Restored Read online

  Restored

  Alexa Riley

  Contents

  HEA on the go

  Restored

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Stalk the Author

  Copyright © 2019 by Author Alexa Riley LLC. All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to [email protected]

  http://alexariley.com/

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Edited by Aquila Editing

  Cover Design: Perfect Pear Creative Covers

  Cover Photo by: Sara Eirew Photographer and Design

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  Restored

  by Alexa Riley

  Gemma has been through some hard times lately but she’s holding her head up and trying to move forward. After losing her dad and their beloved classic car, it’s been tough finding her feet. One thing that’s always been constant is her dad’s right-hand man Bronx. He was loyal to their family, and her dad treated him like a son. But since Gemma confessed her feelings for him when she was sixteen years old, he’s kept her at arms reach. Could it have been because she was too young, or did he only see her as his mentor's daughter?

  Bronx wouldn’t be the man - or success - he is today if it wasn’t for Gemma’s father. He tried to give her time and space to heal after he died, but a man in love can only be stopped for so long. The only problem is that Gemma’s suddenly got in her head to test him at every turn and now he’s chasing her all over town. He just hopes she’s ready to be caught because that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

  Warning: Can one man bring our heroine back and restore her heart? Well, we did name the book that…so outlook is good! This is sexy-sweet with a sprinkle of angst and one heaping spoon of happily ever after!

  For Tony.

  Chapter One

  Gemma

  “Think you’ll move?” Roxy tries to glance around my small studio, but I grab her chin and still her movements. She can never sit for too long before she has to do something.

  “Stop moving.” She’s the worst to put makeup on. I should count myself lucky she’s letting me do it at all. Getting her into my vanity chair was harder than giving a cat a bath. Not that I have a cat. “I don’t know,” I admit. “Open.”

  I unscrew the lid to the lip stain and apply some to her mouth. I don't have any plans to move at the moment because I’m stuck in limbo. I graduated from cosmetology school and I’m freelancing jobs at the moment even though I’ve been doing it since before I got my certification. I’ve always been good at doing makeup and hair but I have no idea where I got the skill set. It’s something I picked up in middle school and it became a little bit of an obsession.

  I spent most of my childhood in a garage with my dad. He was a single father who was a mechanic. I know more about cars than most girls. Except Roxy. She’s a mechanic and knows everything about them. She works in the garage I live over, which is the same one my dad owned. I guess I still kind of own it though I take no part in the day-to-day running of it. I only take my cut from the man who took over half of the ownership.

  The lawyer who brokered the deal said I was getting more than I should. I don’t know if Bronx was being nice or he didn't want to see the place sold to someone else. I might have grown up around cars and worked on them with my dad but I know nothing about running and operating a mechanic shop. Bronx does and he not only worked for my dad at one time but he went on to open a place next door. He isn't competition though; he does custom work and restores vintage cars. He’s good with his hands.

  After Dad's sudden death we both went to the will reading together, even though my dad didn’t have a lot of things to divide up. I didn't know he even had a will until I was going through the motions of losing him. During the reading the attorney shared a note he’d left that said I should look into selling the place. He said he didn't want me to keep the garage if I didn't want it. It wasn’t that I didn't want it; I didn't know what to do with it and feared I’d end up ruining the place. I was fresh out of high school and had just lost my dad. I didn’t know how to run a business. Pile on losing my only parent and I was in no shape to even try.

  Bronx made the offer and I think it was why he’d been asked to come. My dad wanted him to be the first to get a chance at buying the place. Bronx asked me to stay on with him and told me I could be a silent partner. The lawyer said it was more than generous for him to make such an offer, and not only that, he let me have the apartment over the shop.

  The place was empty since Bronx had moved out; he rented it when he worked for my dad. I knew I couldn't stay in the house I grew up in because it felt too weird without my dad there. I needed a change to help me heal and again, it was an offer I couldn’t pass up.

  I should be paying half the rent or something since I only own half, but he won’t even let me do that. I know he does well because his restoration company is super popular. I watched it bloom from a small shop to hosting its own car shows. Roxy told me he’d been offered some television gigs too but he turned them down even though he’s a celebrity around our town.

  I put a soft nude lipstick on Roxy and take my time to make sure it’s perfect. If I do any other color I know she’ll try and take it off when I’m not looking.

  “You think I should move?” I ask.

  Maybe I need another change of scenery. I can't live in my childhood home because it feels weird without my dad. But now I’m living in the garage apartment and how is that different?

