“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” he said gently. “With Bridge in jail, I can lose the six pounds I’ve put on. My men will miss all the freebies, though.”
“I still think you should have told me you hired a bodyguard,” Willa chastised her husband.
“I should have,” Lucky agreed. “But like I told you, Alec only stays in Treepoint when he’s not on a security job. Besides, it worked. If Alec hadn’t followed you that day…” Lucky pulled her closer to him.
“It shouldn’t have gone down the way it did. I was watching for Bridge to take her, not for Willa to go to him. When I followed her, I thought at first she was rushing to make a delivery, but then she turned off at the lookout, and I knew something was wrong. Then she stopped at the side of the road, and I thought she was turning around, so I backed up to give her room, but when she didn’t come back down, I knew I had screwed up. Thank fuck I called you and my men when she made the turn.”#p#分页标题#e#
“At least we won’t have to worry about Bridge anymore,” Willa said, rubbing Lucky’s tense shoulders.
“At least until he gets out of prison,” Lucky agreed grimly.
“He won’t be giving you any more trouble, regardless,” Shade said.
Willa saw the silent battle between the men then found her attention diverted again.
“Is that my cookie jar?” Willa rose from Lucky’s lap, going to the counter to gently touch the glass cookie jar.
“Bliss found it on eBay and bought it for you.”
“I’ll have to thank her.” Willa blinked back tears of happiness. It wasn’t the same one, but it would bring back the same memories, and it was the memories she cherished, not the jar.
Willa noticed the sad looks on the women’s faces and the grim ones on the men.
“What’s wrong?” Willa looked around the crowded room. “Where is Bliss?”
“She’s out looking for an apartment,” Lucky finally answered when no one else spoke up.
“Why?”
“She was voted out of the club. Her behavior toward you was the last straw.”
Willa adjusted her sling carefully. “Then vote her back in. I don’t want to be the reason she has to leave.”
Viper shook his head. “It wasn’t because of you. It was because she showed disrespect to Lucky by hurting you. She’s also hurt several of the women who are members.”
“Was it the women members who voted her out?”
“No, it was the same men who voted her in.”
Willa blushed at his reminder of how the women were admitted to the club.
She could see why Viper had been made president. He showed no remorse for the decision the club had made. His stern expression also showed that the decision was written in stone and wouldn’t be changed.
“I was hoping she would decide to leave Treepoint and make a fresh start, but she wants to stay here.”
“Because all her friends are here,” Willa dared to take up for Bliss. The woman might have hurt her feelings, but she had ended up being the loser. Willa felt terrible for Bliss. “When Lucky left the club, you remained friends; he didn’t stop being your brother. Bliss deserves the same as a former member. She can still be your friend.” She looked at Jewell, Ember, Stori, and Raci.
“Maybe you’re right, Willa. We can keep an eye on her and still put enough distance between her and Shade so she can move on.” Viper brought out the elephant in the room—the real reason Bliss couldn’t remain.
Willa looked at Lily who was twisting her hands together until Shade took them in his. Lily looked up at her husband, but from his expression, he wasn’t going to give in to her silent pleas.
Willa sighed. Beth didn’t seem any happier with the decision. None of the women did. However, Willa could see in some ways that Viper was right. When Lucky had been seeing other women in town, she had been miserable, and she hadn’t even been with Lucky. He hadn’t even noticed her. As a result, Bliss must be in agony watching Shade and Lily together. Maybe she would stand a chance of finding what the other couples had when she moved into town.
“She’s going to be lonely living by herself after living with so many people…” Willa said, touching the cookie jar.
Bliss regretted her actions, or she wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of replacing the jar. Willa lifted the lid, deciding she would make—her eyes watered when she saw it was filled with oatmeal raisin cookies.
The baker in her had her lifting one out and taking a bite. Then Willa started laughing.#p#分页标题#e#