The Restart and the Remedy (Aces High MC - Dakotas Book 3)

by Christine Michelle

  “Then I’m not seeing the problem here, man.”

  “The problem is that she’s been with exactly one man her whole life, she’s having his baby, and he broke her heart. The asshole might not have felt it, but for her – he was her one true love. The one she was supposed to get eternity with. I don’t think she’s ready to move on and think about someone else in her life. Shit! What if she’s never ready?” I asked after I realized that might be an issue.

  “Yup, I was right. You grew a fuckin’ pussy! Go get your woman, she’ll be ready when you show her that you are too.”

  “Rage, normally you’re a horrible advice giver, but this time I agree.” That was from my traitorous best friend who managed to sneak up on me as I sulked over my drink about the possibility of Myra never being ready.

  “You’re just saying that so he doesn’t make you go without the dick,” I told Charlie, deflecting.

  She shrugged and laughed as Rage threw her over his shoulder and smacked her ass. “This is how you claim your woman!” Rage roared out a taunt.

  “Except maybe gentler, since she’s with child,” Charlie added helpfully as Rage started taking the steps two at a time as she bounced with the movements while draped across his shoulder.

  “Could I?” I wondered out loud.

  “Could you what?” Spinner asked as he walked up. His sudden appearance startled me. I needed to get my head out of the clouds so I was more aware of everything around me.

  Chapter 19 - Myra

  There was a permanent smile plastered to my face. I got the job. Not only did I get it, but it was the one that I really wanted. Granted, I probably should have been gunning for the position at the pediatrician’s office, because with a baby on the way, that might have been more helpful to me. However, I’d always wanted to just work with a general practitioner and soak up as much knowledge as I possibly could.

  To say that I was shocked to have Rabbit show up in order to take me out for a celebratory lunch on my first day, would be an understatement. “What are you doing here?”

  “You should be celebrating today, and I wanted to take you guys out to lunch.” I glanced around, looking for the other person and wondering if Cherry or Charlie had come with him. “What are you looking for?”

  “You said, ‘you guys,’ I was just trying to see who else was here.

  Rabbit chuckled as he pointed to my abdomen. “I meant you and your belly.” I gasped, eyes going wide, at the audacity of a man to assume my belly had grown so large that it was its own entity. His laughter moved from a chuckle to a deep, full-on laugh that ignited something inside of me. He swept his hair back off his shoulders and tied it off into a low man bun at the nape of his neck while he got himself back together. “Come on, cranky pants, let’s get you some food.”

  “You know, you’re not supposed to tell a woman she’s fat, even if she is pregnant.”

  “I never said you were fat, you assumed that’s what I was implying. I was talking about the little bun you’re baking in that oven. It needs to be fed, right?”

  “Somehow, I feel like you just keep opening your mouth and inserting your own foot.”

  Rabbit glanced down with a sly grin on his face. “Nah, they’re too big to fit, and besides, I think you secretly like it when I torment you.” He reached over, bopped me on the nose with his fingertip, and then grabbed my hand and gently guided me around the icy patches to his truck. “You have an hour, right?”

  “Yes,” I managed to get out before he hefted me into the passenger seat, reached across to buckle me in, and then made sure all my parts were safely tucked away before shutting the door and rounding the front of the truck. I watched him with interest as he did so. His movements were so self-assured, and his smile blindingly bright as he caught me watching him.

  “You having any special cravings right now?” Rabbit asked as he started his truck.

  “No, I could go for pretty much anything.”

  “Good, then I know the perfect place. They’re quick so that you won’t be late getting back, but damn the food is sublime, even if it is fast.”

  Part of me wanted to know why he was being so nice to me, but then the other part – the one that remembered our kiss from that one night at the bar – told the nosy bitch half of me to shut the hell up and enjoy it.

  “Thank you for thinking of me,” I told him instead of questioning it.