  I prettied the place up, making it my own. Bronx sent over a crew before I moved into it to make sure it was all done right. It’s small but cute and I feel safe here. I know all the employees, and someone is always around so it doesn’t feel like I’m so alone.

  I’d be lying if I didn’t admit the real reason I enjoy being here. It isn’t just the memories of my dad and not feeling alone. It’s Bronx. I get a glimpse of him almost every day and I savor those moments more than I should. I’ve been swooning over him since I was a teenager and my dad hired him.

  “Just wondering,” she answers when I pull the stain stick away from her mouth.

  Damn, I hate to gloat but I nailed her makeup. I pick up my bottle of setting spray and give her face a few light pumps.

  “Are you ready?” She let me do her makeup and hair separately before but never together. Now she’s all done up and looks stunning.

  “Move your ass and let me see.” She smacks my hi
p and I step out of her way. “Damn.” She leans forward to get a better look at herself and laughs. “Mitch is going to be all over me tonight.”

  She’s right about that, but it isn't because of the makeup. That man is always all over her. Seeing them together can be bittersweet. I’m happy Roxy has a man that loves her so deeply, but I’d be a liar if I didn't admit I was jealous of them. I’ve watched their love story play out in front of my eyes over the last two years.

  Mitch has been Bronx’s right-hand man since he started his own shop. Dad hired Roxy and suddenly Mitch was showing up all the time. The fall to love was fast, but Mitch was persistent and it was really the only option.

  “My work here is done.” I pretend to dust off my hands before I clean up my vanity.

  “No way. You don’t get a girl all dressed up and think we aren’t going out.” Roxy stands up and I look down at her sneakers. Her work overalls are gone and she’s in a pair of jean shorts and a T-shirt that hangs so low you’d have to guess if she really has the shorts on. It’s actually a new style, but I don’t think she’s trying for that.

  “I was going to veg out.” I point to my bed and think about my DVR that’s loaded up and ready to binge. I’ve also got day-old Chinese in the fridge, so I’m golden. Okay, maybe not golden but it sounds like a solid Friday night to me. “And you’re going out with Mitch.”

  “No, I’m going to the cookout and you’re coming with me.” She puts her hands on her hips, ready for battle.

  There’s always a cookout on Fridays over at Bronx’s shop. All the employees hang out eating and drinking for a few hours after work.

  “It’s not a car show,” she pushes, knowing I can’t bring myself to go to those anymore. Not since I lost my dad. That was our thing. We always went together to show off the Mustang we restored together. I lost that car right along with him and I haven’t gone to a car show since.

  “Bronx is gonna be there,” she adds, wiggling her eyebrows.

  She’s got it in her head that Bronx and I are meant to be. I never told her about how I asked him out and he turned me down. So he and I are never happening. My dad told me to never make a man tell you he doesn’t want you more than once.

  Not to mention I know how women look at him and talk about him. All the girls around town want him. I did not want to fall into the group that lusts after him. I won’t chase after any man.

  At the time Bronx said something about how he couldn’t. I think he was saying it because of my dad and he might have been right. I was still in high school, but all my friends were dating and when I thought about it, all I ever wanted was Bronx. I told myself that he’d turned me down because of my dad and my age, but I could be lying to myself to try and make it better. I need to move past it. I need to move on in general.

  “Come on! You’re dolled up too.” She motions to what I’m wearing. I do look good today. I had a few interviews with some salons looking to fill spots. You can’t go into an interview at a salon and not look your best. None felt like a good fit, so the day felt like a bust. I could go for a little fun to lighten my mood.

  “Okay,” I agree and her mouth drops open in surprise.

  “You’re really coming?” she asks, not believing me. Hope fills her words and makes me feel like a jerk for always turning her down when she’s asked me before. I just wasn’t sure I could see Bronx for that long after everything that happened.

  I walk over and pick up my wedges by the front door.

  “Yeah.” I could use a good dose of eye candy, but then I need to face reality and get a new start. Maybe I will start looking for a new place.

  Chapter Two

  Bronx

  Mac was a great man and like a father to me. He gave me a shot when no one else in town would and I always hoped to repay him for that. The day he died my heart broke twice, once for losing someone so important to me in my life, and again for his daughter Gemma.

  He was all she had and for years I heard him sing her praises. There was never anyone or anything he loved more than his baby girl, and I’ll never forget the way he’d light up when she walked into the shop.

  The car accident was a freak thing that happened in a blink of an eye. I sometimes wonder if he didn’t sense something was coming because a couple of days before the accident he pulled me into his office.

