Page 20 of Holly's Valentine Vow

“I think another week, since that’s how long I have left on the IV antibiotics,” Rebel replies.

“Figured you’d want to take a look at this,” Data says, handing Rebel a Harley-Davidson brochure.

I watch my ol’ man’s eyes gleam as he takes it, knowing he’s got to replace his bike. Hopefully, her insurance will handle that because as far as I’m concerned,nothingshould come out of his pocket because of her actions! He glances at me and grins which makes me shake my head. Boys and their toys, I swear.

“Yeah, I mean, I have another bike, but she’s getting older now and has to be babied a lot. She’s not good for long runs or anything. Not that we have a lot of those, but I’d worry about riding her during a poker run.”

“Might be time to retire her then,” Ash states.

“She was my first bike, Ash,” Rebel growls, setting the brochure on his rolling table. I know the man, though, and after they leave, he’ll be pouring over the pages while he figures out which model he wants to buy.

“So, keep her and make sure she’s road-ready, of course, in case the girls want to learn when they get older.” My heart jumps in my chest at Data’s words picturing Mina or Ruby riding a motorcycle on their own.Especiallyafter what happened to Rebel, for heaven's sake.

Rebel must realize where my head’s at because he says, “Naw, she’s got too much power for a new rider. If any of our kids everwant to ride, I’ll start them on something with less juice behind the throttle.”

I release the breath I was holding, which comes out as a high-pitched gasp, and all three men turn to stare at me. “What? I don’t expect Rebel to quit riding by any means, but right now, the thought of my babies riding on two wheels with an engine and experiencing what he did is something that gives me the willies.”

“They won’t get on one until they’re ready, and not only will I teach them if they want, but the local Harley store has classes as well, sweetheart,” Rebel promises. “Beforeanyof our kids ever take to the road, they’ll be able to handle themselves as well as a bike without hesitation whatsoever. You have my word.”

“Good. Next topic?” I ask, eager to change the subject. “Do we know if she’ll get bail?”

Ash shrugs then says, “It’s anybody’s guess, to be honest. Depends on the judge, of course, but y’all have a wedding to finish planning, which is more important than that bitch. Because she’ll get hers even though it might not be at our hands.”

“Oh, I can ruin her life with just a few clicks of the keys if y’all want me to,” Data advises, smirking at us. “Or we can let the justice system handle her because I suspect with everything they’re going to charge her with, she won’t see the light of day anytime soon. Not to mention, but she literally has nobody in her corner.”

“She’ll end up dying a bitter woman,” I murmur, my heart hurting slightly for her. I know she’s brought all of this on herself, at some point in her life something switched off in herbrain, her empathy for others all but bit the dust… but then again, at the end of the day, she is Mina and Ruby’s paternal grandmother so my feelings for the woman are somewhat skewed. “I feel bad for Samuel, though. I know he divorced her, but she made his life a living hell for years. I often wonder if she was like the way she is now throughout their whole marriage or if something chemical caused her to change.”

I don’t want to ask him, though, because that seems too intimate of a question to ask the man I’m very fond of, especially since he’s still grieving the loss of his son, plus his marriage, of course. Still, at the end of the day, his willingness to go to the police with what he discovered says a lot about who he is as a man. He’s full of integrity down to the marrow of his bones.

“Regardless of what made her do what she did, actions have consequences, Holly,” Rebel reminds me. “If not for your grandfather, I’d be dead, because I was bleeding out in that fucking ditch.”

Shuddering, I say, “I know, handsome. The horror of that moment when he walked into my house covered in blood replays on a loop inside my head. I’m just glad the girls weren’t there at the time.” Poor Grammy, the self-professed stain removal queen, finally had to give up with Pappy’s clothes and throw them away, that’s how bad they were.

“Alright, Pres, we’ll get out of y’all’s hair, just wanted to stop in and give y’all an update,” Ash states, standing and motioning to Data. “If y’all need anything, and I meananything, y’all better reach out.”

“We will, brother,” Rebel says before doing a weird handshake thing with both men. I bite back my smile because there areprobably always going to be things they do or say that I don’t understand.

Chapter Eleven

Rebel

“Fuck,it feels good to be home,” I say as I settle against the headboard. Granted, even though I’m now home, I still have a home health nurse, as well as a physical therapist and occupational therapist keeping me tethered to this ongoing nightmare, but at least I’ll get a full night’s sleep without anyone interrupting to ask me if I need anything!

It was definitely a process to get me home, thanks to all the things Holly brought to the rehab facility to make me as comfortable as possible, but thanks to my brothers, it didn’t take as long as I originally feared. Holly’s already got everything put away while I ‘relax’ as she puts it. The thing is, my woman is wound so tight right now, I’m worried she’s going to snap in half.

“Mama says that’s a bad word, Daddy,” Mina informs me, grinning from the other side of the bed where she and Ruby decided they’d sit so they could ‘help’ me.

I grin back because she lost a tooth during all of this and now has a cute little lisp going on. I won’t tell her that though, becauseI’m sure she’s sensitive about how she sounds, but it endears her to me that much more. “I know, pumpkin, which is why you and Ruby shouldn’t repeat some of the things I say.”

“Good idea,” Holly adds, having walked in while I was talking. “Girls, how about we get your baths out of the way, then maybe we can watch a movie with Daddy?”

“Wish I had their energy,” I say as they bounce their way off the bed and toward their room to get their pajamas.

“Me too,” Holly replies, coming closer to lean in and kiss me. “So, what did you think of all the changes?”

“I’m fucking impressed at everything the brothers and your grandfather managed to get done,” I tell her. “Not to mention the renovation on the bathroom itself.”

Paul had bought Holly a top-of-the-line manufactured house, so the primary bathroom was rather large already. They expanded the shower stall and added a bench as well as a handheld shower head. She still has a soaking tub, although they did trim a bit of the walk-in closet to rearrange where everything was in the bathroom. Still, it looks fantastic, and will give me a bit more independence, although Holly has already told me I won’t be showering alone for the foreseeable future.

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