  He glanced over at me, then immediately put his eyes back on the road. Granted, by the time he did that, we were pulling into the parking lot of a little restaurant anyway. As it turned out, the place was literally one mile from the office I worked in. He put the truck in park and then turned to me. “You should never have to thank someone for thinking of you. The fact that you did just told me more about the people you had in your life before than anything else I’ve heard about them. I wanted to do something nice for you because I like you and the person you are is deserving of nice things. End of story. No ulterior motives and definitely no thanks needed.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that. Where I came from, it hadn’t been normal for someone to put me first, to think of me, and do something nice just because they thought I deserved it. Once again, I found myself split in two emotionally. There was the younger girl inside who wanted to cry for the life she’d settled for, and then there was the new me who was elated that someone was showing me the difference and I was starting to understand.

  Our lunch was casual, fun, delicious, and over far too quickly. Rabbit got me back to work with five minutes to spare and earned a bunch of envious stares from my new coworkers. None of them actually said anything to me about him though, because they didn’t know me well enough to be nosy yet. I’m sure it would be coming eventually though. Then again, maybe not.

  Despite working at both the doctor’s office and Renegade Rosy’s, I didn’t see Rabbit again all week. Christmas was steadily closing in on us, and I started thinking about what I wanted to do this year. Obviously, I couldn’t go home, but there was also no way inviting myself to someone’s party or home sounded good. It was mid-week when I was picking up a shift for the normal bartender at Rosy’s that my idea formed.

  “I don’t really have anywhere to go either,” I heard Sapphire telling another girl. “I guess that’s what happens when you come from a shit show of a family.

  “Do you guys maybe want to get together and have our own Christmas dinner? We can gather all the people between here and the MC, or any other friends you might have, who are the same as us with nowhere else to go.”

  Sapphire’s head tipped to the side as she took me in with a puzzled look on her face. “How is it that you have nowhere to go?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Because I don’t. You guys know that my family are all far away and that I disowned them, right?”

  “Sorry, I just thought…” I waited for her to finish that statement, but she didn’t because Twilight, another dancer, jabbed her in the ribs with her elbow.

  “It would be a fabulous idea for us to all get together and have a dinner of our own. Hopefully, some of us can cook. The rest of us,” she pointed to herself, “can bring something store bought.” I laughed with her as she said that.

  “I can cook. Maybe Spinner will let us use Rosy’s one afternoon next week?”

  “As long as it’s early enough that we can clean up and be running again later.”

  “They’re not shutting the place down for Christmas?” I asked, having not looked at the schedule.

  “Honey,” Sapphire drawled out. “The holidays are some of our busiest days. Lots of lonely men out there don’t have families and they come here so they don’t have to feel so alone.”

  “They also tend to be way more generous than usual, so we don’t mind working. Besides, what else are we going to do? Like you said, none of us have families to go home to.”

  “I guess. It just all seems so…” The words just trailed off as I tried to think of a way to make sure everyone got a little Christm
as cheer, even if some of us would be working the actual holiday.

  My phone dinged with an incoming text, so I took that opportunity to go tuck my things into my locker.

  Rabbit: Haven’t heard from you. How’s everything going?

  Myra: All good. About to start work

  Rabbit: Thought you got off earlier?

  Myra: At Rosy’s now.

  Rabbit: We need to talk about that. You just worked a whole shift. Who the hell scheduled you with a shift at Rosy’s too?

  Myra: No one. I’m covering for someone tonight.

  My phone stayed quiet after that. I guess that was all he needed to hear, that I was here because I wanted to be, not because of a scheduling issue.

  Spinner came in about two hours into my shift and headed right for me. He smiled, although it was a rather grim version of his usual, and then he spoke. “Get out of here, Myra. Go get off your feet and get some rest.”

  “What? Why? I’m fine,” I countered.

  “Nuh-uh. You worked eight hours at the office, you don’t need to come in here now and work all night too. I know you needing the extra cash is a concern for you, but you also need to take care of yourself, for that baby.”

