Scanning around, I saw Logan’s grandad standing at the back of the ship, a false wooden peg leg on one leg. “How does he stay balanced while we’re moving?” I nodded at the man so Tom knew who I was talking about.
Snorting, he threw another handful of necklaces out to the crowd. “There’s a hole cut in the wall behind him. He has to put his foot through it and then place his knee on the fake leg, but it makes it look pretty real.” Color me informed, and at least I wasn’t the biggest boob on this ship! Poor guy.
I was still going to get revenge on Ellis. And Hurst. And Dave because he didn’t stop it when it all started. And right then Tom said the one thing that right now would totally put the shitters up someone who’d been through what I had. “Hang tight, you’ve got a spider on your shoulder.”
And all hell broke loose.Chapter 5Ellis
“How are you feeling?” I asked for the hundredth time since Jose had head butted the safety barrier on the float.
Holding the icepack to her head, she turned and glared at me, not saying a word. Adjusting Liv so that she was lying on her back on my lap, I threw my arm around Jose’s shoulders and pulled her into my side, relieved when she didn’t tense up. I’d thought today would play out much differently. We’d get dressed up, have some fun, let Liv experience sounds and sights she’d never come across, and spend time with our friends in a relaxed way. It wasn’t even technically a date, it was more of a plan to bring some fun and excitement into Jose and Liv’s lives. If I’d thought for even one second that she’d end up on the float, head butting the bar around the outside of it that was meant to keep the occupants safe, I’d have either kept us in our normal clothes, or I’d have vetoed Hurst’s idea of her sitting on it to begin with. Speaking of which, the man was still looking guilty as he sat fiddling with Liv’s little squeaky giraffe. She loved that giraffe, and every time he squeaked it, she’d turn to look at him. Seeing as how he was the biggest baby hog out of everyone, always holding one of his great grandkids or honorary baby family members, I knew that he was trying to get her focus on him so that he could swoop in and take her. During all the drama that followed the incident on the float, he’d been the one screaming the loudest for a medic when Jose had hit her head. She hadn’t knocked herself out and had gotten the all clear by the paramedics, but she had a decent size egg and the noise when she’d hit it had been unreal. From the fidgeting he was doing, he was still feeling guilty for what happened, but his eyes kept flicking down to Liv like he was bribing her for cuddles with her favorite toy, too. Rolling my eyes, I looked back down at the baby, watching as her eyes slowly closed and then open back up again. Today had been exhausting for her, but she was fighting it for as long as she could. Just then, Linda called out, “Cheese!” and I looked up to see her smiling down at her phone. “Oh, that’s a beautiful one. I’ll send it to you both.”
My phone beeped almost immediately, and when I opened up the message, I saw what she’d captured. There were two photos attached, both with Jose looking sleepily in her direction, and me looking down at Liv in my lap. I’d taken my shirt off when we’d gotten in because she’d smeared food and banana across it from the snack I’d given her when we’d gotten home, and it looked like both myself and Jose were topless with how our arms were positioned in the second photo. What stood out, even on the small screen of my phone, was the hazy beauty of Jose’s eyes, her Marilyn piercing, and both of our tattoos. I would say that the first one had extra beauty because it included the princess, but the second one’s focus was purely on the beauty of her mother, and I loved them both!
Hitting the screen, I made the one with Liv in it the wallpaper on my phone so I could see it whenever I used it. I was totally getting both printed out, maybe even on large canvases for the walls, but I wanted copies of them at home and at work.
“You need any Tylenol?” Mace asked, rattling the bottle beside Jose’s head and wincing when Liv turned to look at him. “Sorry, princess,” he murmured softly, grinning when she gave him a gummy smile. “Christ, but she’s adorable.”