel teased.
He turned sideways so he could look at her. “You look great, Mel. The halfway house is going okay then?”
“It’s very good. I like the people there. We keep each other honest and real. And now, I have a job! I know it might not be very many hours at first, but if I hang around and make myself useful, pretty soon Eddie will be wondering what he did without me.”
“That’ll be great, Mel,” Travis said.
“Watch yourself,” Sam cautioned. “He looks like a dirty old man. What guy his age dresses like that?”
Travis chuckled. “Eddie is solid. Sure, he’s a bit of an aging hippy, but I’d trust my life to him. In a way I have, on many occasions.”
Sam nodded thoughtfully. Travis’ endorsement made him feel a little better, but the guy had still made eyes at his sister. And she went gaga over his many tattoos, which were dozens more than most men his age probably had.
Perhaps it’s best if I just don’t think about it.
Travis pulled up in front of the halfway house behind Mel’s car. “It’s twenty minutes from the shop to here. Can you manage a drive like that every day?”
She shrugged. “Twenty minutes isn’t bad. Going anywhere outside your neighborhood in Chicago takes at least that long.”
“True.”
Sam glanced at the sidewalk and was surprised to see Kim, Dave and Levi standing there. “What’s going on here?”
“You just stay put. I’ll let you know when you can get out.” Travis jumped from the car and Mel climbed out of the back.
“Where are you going?” Sam asked her.
“Do what you’re told.” She wagged a finger at him.
Sam made a questioning face at Kim.
She grinned and shrugged, but he could tell she was in on whatever Travis had up his sleeve.
He rolled down his window. “Hey, Levi! What’s happening? What are you guys doing way out here?”
Before the boy could answer, Kim wrapped her hand over his mouth. With her other hand she waved a finger back and forth. “No, no, no. Wait and see.”
Sam was intrigued.
When Travis came around and opened Sam’s door, he’d donned a formal black bow tie over his shorts and T-shirt. “I was going to rent a tuxedo but it’s too blinking hot out here. So picture me in a tux, okay?”
“Why not?” Sam grinned.
“And I could have chosen a fancier place to do this, but I wanted this particular group of people to be witnesses, and it was tough getting everyone together at a mutually convenient time and location. So this is what you get.”
“O-kay.” Sam shrugged.
Travis took Levi by the hand and walked him over to the Lexus, then lifted him up to Sam’s lap. “Sam and Levi, you each know how much I love you. I’ve been talking with my parents, and they agree it’s time to let the rest of the world know. Also, I’ve been talking with Mel, and we’ve reached an agreement that we’d like to make binding and legal.” He pulled out a silver wedding band. “Sam, marry me, and make me the happiest man on the planet. I promise I’ll never stop trying to make you the second happiest.” He pulled a framed picture from behind his back and showed it to them. It was the drawing Mel had made of Levi, the basis for his tattoo. Under the image she’d written
Levi Madison-Nelson
. “Levi, Melanie will always be your mother. She’ll always be here for you, and she’ll never stop loving you. But she’s agreed that we should make your living arrangements permanent. So once Sam and I are married we want to adopt you, and I’d like you to have both of our names. If
you’d
like that.”
Sam was stunned. Travis slipped the band on his left ring finger and squeezed his hand, then studied Levi’s reaction.
The boy glanced at each of their faces and ended up gazing at Mel. He jumped down and ran to her, giving her a big hug.
She leaned down to hold him tight.
“This is really okay?” he asked.
Through tears she nodded. “If it’s what you want, baby. I just need you to be happy. I know those two daddies will make sure of that.”
He glanced back at Sam and Travis. “I’ll have
two
daddies?”
They both nodded.
A huge grin split his face. He looked back at Mel. “And you’re still Mommy, right?”
“Always and forever. I love you, Levi. Your daddies and your grandparents love you, too. We’ll be one big family.”
He hugged her neck again.
“Are you happy, baby?”
Levi nodded enthusiastically. “If I was any happier, I might just float away.” He grinned, then ran back to Travis and reached up to him.
Travis scooped him up.
“Daddy.” Levi patted both of Travis’ cheeks.
“Son.” Travis nuzzled his neck. He leaned in toward Sam so Levi could pat his face the same way.
“Daddy.”
Sam fought back tears. “Yes, son.”
Travis pressed a kiss to Sam’s temple. “You haven’t accepted yet. I’ve got a bunch more promises for you, with regards to acceptable and unacceptable behavior. But I figured those are best discussed in private.”
“I don’t need any more promises. I love you, Trav. Yes, I’ll marry you.” They kissed, and Levi wrapped his arms around both of their necks, laughing. Sam inhaled as the kiss ended. “Thank you for doing what I couldn’t do. I needed to talk to Mel, but I was weak.”
