Just try to quit smokin' and reel back the drinkin'
Don't always tell her everything you're thinkin'
And dance her when she needs dancin'
You get up and go to work, get up and go to church
Crawl up in that bed right next to her and listen
Instead of having all the answers
Then he slapped him on the back and said
"Son, you can do it there ain't nothin' to it"

Ryan's POV

"So what do you think?"

I looked down and smiled. The tattoo on my inner thigh pinched a bit, but I could handle it. This was nothing compared to the one on my knee. Bobby, the tattoo artist had nailed the shade of blue perfectly. It was the exact shade of Sam's eyes. I was taking a huge leap of faith by having something so personal and symbolic permanently inked onto my body, but the blue eyed tiger staring back at me just felt right. A tribute to my blue eyed tiger.

Two hours earlier

"Do you take walk ins or do I need an appointment?" Sam announced cheerfully as we walked into the tattoo shop.

"Sammie." The burly, tattoo and piercing covered forty something year old man broke out into a big grin, suddenly looking more teddy bear than menacing. "It's about time you show your pretty face around here again." They exchanged a brief, but tight hug. "Sheree, look who decided to pay us a visit." He called out to the back of the shop.

A slender, heavily tattooed bleached blonde, about the same age as the man entered the waiting area of the shop, also breaking out into a big grin as she hugged Sam. "Our favorite customer is back." She said excitedly.

Sam then introduced me to the couple, Bobby and his wife Sheree, explaining this was the place where she had gotten all of her tattoos

"We always got time for you Sammie." Bobby grinned at her. "Is your boyfriend here wanting some work done?" Bobby looked at me.

"If you have time, yeah, I'd like something done." I replied.

"Bobby can take care of you hun. Sammie, come on back with me." Sheree smiled at Sam then back at me. I was led to the back with Bobby while Sam went with Sheree.

Now, here we are, two hours later, I could not be more pleased. Bobby did an amazing job.

"It's perfect. Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much." I told Bobby.

He grinned again. "You are very welcome. I'm so glad to see our girl Sammie looking so happy. Take good care of her."

It was easy to see that both Bobby and Sheree were very fond of Sam. As rough looking as the both of them appeared on the outside, they clearly had hearts of gold. Besides, Sam just drew people to her like a magnet. In our visit to her hometown, it was easy to see she was well known and loved in this little town. That wasn't all that unusual though, because back in North Carolina, everyone she met fell in love with her.

"I promise I will." I said, meaning it from the bottom of my heart.

Surprisingly, Sam wasn't quite finished having her tattoo done. I thought for sure she would be done before me. It was just a small cardinal on the inside of her wrist.

To kill time, I took out my phone and went to my Instagram. "Topping off a great off week in Louisiana with some fresh ink."

I didn't even bother looking at the comments because I knew everyone would be asking to see it. I wasn't sure I wanted to reveal it yet, if at all because it was personal. Besides, Sam had not even seen it yet.

Finally, Sam was done, proudly showing me the cardinal inked on her right inner wrist.

I laughed. "That took over two hours?"

"Wellll, I ended up getting another one." She said coyly.

"Where? What did you get?" I was intrigued because she was acting so secretive.

"I'll show you in private. Let me see yours."

"How about I show you mine in private?" I decided to wait also. I wanted to get her reaction when there was no one around.

When we arrived back at the house, there was a note from Vicky saying she had taken the dogs for a walk. I chuckled to myself. Vicky had completely bonded with Sturgill and Shelby. I honestly didn't know who she was going to miss more when we went back home tomorrow.

"Reveal time." Sam smirked at me, leading me upstairs to her bedroom. "You first."

I pulled up the leg of my shorts to show the new tattoo. I watched her eyes get misty as she gingerly reached out to touch it, and I flinched slightly as it was quite tender.

"You got this for me?" Her voice wavered, and I wasn't sure if it was a good reaction or not.

"Who else would I have gotten it for?" I questioned.

Then, she smiled and unbuttoned her shorts. "I got something for you too." She slid the zipper down and tugged the shorts down her legs. The anticipation was killing me because she seemed to be in no rush. Finally, just when I didn't think I could take it anymore, she peeled back the triangle of her underwear, and there it was. Inked on her bare bikini line, were the words "Property of YRB" and underneath it "XOXO."

I didn't know what to say. This was huge. Aside from the fact that she was bare, which in itself was hot as fuck, she had inked my initials onto her body. Along with everything we had experienced on this trip, especially our night in New Orleans, seeing my initials on such an intimate area made me absolutely one hundred percent certain that I was going to spend the rest of my life with this woman.

