And for some reason, this rankles. Well, for a good reason. Because I want to say, “So is fatherhood.” But I check myself because that feels like a conversation meant for someone else.

Instead, I reach for the tablet and sign the dotted line because doing something permanent with Meg feels exactly right. And maybe it’s time I commit to something for once in my life.

It’s just some ink under my skin, but it feels like more than that.

A minute later, Joshua is coming forward to shake Meg’s hand. “Good to see you again. Ready for this?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Meg says, bouncing on her toes. It’s as if she’s already gotten wings. This is just the physical manifestation of her personality, really. I can’t wait to see them.

“We’re going to duck behind this curtain for privacy,” Joshua says, looking at James, who is staring him down.

“Perfect. Uncle James? There’s a coffee shop around the corner,” she says, shooing him away. I have a feeling he’s going to sit in the waiting room the entire time she’s in there with Joshua. Meg turns to me, kissing my cheek. “See you in a few hours, Micah. Good luck.”

A few minutes later, my artist, Ryder, comes up to the front, a big smile on his face. “Finally! I didn’t think you’d ever come in.”

“Well, I came with my girlfriend, actually.” I jerk a thumb to the curtain where I can already hear the buzzing of the needle. “But since I’m here anyway…”

Ryder smirks. “Sure. Well, I’ve been looking forward to this for a year. This sketch is a thing of beauty.” He raises it in the air. “Let’s do this.”

I sit down on the reclining chair, and Ryder pulls an armrest up between us to support my forearm. He peels off the back of the printed sketch and checks with me before carefully placing it on my skin. “I took the liberty of adding the wording we discussed last time, but I realize I should have checked. Before I put ink on it, why don’t you give it a look?”

I take it in. The tattoo stretches to cover the underside of my forearm completely, facing away from me, so that the N for north is closest to the inside of my elbow and the S is nearly to my wrist. Eight points reach out like a starburst from the center, each connected, a large circle intersecting them all. The original design had rivets at regular intervals along the circle. Almost like the cogs of a clock. But instead of rivets, I wanted in small, precise print the Hebrew words Jehovah Jireh, which translates to “the Lord will provide.”