“You were too close to her. I had to be the one to do it. We had a good talk. We’ve had several since then, actually.”
Mel wiped her eyes. “Yeah, we’re BFFs now. So watch out. We might gang up to keep you in line.”
“I welcome the challenge.” Sam grinned. “I’m actually thrilled to see you two getting along. It’s been a while coming.”
Kim and Dave stepped forward for hugs and congratulations all around. “And now we’re all going to Mario’s Pizza, Levi’s favorite restaurant, to celebrate,” she announced. “After that, we’ll take him home with us so you two can have your own private celebration.”
Sam’s grin widened. “Grandparents are the bomb.”
* * * *
Travis opened the front door on a Sunday morning, a few weeks later, to find a very shaken Melanie on the porch. “Mel! What’s wrong?” He reached for her arm. “Come in. Are you okay? Are you sick?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She grasped his arm and clung to it.
Sam joined them. “Hey, Mel! What are you doing here? You hungry? Trav makes kick-ass pancakes on Sundays. After his hour-long bike ride, that is. He keeps suggesting we go with him, but so far I’ve held him off.”
Travis smiled. “Wait till I get you and Levi those new bikes we talked about. Then you’ll have no choice.” He turned back to Mel. “Are you hungry?”
She waved a hand then pressed it to her stomach. “No thanks. I need to sit down.”
Travis led her to the sofa and sat down next to her. He glanced at Sam. “Where’s Levi?”
“He went to get dressed, but I hear him playing with toys in his room. We’ve got a few minutes.” He sat on the other side of Mel. “What’s going on?”
Tears preceded her words. “Oh, God. I can’t believe it. Just when I was starting to get my act together.”
Travis’ heart fluttered. “Did you relapse?”
“No, but thanks for going there first. I guess I’m always going to get that, aren’t I?”
Sam frowned. “Then
what is it
?”
She looked at him and whispered, “I’m pregnant.”
“Oh my God.” Sam gave her a hug. “Have you—?”
“No.” She shook her head firmly. “I haven’t been with anyone since that night.”
“The night you were attacked,” he confirmed.
Travis’ mind raced as he stood and walked the floor.
“Attacked isn’t exactly the right word,” she said. “But for lack of a better one, yeah. Damn it! Things were really looking up for me, too. I’ve been to Eddie’s shop a few times, and that was going well. He’s such a sweet man. God, what’s he going to think of me?”
Sam looked at her. “Are you considering having it?”
She gaped at him. “Seriously? What choice do I have?”
“Well, there’s always—”
“I could
never
have an abortion,” she cut him off.
Travis smiled at the way they finished each other’s sentences. Then his mind went back to the problem at hand.
Mel continued, “I know lots of people do it, and maybe in a less clear-headed state, I might have considered it back in the day. But right here and now, I don’t think it’s an option. I’ve got to have it, and just hope there’s somebody decent out there, somewhere, who’ll want my baby.”
Travis stopped pacing. “There is.”
Sam and Mel looked at him.
He felt giddy, like Scrooge on Christmas morning. Travis knew he probably looked just as nutso as Scrooge had to the townspeople. He fought the urge to dance with glee like the old man had. “We want it.”
Sam blinked. “Excuse me?”
Mel said, “What?”
Travis knelt in front of her. “If you’re going to have the baby anyway, then why can’t Sam and I have it? He or she will be Levi’s sibling, after all.” He glanced at Sam. “We may never get another opportunity like this one.”
“An opportunity?” Sam repeated, still stunned.
Mel smiled. “Are you serious? Because that would be an answer to my prayers.”
“Hell yes, I’m serious!
A baby
. A sweet little newborn. That would be an answer to many people’s prayers. We’d be honored if you’d give us the privilege of taking him or her.”
Mel threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.
Travis laughed and wiped her tears, then they held hands for a minute and grinned at each other.
Sam said, “We don’t know anything about the father, other than he was a drug-using scumbag. Do we even know what color he is?”
Travis frowned at Sam. “Does that matter? I’d welcome any color of child, as I’m sure about a million other parents would, too.”
Sam waved a hand. “No, the color doesn’t matter. I’m just trying to process. This makes the second time you two have added a child to our family without consulting me, and I need a minute to wrap my head around it.”
Chuckling, Travis drew Sam into a hug. “I know. I’m sorry. What can I say? I love surprises. But you’re right, I should have spoken with you about adopting Levi before I broached the subject with Mel
or
him. It’s just that I
knew
how you felt. I already knew what your answer would be.”