Even her men, who’d distrusted Raven at first, had come to realize just how fiercely Raven loved their son and through that, they’d come to know her better and even to like her.

She needed the details on this thing with Jonah Warner. For far too long, Raven had kept her dalliances shallow and only about the physical. A man like Jonah might only want a few fucks, but Raven was playing it close to the vest. Which was unusual.

“What are you up to tonight?”

“I have a late client here and after that I’m getting a massage.”

“And tomorrow night is tattoo night with the bossy Mr. Warner. So then we obviously need to talk on Saturday. Come along with me. I need to get a new pair of boots and a birthday present for Ella. I’ll pick you up at your place at noon. We can get lunch and go shopping after.”

Raven eyed her suspiciously but nodded. “All right.”

It’d give her more time to work on Raven about going to the supper club too. Win/win.

“Come on, monkey. We need to get bread and milk on the way home.”

“’Kay.” He tucked his hand into hers and squeezed, grinning up at her.

“What’s going on in your life?”

Jonah had just signed on to a video chat with Carrie. She was so grown up, so far across the world, that for a moment the bittersweetness of it was a lump in his throat. This was his child. Only she wasn’t a child anymore. She was nearly grown up. On the cusp of college. She looked a lot like her mother, but he knew she’d react to that beauty differently. And was grateful for it.

“Not much. I’m getting a tattoo on my back. The wolf idea we talked about before you left.”

“Really? Good. Grandmother is going to freak. Please wait to share it with her until I get back so I can see it in person.” She broke into giggles and he snorted.

“Your grandmother thinks you’re such a proper young woman. I won’t spoil it for her just yet. I miss you.”

“I miss you too. I’m used to telling you everything every single night when you get home from work. Now I have to e-mail you everything. I went out on a date.” She laughed again, most likely at the look on his face. “He’s in the program here with me. He’s nice, Dad.”

It was really, really hard letting go. He knew he’d raised her right. With a sense of herself and her limits. He knew she’d make mistakes. Everyone did, especially when they were young. But still.

“Be aware I’ll have to have anyone who hurts you killed.” He shrugged. “I know people.”

Carrie’s delighted laugh soothed his suspicion of the phantom boy.

“Mom is going to be in Milan next month. She had her people contact me to see if I’d like to go to lunch and do some shopping.”

He blew out a breath, trying to take cues from Carrie on how to react. He hoped his suspicion and derision didn’t show. Most likely Charlotte wanted an all-expense-paid weekend and would use their daughter to get that. But god knew he wasn’t going to let that occur to Carrie if he could help it.

“All right. I can add money to your account and get you a ticket and arrange a hotel.” That way he could control it somewhat.

“It’s all right. I have a museum trip that weekend. I don’t want to miss it.”

He didn’t know how to make it better. It tore him up.

“Tell me what you need.”

“She walked away. I wish she hadn’t. But she did. And I have you and everyone else at home. Maybe when I’m older I can do lunch with her and it’ll be okay. But not now. Not for a while. Not here.”

“You don’t have to not see her because you’re worried about how I’ll feel. I want you to have a relationship with your mother, Carrie. She loves you.”

“In her way. But it’s all about her. And right now, here it’s about me. She probably wants to see me to get you to give her more money anyway.”

He scrubbed his hands over his face. That bitch he’d married had no right to manipulate their child to get more of anything from him. But she did it and he believed part of it was that she wanted to poke at him, knowing how much he hated it.

“I’m sorry you get put in the middle.”

“I’m a big girl. Anyway, I don’t want you to feel bad. I only told you in case you heard about it otherwise. I didn’t want you to think I was hiding it. Let’s change the subject now. Are you dating?”

“There’s someone interesting. I don’t know yet. Not dating. More like getting to know her first. If she’s dating material, I’ll tell you more.”

“I’m not harboring any fantasies that you’re going to get back with Mom or anything. You’re a man in the prime of his life. I want you out there.”

“I promise I’m not withering up and dying. I take my personal life seriously. I have a family and I’m not just going to bring random people into it. Not because I think you can’t handle it. But because I respect my life and my daughter enough to make the right choices.”

“You’re so awesome. By the way, since I’m buttering you up and all, can I take a side trip to Paris with some of the other kids after Halloween? Just for four days. There’ll be chaperones even.”

“Hm. I want to hear from your program assistant about it. If it looks safe, yes. As long as you’re home for Thanksgiving.”

“Thanks, Dad. And yes, I’ll definitely be home! I got the ticket and everything.”

Things were changing. More than they had in a really long time. Since the divorce, when all the change had been positive but came from an extremely negative process.

But it was five years later. Seven, really, since things had deteriorated so badly between him and the ex. Carrie had blossomed as a teenager. Her grades had improved when Charlotte had left for New York and exited Carrie’s life.

Carrie was moving on to the next step. Going to college in the fall. He missed that little girl he’d taught how to sail. But he knew she’d be a wonderful woman. Knew she was strong and intelligent and would succeed. He was proud of that. Proud of her.

And now he had time to think about himself again. Not as a father. Not as a son or a partner at work. But as a man.

Change was good. 

“So let’s try you sitting first. I’m going to get the outline started.”

Raven had shown up with her hair tied away from her face, in an ages’-old Bikini Kill T-shirt and faded jeans. She was just as beautiful as she was more dressed up.

“How long will it take, do you think?”

“All told? A full back piece can take several sessions. This is mainly black and gray work, but there’ll be lots of shading. That sort of detail is more time consuming than the larger sections of black.” She shrugged. “It’s not going to be a quick one.”

Not like he was going to complain at getting her in his house one on one.

“Okay then. Dinner after?”

She gave him a raised brow. “You’re not going to feel like making me dinner after I work on you for two hours.”

“I know how to dial a phone. And I promised martinis.”

She shrugged. “All right then.”

He turned music on before pulling his shirt off and sitting, straddling the back of the chair as she rolled a nearby stool over.

“Step one is that I’m going to do a transfer of sorts of my design to your back. Mainly so you can see the position to be sure you like the placement. The detail I do as I go along. I like that part. It’s organic. We gonna be all right with that?”

“Whatever are you trying to say?”

She snorted. “You’re a control freak. This is my design. I make the choices. I’m quite bossy about that.”

“I’m not sure you know me well enough yet to say I’m a control freak. Though you’re right. There are areas I’m willing to cede to you. How the tattoo evolves is one of them. I’ve seen enough of your work to know you have a great aesthetic and one I click with.”

“Hm.”

She settled in behind him, touching him matter-of-factly for several moments before rolling back and putting a mirror in his hand. “Go look to be sure it’s where you want it.”