Pieces of Us (Missing Pieces #3) - N.R. Walker Page 0,47

sagged when he saw it was me. “You scared the shit outta me! Thought it was Jusso,” he yelled over the sound of the engine.

I tapped the gears down into first and released the clutch, nice and easy. We rolled forward and puttered out past Davo and Sparra—who were grinning madly—through the front roller door into the yard, then around the back near my ute, and through the rear roller door. I made the loop a second time before driving back into the workshop and coming to a stop and turning the engine off.

Sparra helped Juss off the bike, and I took my helmet off, waiting to see Juss’ face.

I don’t know how he got his helmet off with the way he was grinning. “That was so awesome! Thank you!”

“Oh God, you’ve created a monster,” Sparra said. “He’s gonna wanna do it all the time now. And then it’ll be on his own. And then it’ll be on a motocross track.”

Juss was on too much of a high to care. “No, no. Not yet. But that . . . being on a bike again.” He met my eyes and nodded. “That’s who I am.”

Oh, Juss.

Davo clapped him on the shoulder. “How do you feel? Vibrations didn’t rattle anything loose?”

“Nah. Feel good.”

He was still grinning when he called it a day before lunch. I went upstairs with him and he was just buzzing. He went to the kitchen and leaned against the kitchen bench. “Dall, that was so good. I know it was for like, half a minute. But being on a bike, the sound of it, the smell of the exhaust. The way it feels, that exhilaration. I remember that. Even when I was a kid and things were shit at home, having a bike was what kept me sane. I’d work on it, ride it, tune it. Being on a bike is . . . me.”

I kissed him with smiling lips. “I should have thought about doing it sooner.”

“I dunno if I was ready before now. I might have freaked out, and for a second I was scared when you first mentioned it. Because what if I came off and got hurt again. But I trust you, and then I wanted to do it.” He shook his head like he couldn’t believe it. “And Dall, it was . . . It was good to be reminded of who I am. It’s not like getting a memory back, not really. More of a confirmation or reassurance that I’m still me.”

I wrapped my arms around him and gave him the biggest hug. “I’m so happy for you, Juss. Seeing you smile like that means the world to me.”

He sighed. “I told you it was going to be a good week.”

I held him for a bit longer, just because I could. “Want me to make you a sandwich?”

He pulled back and looked up at me. His eyes were bright and clear. Happy. “Nah, I got it. You better get back downstairs. You’ve got a parts delivery coming this arvo, and Sparra wasn’t done with that engine rebuild.”

“Maybe if someone wasn’t racing him on his scooter,” I joked.

“I beat him too. And Davo.”

I kissed him with smiling lips. “I know. I watched.”

“I’ll be down later, before knock-off time. I need a nap, and I can’t decide if Squish and I are gonna watch some TV or if I’ll watch some porn.”

I snorted. “Okay then. Well, I’ll let you decide.” I got to the door and turned back to face him. “But if you wanted to wait until tonight, maybe we could both watch it?”

His smile became something else and he readjusted himself. “Today’s the best day ever.”

“Well, you certainly look a lot better than the last time I saw you,” Doctor Chang said, clearly surprised to see Justin in such good shape.

“I feel so much better,” Juss said. “Honestly.”

Doctor Chang studied him for a second. “When I saw you last week, you weren’t feeling too great.”

“No, I wasn’t,” he replied. “And I didn’t leave the hospital too great either. I was pretty much wiped out for three days, literally couldn’t get off the couch, but I got better every day. I rested, drank a lot of water, ate well, slept a lot.” He squeezed my hand and gave me a smile before turning back to the doc. “Not gonna lie, it scared the hell outta me. Scared Dall, too.”

She gave a nod and a small smile aimed at me. “I know. I saw