Page 3 of Holly's Valentine Vow

“They are, but with all three of them together, I’m definitely being kept on my toes,” I reply, deliberately misunderstanding her as I toss Grammy into the mix.

“Ah, I see what you did there. She’s your grandmother, right?” she asks as she carefully takes the dress and slips it into the garment bag.

“Yeah,” I say, smiling at her. “She’s the best thing that ever happened to me when I was a little girl.”

“Cherish her, because I miss mine every single day,” she states, her face showing her sorrow. “I’ll meet y’all up front.”

Before she can walk out, I grab her hand and squeeze it. “Thank you for your help today.”

“It was definitely my pleasure,” she says, squeezing it back.

Chapter Two

Rebel

“You heading home?”Ash asks as I stand next to my bike stretching. The past few days, we’ve been checking into possible locations for some new businesses the brothers want to open.

I can’t help chuckling when I think of the arcade that’s on the outskirts of town. The former owner died, and his kids didn’t want it, so it’s been on the market for a bit. The price is right, and we could have a patched brother managing it while prospects do the dirty work. I like the idea of giving the local kids someplace to go and gather so they’re not running the roads and getting into trouble.

Not that it wouldn’t still happen because let’s face it, teens tend to do that without even trying. I may be a grown ass adult, but I remember some of the stunts and other prepubescent shit I pulled when I was a helluva lot younger.

“Yeah, Ash. Holly texted earlier and told me her grandparents are keeping the girls overnight.” He smirks at me, so I flip him off.

I love and adore Mina and Ruby and thank whatever higher power is out there that they were giggling that fateful day when I saw Holly for the first time. But it’s hard to find alone time with my future wife when two little girls are so active. It’s a bonus that they’re still at the age where they enjoy the company of their parents, but from time to time, both Holly and I need a breather and that’s when her grandparents step in. Plus, Holly has an open-door policy of sorts, so most mornings, one or both of them are crawling into bed in the morning to snuggle. I no longer sleep nude after the first morning when Mina bounced onto the bed and accidentally caught me in the dick. The pain of that unforgettable incident has me cringing and metaphorically cupping my manhood in remembrance, because there was no way I was gonna tell her that she might’ve shut down any future possibilities of more siblings down the road.

Because that’s what I want; Holly and I to add to our family. The thought of her rounded with my baby growing in her belly has my dick growing hard. I need to get home soon so I can show her what she means to me.

“Nice, go spend time with your ol’ lady then, Prez,” he says. “We’ll hold down the fort.”

Shaking my head at his ridiculous antics, I settle back into the saddle of my girl and flick my fingers. “Go ahead and give Data the pictures of the arcade so he can do his thing and give me the specs so we can begin negotiations and break down what we’ll have to invest before it can get up and running. We’ll put in a formal offer for the place once the realtor calls me back and I have that information in hand.”

He nods as I turn the switch and my bike roars to life. A lot of the brothers are switching to the electric starter, but I prefer the authentic rumble of my Fat Boy. Revving the throttle a fewtimes, I wave my hand in Ash’s general direction and take off toward home.

As the asphalt passes below me, I think about how much my life has changed in such a short time frame. The fact that despite her past and what her ex put her through she still gave us a chance is nothing short of miraculous. I think a lot of that has to do with her grandparents; they’re obviously as much in love now as they were decades ago when they first met. I know from talking with my woman that she wants that for herself, as well as the girls when they’re grown.

I grin when I recall one of our conversations about Mina and Ruby.

“Rebel, they’ll be allowed to date when they’re sixteen, same as me,” she says.

“And I think they should wait until at least twenty-five,” I insist, thinking of some punk ass boy child wanting to defile one of my girls. Yeah, not happening as long as there’s breath in my lungs and ammo in my gun. Of course, I’m not telling my ol’ lady that fact.

“Twenty-five? That’s… that’s preposterous!” she exclaims, her small hand lightly smacking my shoulder.

I grin down at her where she’s curled against me in bed. “What’s wrong with waiting until then?” I tease, loving how her face flushes in anger.

“Well, for starters, at some point I’d like grandchildren,” she retorts. “I want to be young enough to enjoy playing with them, just like my grandparents were with me!”

“How about we get through their early childhood years first?” I suggest, desire now flaring as I watch her chest heaving in indignation.

Rolling so I’m halfway on top of her, I see her eyes widen when she feels my dick against her thigh.

“Yeah, we can table that discussion for a later date,” she agrees, reaching up to pull my head down before she kisses me.

Slowing down, I turn my blinker on to pull into the driveway when I hear the unmistakable sound of squealing brakes. As I fight to keep my bike upright, which ends up being a lost cause when the force of a vehicle strikes my back fender, my last thought as I fly through the air is of Holly.

I wake up, pain thrumming through my body to hear Paul on the phone. “Get here now, dammit all! I’m telling you, my grandson’s lying in the ditch at my house, his bike’s a mangled pile of metal and there’s blood everywhere.”

As my consciousness fades once again, I whisper, “Holly.”

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