  “Hey, Bronx, everything going okay at the shop?”

  “All good, thanks to you.” I grab his hand and pull him in for a hug and we slap one another on the back. I lean back and grab the stool next to his desk as I get down to business. “What up? You said it’s important. Everything over here okay?”

  “Yep, we’ve still got more business than we can handle, so that’s good.” He sits down at his desk and puts his elbows on it as he steeples his fingers in front of him. “I’m leaving in a couple of days for Santa Clarita. There’s a guy down there I’m going to take the Mustang to so he can use it for a music video.”

  “No shit, Mac? That’s actually really cool.” I clear my throat and try to play it as cool as I can. “Is Gemma riding with you?” I stutter over the last part and quickly try to cover it. “I mean, I know she goes with you to car shows but this sounds different.”

  The edges of his lips pull up and I wonder if he’s fighting a smile. “Nah, she’s got a hair show she’s going to with some friends. But that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  I swallow hard and try to act cool. There’s no way he knows how I feel about his daughter. I’ve done everything I can to control not only my body but my thoughts when it comes to her and I’ve almost convinced myself that being away from her really is a good idea. Although my dick disagrees.

  “Yeah?” I lean back a little and square my shoulders. “What can I do?”

  “You know how much my baby girl means to me, and I’ve just been thinking a lot lately about what would happen to her if something happened to me.”

  “Pfft, Mac, don’t talk like that.” I wave my hand at him dismissively. “You’re going to live to be like three hundred or something and still in this shop banging on old parts.”

  He laughs and shakes his head. “If my back holds up maybe I will.” I look into his eyes and for a second I see something pass over them. “But if something does happen to me, I want you to take care of Gemma.”

  “Mac—”

  I start to protest, but he holds up his hand. “Just promise me, Bronx. I’ve always thought you were a good man and, well, she’ll need looking after.” I sit in silence and he leans forward. “Please.”

  “Yeah, I swear. On my life she’ll be taken care of. But don’t talk like that.”

  “All right, enough of that. Tell me how’s that Lamborghini you’re working on?”

  That was two days before he died, and I’ve thought about it every day since. Maybe he knew something was coming or maybe it was just bad luck. But I made that promise that day not only because he asked me to, but because I’ve been looking out for Gemma for as long as I’ve known her and I don’t ever have plans to stop.

  Mac was the one who got me on my feet and helped me learn the ropes of owning a business. He showed me what it was like to be successful and he helped launch my career. My shop is all custom work and I’ve got a wait list months long. I stay just as busy as I want to be and I make more than enough to take care of myself and Gemma. She’s always my first priority and the reason I work so hard. I want her to have the life she dreams of, even if it was derailed for a bit.

  She finished her degree with hair and makeup and I know she’s looking for a salon. I’ve been working on something for her for the past few months and I hope that maybe when she’s ready she’ll be open to it.

  Mitch flips the burgers on the grill as I hand him another beer. There’s a nice big area out behind the shop with some tables and chairs where we hang out on Fridays. It’s a good way to unwind while we cook out and catch up. Work is so busy sometimes that you can work all day next to someone and never get a chance to check in
. This is my way of bringing us all back together and reminding everyone why we do this. Yeah, the money is good, but we really are more of a family than co-workers. In our line of work a lot of us come from shaky backgrounds or have been the outcasts. We’ve drifted together and we’re a band of misfits that somehow works like a well-oiled engine block.

  “You going to burn these again?” I say as I raise my chin to the grill.

  “Shut up,” he mumbles, but I see him scanning the crowd.

  “She’ll be here soon enough. Roxy always comes. Just don’t burn my burger.”

  “You’re just jealous.” He tosses his spatula up and catches it easily before he goes back to flipping.

  I want to tell him that he’s right and of course I’m jealous he’s got a woman to love, but that would be admitting too damn much. We’re tight and I’m sure to a certain degree he may suspect how I feel about Gemma, but he’s not asking and I’m not telling.

  “I’m starving is what I am. How much longer do I have to wait?”

  Just then I hear the back door open and see Roxy step out onto the patio. She looks like she dressed up, and it’s nice. Normally she’s in coveralls and grease, but as she beams at Mitch and walks right to him I can’t help but think she just looks happy.

  Then to my shock I see movement behind her and it’s Gemma. A couple of the guys and their girlfriends shout hellos because she never comes over and it’s been forever since some of them have seen her. I don’t make a move but stand there and drink my beer as I watch her give hugs and talk to people. The music gets turned up and Mitch starts pulling burgers off the grill.