“I don’t mean Hayden. I mean the art.”

“Oh.” She shakes her head. “I’m excited to see what he does with the ideas, and I think your sleeve is going to be super sexy.”

“Oh yeah?”

She nods. I don’t have a chance to ask more questions because Chris, Hayden, and Jamie come in armed with folders. Lily stays for the first few minutes, but after a while Lisa pops her head in and asks if she wants to hang out with her while we talk details and business. Lily kisses me on the cheek and jumps up, leaving us to it.

It’s another good half hour before we come out of the private room. Lily and Lisa are sitting behind the jewelry counter with a laptop and Hayden’s custom album spread out in front of them, discussing their favorite tattoos. Hayden crosses over to his station and drops down in his chair, opening a drawer where he files his folders. The door tinkles, and a petite, curvy brunette holding a cupcake comes into the shop. It’s not a real cupcake, but some kind of Tupperware deal that looks like a giant pink plastic cupcake.

Lisa hops off her stool and comes out from behind the jewelry display to hug her. I catch a glimpse of the back of the girl’s shirt—or what there is to the back. It’s tied behind the neck and one thin band cuts across the middle—and that’s it, allowing most of her tattoo to be displayed. It’s a set of wings that look incredibly familiar. It’s definitely Hayden’s work.

Hayden leans back in his chair. The ball of his tongue ring pops out and slides between his lips as he gives her a once-over. “Hey, kitten, perfect timing. Did you bring me some treats?”

She holds the cupcake container close to her chest, as if she expects him to try to steal it from her, and stays close to the jewelry counter. “They’re for sharing.”

“That’s my least favorite word in the world.” He inclines his chin, encouraging her to come closer. “Did you leave some at home?”

“What do you think?”

Lisa peeks inside the container, which apparently contains some kind of snack—maybe cupcakes like the shape implies—and snickers.

He beckons her closer. “Why don’t you bring them over here and let me see?”

When she’s within reach, he cranes to see in to the container.

She puts a hand out, warding him off. “Can you exert some self-control for a few seconds?” She gives Hayden a meaningful look, her eyes darting my way for a moment.

“Oh, right. Sorry, kitten. Randy, this is my girlfriend, Tenley.” He puts a hand on her waist.

Well, that explains the nickname.

“Hey. Hi!” Turning to me, she holds out a hand and shakes mine enthusiastically. “It’s so nice to meet you. I made cupcakes. Would you like one before Hayden tries to tackle me for them?”

Hayden lifts an eyebrow. “I’m not that bad.”

Lisa barks out a laugh, and Tenley snorts. She gives him her back while she opens the container, then takes two exaggerated steps away and offers me a cupcake. I’m more of a savory snack kind of guy, but these look incredible, so I take one.

“Did you make these?” I ask Tenley.

“I did.”

“They look awesome.” They’re decorated with our team colors. I wonder if it was on purpose.

“Thanks.” She gives me a huge smile.

Hayden watches her while she traipses over to the jewelry counter, introduces herself to Lily, and offers her and Lisa a cupcake. Chris, who disappeared a while ago, comes out of the back room and grabs one, too, making a big deal out of the black cupcake papers and the red and white decorations. Tenley flushes and gives him a look, like maybe she’s embarrassed. Hayden crosses his arms over his chest and clears his throat.

Leaning on the counter, Tenley lifts a cupcake out of the container while watching him. Then she starts peeling off the wrapper, slowly. I feel like I’m watching some kind of weird foreplay, like cupcake-wrapper porn. It’s almost as bad as the way Charlene and Darren are with each other lately.

“Keep pushing if you want to see where it gets you later, kitten,” Hayden says.

Lily shoots me a look, but I have no idea what it means. I’m kind of entertained right now.

Tenley blinks at him. “Oh, did you want one?”

Hayden unfurls slowly from his chair, his expression dark. He stalks over to Tenley, who lifts the unwrapped cupcake to her mouth. Before she can take a bite, Hayden grabs her wrist. “I want this one.”

“It’s mine!”

“Not any more.” He takes a massive bite, narrowly missing her fingers.

Tenley shrieks and laughs. “Oh my God! You’re ridiculous!”

Hayden chews a few times and swallows, then swipes at his mouth with the back of his hand. He looks around, as if realizing there are other people witnessing this display.

He aims his grin at me. “I fucking love cupcakes.”

“Especially Tee’s,” Chris says, his eyebrows wagging.

“Only Tenley’s.” He leans in and whispers something to her.

Lily’s eyes go even wider, her mouth hanging open, her own cupcake still poised for biting. Lisa leans over and whispers something to her. She giggles and glances my way as she takes a bite of the cupcake and moans. “Oh my God, this is delicious.”

“Right?” Hayden grabs another one from the container before Tenley can stop him. “I’ll have some drawings for you when the guys come in to talk about their designs. Sound good?” he asks Lily.

“That sounds great!”

“Oh! Is Hayden going to design a tattoo for you?” Tenley asks.

“He is.”

“He’s a fantastic artist, and I’m not just saying that because I live with him.” Tenley winks.

“Hayden did Tenley’s back piece.” Lisa motions for her to turn around.

Tenley shows Lily her back, and there’s much oohing and ahhing as Lily asks about the meaning and how painful it was while she gorges on cupcakes. I love how effortlessly she fits into all the pieces of my life.

On the way home, Lily’s quiet, fingers drifting over my ink.

“Everything okay, luscious?”

“Huh?” She glances at me. “Oh, yeah. Everything’s great. Thanks for letting me tag along today. I had fun.”

“You excited about the designs Hayden came up with?”

She nods enthusiastically. “Oh yeah. Definitely. His girlfriend’s tattoo is insane. I can’t believe the detail on that. I can’t even imagine how long something like that would take.”