  Well, that made me feel bad. “There was no one else,” I tried to tell him.

  “Not true, there’s me. I would have covered, and they should have called me immediately, instead of offering the hours to you.”

  “Oh.” The word slipped out as I turned around, and started the process of cashing out for the night.

  “Myra, we’re looking out for you, that’s all. This isn’t a reflection on you or your work ethic. Hell, I wish all of our employees were more like you.”

  “No, it’s okay. I get it.”

  I didn’t though. Something told me that if there was another woman here pregnant, they wouldn’t be as concerned with the hours she was working. Not that I thought they would take advantage and overwork her either, but if someone else needed the money and wanted to work, they’d be on the schedule. I didn’t know whether to thank them or cry about my bad luck. As I moved to the back rooms and opened my locker, I decided that thanks was in order because my feet were beginning to ache right along with my back and my legs.

  When I got home, Cherry was coming out of my apartment. Not that I didn’t mind Cherry being there, or that I had anything to hide, but that was a bit disconcerting when I didn’t know it was happening. She immediately held her hands up to me and smiled.

  “You’ll see why I was there without letting you know. I hope you don’t mind, once you do. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

  “A surprise?”

  “Yeah, Rabbit said you were going to come home super tired and probably end up falling right out, so he asked me to stop over and take care of a few things for you.”

  “Rabbit?” I asked. Then, “A few things?”

  She winked at me and then moved out of my way so I could go in. “You’ll see.” Cherry didn’t follow me in though. Instead she closed the door and yelled, “Lock it! Oh, and he’ll be back by Christmas dinner.”

  I had planned on inviting Rabbit to the misfit Christmas that we planned to have at the bar, but I had forgotten that he actually did have family here who he would be spending the holiday with. Cherry had just given me a great reminder, because I didn’t want him to feel torn on where he needed to be, but more importantly, I didn’t need to feel left out when he inevitably chose family over my invitation. Make no mistake, he should choose them over me, but that didn’t mean it still wouldn’t feel bad on my end.

  Once I locked the door, the first thing that hit me was the dim lighting, then the second thing was the sticky notes. The first one, the biggest – as it was an actual sheet of paper – said:

  Please, don’t be mad at Cherry, but I thought it was better than me invading your space! Xo, Rabbit

  I moved to the next one that was on the counter.

  You work too hard. Get your ass to the bathroom for some R&R.

  “You want me to go to the bathroom for rest and relaxation?” I questioned out loud as if Rabbit was there and could hear me. Still, I grabbed the sticky note and headed in that direction. That’s when my eyes grew misty. The tub was full of bubbles and there was a glass with ice and juice in it sitting on the ledge. The radio was playing some alternative blues, which happened to be my favorite music to listen to when I had a moment just to kick back and let it all go. There was another sticky note too.

  Set a timer on your phone so you don’t fall asleep in there. When you’re done, grab some ice cream from the freezer, get in bed, and watch a movie until you fall asleep. Tomorrow is Saturday, and you have the whole day off. Enjoy it!

  He didn’t sign that note. There were just a pair of bunny ears at the bottom of the paper. I ducked my head back out of the bathroom though, because when I left this morning, there hadn’t been a television in the bedroom area of the apartment. There was a small one out in the living room, but I almost never had time to watch it.

  I followed his notes to the letter, didn’t stay in the tub too long, because I definitely felt myself drifting a few times, and then once the ice cream was gone and my relaxation coma was about to take me under, I reached for my phone and texted him.

  Myra: Thank you. I needed that.

  Rabbit: Sleep well, sweet momma!

  That’s just what I did.

