Page 58 of Rough Rider (Bad Boy High)
One of my favorite parts of the day is coming home. It has nothing to do with being excited about getting out of work, either. I love my job. I worked my ass off for my degree and the position I have at the hospital. It is truly what I was meant to do in life.
I’ve only been an RN for a year, but before that, I did internships and have worked at the hospital for years now. I was guaranteed a nursing position upon graduation, but I was still surprised that I’d gotten the charge nurse posting so quickly.
Niki wasn't surprised in the least, of course. He thinks I’m the smartest person on the planet. That man has always been my number one supporter. Niki held down a lot of our life while I bulldozed my way through school with not only determination for myself and Niki but for our whole family. I wanted to make sure we could afford to lead a better life.
Right now, the plan is to stay in the ER but keep working toward being an OR nurse. Maybe one day I’ll go back to further my degree, but right now, I’m content. I love getting up andhaving breakfast with my family and spending lazy Sundays together or bickering over what show we will watch.
I pull my SUV into the driveway, hitting the button for the garage. I’m barely in the door when Julie is on me.
“I got it! I won!” Julie is jumping up and down, holding out her award for best creative story in her grade.
“Of course you did!” I wrap her in a tight hug. I can’t help the amount of pride and happiness I feel. Memories quickly flash through my mind of the first time I met her and we read about dragons. She has grown so much since then.
“I can’t believe it. I need to write a part two.”
I smile, putting my things down. “What will the second part be?” I usher her toward the kitchen so that I can wash my hands and see what possibilities we have for dinner.
“I have so many ideas. They're all packed in here.” She points to her head.
“Why don’t you tell me some of them while I start dinner?” For the next twenty minutes while I dinner prep, Julie rattles on about her ideas for a second part. These moments are some of the best of my life.
LuEllen gets home shortly after when Julie launches in again. Julie beams with pride as she tells her mom about her award. Now that we moved into our new house, LuEllen doesn’t have to hold down multiple jobs. Her only job now is helping Niki run the office.
That woman is the backbone of NB2 security. It started off small with Niki being asked to cover a few small corporate events, and things bloomed from there. LuEllen was key in the whole how-to-start-a-business thing. She laid that groundwork. We all work as a unit to support this family.
Of course, he’s not fully separated from the Riders. How could he be? That’s his family, too, how they saved Julie, how Bam always has his back. Niki would never turn on the Riders.He even hires from the crew, giving members an opportunity to leave that life fully if they want.
This is the reason we all continue to live together, and I wouldn't change that for anything. As for my mom, she has her own place that's not too far away. She has gained confidence and was eager to become independent. She has been doing great, and I helped her get a job in HR at the hospital. There have been a few rumors that she's dating Dr. Mirae. I haven't asked, but I hope it's true.
He's a pediatric doctor and one of my favorites at the hospital. He lost his wife a handful of years ago. He's very soft-natured, and my mom needs that. She has dealt with enough shit men in her life. It’s nice to see her happy and healthy. Our relationship has grown leaps and bounds from where it was.
“Can I help with anything?” LuEllen asks.
“Nah, I’m good. I got the steaks prepped for Niki, and the sides are pretty much ready to go.”
“How are you feeling?” she asks, propping her hip against the kitchen island, her eyes assessing me. Oh shit.
“Great!” I speak too loudly. “Actually, going to hop in the shower real quick.” I hear her laughter follow after me as I bolt out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
I strip off my scrubs and hop into the shower. The bathroom is one of my favorite places in this house. It's nice to be out of apartments and into a home that is your own house. We all have room to breathe.
I never thought I'd own a new home in my life. It gives me a great sense of pride, knowing how hard we all worked to make this a reality. Even the Riders had a hand in making this possible. Sure, I think we could have done it without them, but they made it easier.
I smile when I hear the glass door open, knowing it’s my husband. We got married not long after graduating high school.Some thought it was too soon, but we knew. It was a small, intimate wedding with everyone we loved there. A second later, he kisses my shoulder, his arm wrapping around me.
“You cooked without me.” I let out a small laugh and turn in his arms, wrapping mine around his neck. Niki lifts me off my feet. I wrap my legs around him.
“I only started things. Our show is on tonight,” I remind him, but he knows. I’ll want to have had dinner and be ready for a snack when it’s show time.
“Are you still mad at me?”
“Maybe,” I lie. He knows damn well I can never stay upset with him. Even when he deserves it.
There was a new series I wanted to watch. We binged it, but I fell asleep with two episodes left. He kept watching without me! The betrayal was almost too much to bear.
"Stopped at Carol’s." He smirks.
"Forgiven." Carol’s is my favorite diner that has the best dessert. I press my mouth to his in a long, sweet kiss.
