Page 10 of Holly's Valentine Vow

Leaning over, I pull her into my side and kiss the top of her head. “He’s in the best place he can be so he can get better, and I know your mama misses you both very much, but he needs her right now.”

I can’t explain the pride that wells inside me when I see that Holly is prioritizing her relationship with Rebel. While I wish my son had been that man for her, I’m so happy she’s found her forever in him. I’m sure there are those people out there who would think she should put her children first, and for the most part, she does, but right now, Rebel needs her.

“We got to see Daddy today,” Ruby says.

“He’s in rehab,” Mina adds, nodding her head wisely. “Mama says he gets to come home soon, though.”

“I’m sure you’re being good girls for your grammy and pappy,” I reply.

Both girls nod, still eating their food. I’ve lost my appetite which is good seeing as I didn’t order anything except for coffee when the waitress came over to the table right after I sat down. Still, that’s sitting in my stomach churning violently and I have to swallow back the bile that’s threatening to rise and expel across the table.

“We are!” Ruby exclaims, clapping her hands.

“Grammy says we can color some pictures today to give to Mama for his room,” Mina adds.

Paul, seeing the girls are finished, asks, “Are you two ready to head home? I’m sure Grammy would love some help making dinner for when your mama gets there later on.”

I toss down enough money to take care of the bill that the waitress left, ignoring Paul’s quiet huff, then help him get the girls’ coats on, before I walk out with them. After hugging and kissing both girls, I get Mina in her car seat while he buckles Ruby into hers, then tap both of their noses before closing the door.

“Paul, I’ll keep y’all posted,” I promise.

“Good. I hate to think that she’d do something like that, but after the hell she put Holly through, nothing would surprise me at this point.”

I nod because I agree. She virtually kicked her own granddaughters out of the only home they’d ever lived in when our son died, then went after Holly for money for so-called ‘renovations’ even though there really wasn’t anything wrong with the house outside of normal wear and tear. Holly, who is an absolute sweetheart, wouldn’t let me pay it for her, nor would she let her grandparents take care of it.

Instead, she got a part-time job at the bar the club owns, which is how she ended up meeting Rebel.

As I walk to my truck, I murmur, “At the end of the day, that was the best thing Holly could’ve ever done. She’s got a good man in her corner, one who loves her with every breath in his body, and he loves those girls like they’re his own.”

What more can I honestly ask for? Once in my truck, I start it up then input the rehab center’s address into my GPS, since I’m not familiar with where it’s located.

“Time to let the chips fall where they may.”

Chapter Six

Holly

“Oh,hello, I’m your aide, Tina,” the woman says as she walks into Rebel’s room and turns to talk to him. “Today’s your day to get a shower. We give them three times a week,” Tina announces as she sets a stack of fresh towels on the counter that’s against the wall.

Thankfully, Rebel has a private room here, but it’s not very big so every square inch is utilized with medical equipment, chairs, and a cabinet, as well as a bedside commode, a wheelchair for when they take him to physical and occupational therapy, and a wardrobe of sorts.

Not that he’s really wearing clothes, per se. Both legs are now in casts; the left leg cast stops in the middle of his thigh, while the right one stops below the knee and is actually more of a walking boot style since he can bend his knee on that leg. Granted, both of them are covered in signatures, some of the words and illustrations are cruder than others thanks to his brothers, but before those heathens got a hold of a sharpie, Mina and Rubydrew some pictures. So, my badass biker has hearts and flowers on one leg, and not-safe-for-work designs on the other. He keeps that one covered whenever Pappy and Grammy bring the girls to visit though since they’re way too young to discuss what a penis is.

“I’ll be helping him with that,” I advise Tina, giving her a scowl. I brought his shower wash, shampoo and conditioner, and other personal hygiene products from home already, along with a bathing suit for myself so I could step into the stall and help him in the shower.

God bless the man; he hasn’t had one since the morning of the accident. I mean, the hospital used wipes and what-not to freshen him up, but his hair still has dried blood in it, and anywhere they used the cleansing clothes has an orange tinge. Now that his road rash has scabbed over, his doctor has given him the nod to get a shower.

“Oh, that goes against our policies,” Tina replies. Since I can see the mercurial gleam in her eyes as she gazes atmyman, I know I need to shut that shit down now before she gets the notion that he lives by the idealisms you find in a biker book. My man is not a cheater and if he did have a side piece, it’d be a Glock not a woman.

“We’ll see about that, Tina, was it?” I ask, pulling out my phone. I pull up the doctor’s personal number, which I insisted on getting ‘just in case’ and hit the button, then put it on speaker. When he answers, I say, “Hello, Dr. Brown, this is Holly, how are you today?”

“I’m doing well, how is Rebel?” he questions. “I know he was moved to rehab today, is he settling in okay? I’ll be out tomorrow to see him after I do rounds at the hospital.”

“He’s doing well, but I have a question for you,” I tell him. “An aide is here wanting to give him a shower and she’s told me I’m not allowed to assist him with this task.”

A low chuckle comes through the phone’s speaker before he says, “I’m not sure which aide is there, but I’ll be sure to put in his orders thatyouwill handle those tasks for him. Is she listening now?”

I glance at Tina to see she’s glaring at me and smirk. “She is, sir. Anything in particular I need to watch out for?”

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