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“Rambo, before you go, please tell Storm I’ll start Monday. I’m helping my parents get some stuff in order, and then I’ll be there to pick up the slack,” Aletta winks at me as she calls out.
“You got it!”
When the door closes, I look back at her,“You’re a mechanic?”
“Yep. I was never into what someone would deem girly things. With my dad always on a bike, I wanted to know how to ride and how they worked. Mechanics came easy to me. It’s what I was doing up in Seattle as well.”
I wasn’t going to lie and say that having Nate around a beautiful woman while working didn’t make me worry. I know she wants nothing to do with him that way, but it’s hard not to worry when your past is as ugly as mine.
Taking a good sip of my coffee, I notice no one has said anything. I look up and see Aletta and Bri watching me. Aletta seems confused, and Bri has a smirk on her face. I level Bri with a stare and continue with my coffee.
“Well, I am going to go and see Mom and Dad. Like I told Rambo, I promised Mom I would help them with some stuff before I start at the shop.” Aletta stands up, patting Baby Girl on the head and smiling at Bri and me before exiting.
Bri arches an eyebrow at me, and I turn away from her as I mutter,“What?”
“Don’t what me. You’re jealous of her. Or worried about her. You don’t have to be.”
I sigh and pull my hands through my hair,“I know that, okay? She’s made it clear that she doesn’t want Nate, but I can’t help but think about how the last guy said I was his one and only, and it turned out that was a complete crock of shit.”
Bri looks at me with sympathy before she gives me a small smile.“I know that what that asshole did was hard on you. Trust me. I had to get over a lot of shit too. But Rambo, he isn’t your ex. That man has been in love with you for years. He sat back and waited for you. Sure, he had his moments of terrible judgment, but look who you have now because of it. Rambo only sees you. Aletta is a sweet girl, and she understands boundaries. She respects love and will be the last person to attempt to steal someone away.”
“I understand what you’re telling me, but moving on is hard. My past is covered in nothing but regret. I don’t want to see it happen all over again.”
“There’s no time limit on your healing. I’m not trying to get you to get over it now. I’m here to remind you that I love you, that we all love you, but most of all, Nate loves you.”
I can feel a tear slip from my eye,“You’ve never called him Nate before.”
“That’s your name for him, but I needed you to hear me. Nate, the man that is more than Rambo, the MC enforcer, loves you. He understands that you’re healing. He is here to walk you through all the hard stuff. He will be right by your side as you tread through all the rubble that was your life before. Don’t be afraid of what he’s offering you.”
I couldn’t say anything. She had me a sobbing mess. I know I have a way to go, but hearing her and listening is helping.
Bri pulls back, and I smile at her,“Are you ready to go?” she asks me.
“Okay, yes. Yeah. Let me get Baby Girl’s hair ready, and we can head out.” Taking Baby Girl out of her highchair, I carried her with me as I got the stuff I knew Nate had used on her hair. After sitting back down, I started to spritz it and brush it like I would my own hair.
“Oh, did Rambo show you how to do her hair?” Bri asks. Her wincing every time Baby Girl struggled a little or tried to pull away from me didn’t go unnoticed.
“No, but I wanted to get it out of her face.” I didn’t think much of it. Then it hit me. Her hair isn’t the same as mine. There is a process to take care of it properly, and I have no idea what that is. I stop and look up at Bri, and she smiles before getting up.
“I got you. Get her dressed, and I will get Dillon ready. I know where to take you, and they will show you the best way to care for her hair.” Bri squeezes my shoulder as she passes.
I pull Baby Girl’s hair up into a small pom at the top of her head and get her dressed. We head out to Bri’s SUV as soon as we’re done. Dillon isn’t happy that we were going to a hair salon. He wants to go to the garage and work with the guys and his dad. We tried to barter with him, telling him we would let him pick where we would go for lunch, but that isn’t working. I had to put my foot down and tell him that sometimes we have to do things we don’t want.
“I know it stinks, buddy, but I need you to be good while we take care of your sister, okay?”
This got his attention, and when he looked over to his sister, his attitude melted, and his eyes softened. He loves his sister more than anything. Once parked and out of the car, we walk into Piper’s salon, and the woman at the counter greets Bri with a smile and a hug.
“What can I do for you?” She asked with a giant smile on her face.
“Monica, this is Audrina, and she is now the stepmom to this beautiful baby girl.” Bri introduced us.
“No, I’m just a friend of their father.” I stutter over my words, and Bri gives me thereallylook before turning back to Monica.
“Sorry. She is his roommate,” she says with finger quotes around roommate.“She’s living in their house and sleeps with their daddy, but he and she aren’t defining their relationship yet. She raises them because she’s theirunofficialstepmom. Anyways, she wants to learn how to do this sweet baby’s hair properly and be able to teach her as she grows.” she ends her rant, giving us both a smile, one I really want to slap off her face.
“Well, I didn’t need that kind of life story,” Monica laughs,“but I’m gonna take her word for it that you are going to help care for this sweet girl.” I nod, and she continues,“Then you can follow me, and I will teach you everything you need to know about her hair care. If you need more help after, you can always call me.” Monica takes Baby Girl from Bri, and I follow them to the back.
I am already overwhelmed with everything Monica is telling me. She explains the differences between her hair and my hair. All the while not missing a beat in what she is doing on Baby Girl’s head. She tells me that Nate has done a great job on her hair. It looks healthy and happy, just like our—hisdaughter. She put it in a low-maintenance style while I learn how to care for it properly, which I appreciate.