  Chapter 20 - Rabbit

  My trip to Tallahassee ran a whole fuck of a lot longer than I had hoped. It meant barely making it back in time for Christmas. I hadn’t asked Myra to join us because I honestly wasn’t sure if things would work out with me getting there in time. Truth be told though, I figured Cherry and Spinner would have her covered anyway, and if I made it, that would end up being a bonus for both of us since we’d be at the same place together again, finally. I wished more than anything I could have been there the day that Cherry set up Myra’s surprise night in at her apartment for me. If I could have been there to make sure she was catered to, I would have. Somehow, I didn’t think Myra was ready for that yet though. I knew that there was still work I needed to do, especially after my behavior when we’d first met.

  “Glad you could join us,” my brother said when I first walked through their door an hour before Christmas dinner was supposed to start. I hadn’t seen the Beast outside when I pulled up, so I wondered if they had sent Myra to go get something.

  “Where’s Myra?”

  Cherry’s head shot up from where she’d been peeking inside the oven. “What did you just say?”

  “I asked where Myra is. I didn’t see her truck out there,” I hitched my thumb over my shoulder indicating the parking area beside Spinner’s garage where she usually kept it.

  Cherry turned a sorrowful face to Spinner who looked a little shocked himself. “I’m a horrible friend,” she mumbled to him.

  “No, you’re not.”

  “What’s going on?” I glanced back and forth between the two of them and then it dawned on me. “She has no family to go home to, and neither of you thought to invite her to Christmas dinner?”

  “Apparently, you didn’t extend an invite either,” my brother pointed out.

  “I didn’t think I would make it back in time and I figured the two of you would have it covered since she basically lives in throwing distance of your house.” Okay, so my voice was a little louder than it should have been. Still, worry had set in as I wondered where she could be and if she was all right.

  I called Charlie. “Rabbit? Merry Christmas,” was how she answered the phone.

  “Yeah, to you too, Charlie. Hey, is Myra by any chance with you today?”

  “Noooo,” she drew out the word almost as if she was toying with it being a statement or a question. “We went to visit my aunt for Christmas this year. I would have told you goodbye, but you were already off on club business before we left.”

  “Shit, okay,” I got ready to hang up when Charlie spoke again.

  “Did you try callin
g her?”

  “I’m doing that now,” I told her and hung up before I could hear my best friend tell me how stupid I was to not attempt that from the beginning.

  Rabbit: Are you okay?

  Myra: Of course I am. Are you?

  Rabbit: You’re not here.

  Myra: Where is ‘here’?

  Rabbit: Cherry and Spinner’s place. Christmas dinner.

  Myra: Oh.

  Rabbit: “What does ‘Oh’ mean?

  Myra: It means I don’t just show up uninvited, plus we’re having Misfit’s Christmas at the bar right now.

  Rabbit: Misfit’s Christmas?

  Myra: Yeah, Christmas dinner for everyone who had nowhere else to go.

  “FUCK!” I hissed out as I tossed the phone to the counter in front of me and reached up to push the hair back out of my face that had fallen free of the ponytail I’d had it in as I drove.

  “What’s going on?” Cherry asked as she swiped the tears from her eyes. “Rabbit, I’m so sorry. I thought one of you would have invited her, and honestly, I didn’t think she needed an invite. We’re her family now.”

  “Her last family let her down completely. You think she’s showing up anywhere without an invite now?” I asked. Then I turned my attention to Spinner. “Did you know about the Christmas dinner they’re having at the bar?”

  “Oh, shit! I forgot that Myra asked if they could all use it for some sort of pot luck this week, before opening hours.” He realized what that meant, in that moment, and swiped his hands down his face. “I didn’t even…” he started to say and then just turned to Cherry. “Sorry, I let both of you down.”

  “I’m going over there.” I glanced around at all the work Cherry had put into her own Christmas dinner. “I hope you won’t miss me here, but she shouldn’t have to think of herself as one of the misfits who got left out of Christmas.”

  “Oh God! Is that what she said?”

  “Not in so many words. She literally called it Misfit Christmas though, for all the people who didn’t have anywhere else to go.”