Chapter 26
Thanksgiving dinner at the Raven Riders' clubhouse was bound to be a pretty huge affair in a regular year, but this year's celebration was special.
Because every single one of them had something to be grateful for.
Cora sure knew she did. Nearly six weeks had passed since she'd been shot, and though she still had some pain, she was recovering even faster than the doctors expected, which was probably explained by the fact that Slider and the boys wouldn't let her pick up a single thing around the house. Here she'd been hired to be their nanny, and they'd spent almost every day since taking care of her.
Not that she was complaining. Because the Evans men knew how to dispense some serious TLC. Especially the oldest Evans man. With his mouth and hands and cock. It had been a joyous day indeed when she first felt well enough again to enjoy each of those . . .
In the kitchen, Cora helped Haven, Alexa, and Bunny put everything they'd been cooking for the past two days into all the pretty serving bowls and platters they'd bought just for the occasion. The girls laughed and talked and joked as they always did, but it felt different now, deeper. Because all these crises they'd been through, all these challenges, had forged them into a sisterhood. And when Cora thought of all the ways she now belonged to the people around her, it almost made her want to cry with the sheer goodness of it.
The door swung open and a hand wrapped around her still-flat belly as lips pressed to her neck. And those were two more things Cora had to be grateful for. The eight-week-old baby in her belly, almost old enough for his very first sonogram-because Cora was sure he was another Evans man-and the father of her child who loved them both. None of which was a secret anymore, not after the doctor had apparently shared the news of Cora's pregnancy in front of Ben. Luckily, the boys were thrilled about the possibility of a new little Evans. So much so that when, a few weeks ago, Ben had crawled into her bed and asked her if he could call her Mom like the baby would one day do, Cora had been absolutely floored-and immediately said yes.
"There's my sweetheart," Slider said against her throat.
"Mmm, I'm feeling a little more grateful already," she teased.
Slider chuckled and nipped her neck. "I'll be happy to make sure you're very grateful later. How're you feeling? You're not overdoing it, are you?"
She turned in his arms. "I'm fine. It's a good day," she said, not willing to think about any of the bad ones. Not today. "The best."
"Yes, it is."
"You going to share your news?" she whispered, because she knew he'd been keeping something he'd been working on under wraps from the guys until the details were final.
Slider grinned, and he was so damn handsome with some scruff back on his jaw again. "I think today would be a good time, don't you?"
"I really do."
"What are you two whispering about over there?" Haven asked, winking.
"World domination," Slider deadpanned. Cora threw her head back and laughed.
"Sounds about right," Bunny said. "Now, Slider Evans, go recruit some help to start carting everything out to the tables, if you would."
He snagged a piece of stuffing from a bowl. "Yes, ma'am."
Cora swatted at him but missed, and she rolled her eyes at the smug expression he wore.
"You realize," Alexa said, "that you are literally glowing."
Her three friends lined up, all of them nodding.
"Yup," Haven said, grinning.
"She's right," Bunny said. "That's what the magical peen does to a girl."
They all burst out laughing. Just stupid, snorting, can't-stand-up laughing.
Slider, Dare, and Maverick stopped in the doorway and traded looks like they wondered what the heck they'd just walked into. And it made Cora start laughing all over again . . . since they were the owners of some of the magical peens in question.
From the mouth of a sixty-year-old!
How very much Cora hoped she grew up to be just like Bunny.
When the girls managed to pull themselves together again, they supervised everything getting taken out to the tables, and then they all gathered in the mess hall.
Everyone.
Including Jagger, who sat at the head of the main table. His freedom was the biggest thing the club was celebrating today. After an arduous and frustrating set of legal delays, he'd finally been released-and exonerated-three weeks ago. His wavy mess of brown hair had been cut off in jail, but otherwise, the time in hadn't seemed to change him. At least, not much. He still smiled easily and talked freely and constantly played guitar chords with his fingers, whether he was holding a guitar or not. And he'd jumped right back into his work at the track. But it seemed to Cora that something inside Jagger shined just a little less brightly than before. And they were all determined to help him get it back.
But for now, he was free, and home where he belonged. Justice, at long last, had finally been served.
Cora sat next to Slider on her right and Haven on her left, and the boys sat right across from them. No one had dressed the slightest bit differently for the meal, and all the brothers wore their cuts. That felt right. Because they were being exactly who they were.
The tables were laden with turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, cornbread, and so much more-not including Haven's desserts, of course-and everyone filled their plates and dug in.
One giant family of choice and of blood, of friendship and of love. One where Cora finally fit in. One that finally claimed Cora right back. One that she'd have forever. For the first time in her life, she had no doubts about that.
And the fact that it was a legacy she'd be able to pass on to her own child made it that much more special. The newest little Evans was never going to know what it was like to want for love.
"So, I have some news to share," Slider said, catching the attention of everyone around them. Cora squeezed his thigh, a silent encouragement to remind him how proud she was.
Maverick tapped his spoon against a glass, gathering the rest of the room's attention, too. "Hold up, Slider has some news."
"Stand up, brother," someone said.
"Oh, well, okay." Slider rose, and Cora could feel the excitement rolling off him. "You all know I've worked at Frederick Auto Body for years. Well, you're looking at its new owner, effective the first of the year." Cora nearly burst to hear him say it, and the club was enthusiastic for him, too, clapping and calling out words of congratulations. In the weeks while she'd healed, when Slider had spent so many days at her side, they'd talked about dreams and futures. And the minute Slider had talked about wanting to own his own shop, maybe make a name for himself with custom paint and remodeling jobs, she'd pushed him to do it. Cora hadn't known that he had decent savings consisting in part of money from Kim's life insurance, but she was entirely supportive of him using it to build his future.
Their future.
"I love you, Slider, and I'm so proud of you," she said when he sat back down.
"You make me want to build a life I can be proud of, sweetheart. For all of us." He kissed her there, in front of everyone. And didn't even care when the boys groaned and Phoenix teased and Maverick declared that Slider and Cora were the worst PDA offenders among them.
He wasn't wrong . . .
When people had nearly finished their dinners, Dare stood up and raised his glass. "I'm not sure I've ever had as much to be grateful for as I do this year. This club-and every member in it-has stepped up again and again, and I've never been prouder to wear these colors." Murmurs of approval circled the room. "So today, I want us to count our blessings. First and foremost, that Jagger is free, his name has been cleared, and he's back where he belongs, with all of us."
A cheer rose up, and everyone raised their glasses. "To Jagger!"
The guy blushed to the tips of his ears, and it was the most endearing thing, especially as his sister and her boyfriend were sitting right there with him, and his sister got a little teary and took his hand. It was so sweet it almost made Cora cry, but then she seemed to get weepy over TV commercials these days. Stupid hormones.
Dare continued, "Next, I'd like us to raise a glass to Caine, Haven, Cora, and Sam, who are all healthy again after some pretty hard fights." Another round of toasts went up, and Slider pressed a kiss to her cheek. "We also have a special gift for Sam and Ben, too." Dare pulled two boxes out from under the table and passed them down to the boys.
"Did you know about this?" Cora asked.
Grinning, Slider shook his head.
"Whoa!" Sam said, his eyes going huge as he opened one of the boxes. It was a sentiment Ben echoed a few seconds later. Both of them jumped up holding cutoff jackets, denim and leather, not with full colors, of course, but with the word Prospect on the back. For prospective member.