"I told you, you own me." Her blue eyes peered into mine. I knew she owned me just as much.

I was drawn back to that night in New Orleans, the words she said as we were drifting off to sleep...'I want it all with you. Everything...'

"I love you." I said simply, and she softly pressed her lips to mine. A long, slow kiss that didn't have time to get out of hand because we heard the front door open downstairs, Shelby barking and Vicky calling out to us. We would have to continue this later.

"I love you too." She said, then quickly pulled up her shorts and fastened them.

********

Sam's POV

Our last night in Watson was a quiet, relaxing evening spent out by the pool. Uncle Randy, Courtney and Chase were here. The guys manned the grill. Mom prepared a few side dishes. Courtney baked a cake, and me, I made a pitcher of daiquiris.

This visit had gone so much better than I had ever dreamed. Not only was I able to completely repair the fractured relationship with my mother, and get us closer than we had been in years, but the trip ended up being a really great thing for Ryan and me. We had reached a whole new level of commitment. I was now sure that I wanted not just a future with him, but a family with him as well. Any doubts I may have had about having children were absolved, as long as he was the father of those children. I was ready to take the next step, whatever that may be. Giving up my independence didn't mean as much to me now as it did a few months ago. I wasn't sure if that meant moving in together, working together, getting married...whatever came next, I was ready for it. I didn't care that we had not been together all that long. He was my future. The one. No doubts at all in my mind.

"Good God Sam, did you use the entire bottle of rum in this batch of daiquiris?" Courtney sputtered after taking a sip of the strawberry daiquiri I handed her.

"Oh Courtney it's not that bad." I laughed, but then took a sip and sputtered as well. So maybe I did use a little too much rum. I may have been a little distracted by my thoughts. "I can fix it." I said. I poured a little out of the pitcher into the sink, added some sprite and more strawberries and turned the blender on. Testing the waters, I poured a small amount into a glass. Much better. So I wasn't totally helpless in the kitchen after all.

I picked up the pitcher while Courtney grabbed a stack of solo cups and we joined everyone outside. Uncle Randy was just setting the platter of grilled ribeyes onto the table. Ryan was passing out plates and Chase laying out silverware. There were baked potatoes and corn on the cob that my mom had just placed on the table.

We all dug into our food, everything was delicious, the steaks cooked perfectly. The evening was clear and a very nice eight two degrees with a slight breeze in the air.

"Where is the next race?" My mom asked, breaking the quietness.

"Talladega." I replied, swallowing down a bite of food, and hating the shadow that passed across her face. I knew she was remembering the times spent with my dad.

"After Dega, we are racing in Charlotte. Y'all should really come for a visit. Sam and I would love to have you, and of course you are more than welcome Randy." Ryan spoke before I could even think of anything to say, and I was beyond grateful for his gesture, especially when I saw my mom break into a big smile, her brief moment of sadness now forgotten.

"I would absolutely love that. I think it's time for me to finally experience North Carolina." She looked at Uncle Randy who nodded his approval.

"I'm in." He said with a smile, and I noticed how he squeezed, then caressed my mom's hand. It may have been weird before, but over the last few days, I had really come to see how much they truly care for one another. They both looked so happy, and I was more than okay with that.

"Great. I have plenty of room. You are more than welcome to stay at my house with Sam and me." Ryan offered. I really liked the way that sounded with Sam and me.

"There's plenty of room with Courtney and me as well." Chase also offered, and we all laughed like one big happy family, which was exactly what we were. I watched Courtney nod in agreement. My sweet cousin was one hundred percent on board with her dad and my mom being a couple. Of course, she had no problem with it in the beginning.

"Or if you want privacy, or just to be neutral, y'all are more than welcome to stay at my house and I'll stay at Ryan's." I made my own offer.

"Honey, we are not going to kick you out of your house." My mom laughed.

"Really, it's fine. I'm at Ryan's more than I'm home anyway." I replied, and it was true. Although Ryan and I did spend some time at my house, we really were at his more. As much as I loved my little house, I just preferred being at his house for some reason.

The rest of the evening was spent relaxing with more food, drinks and lots of laughs. In a way, I was just a bit sad to leave, but I was also ready to go back to North Carolina. Although that was my new home, I knew Watson would always be home.

A/N: Wow!!! Two chapters in as many days. Lol. This one was mostly just filler to move the story forward. I have some big things coming up. Thanks to everyone who has stuck around. I know I've been in a bit of a slump. Hoping to wrap this one up in a few more chapters. XOXO 💋