Ride Wild(53)

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.