Shade(220)

“We could go back to shore and get you another pole,” Rider offered.

“No, thanks. I would probably lose that one, too,” King stated, biting down on his cigar in frustration.

Shade’s lips twitched. King had lost his pole when a fish he was trying to land took off with it. King’s face had been priceless when the pole had disappeared under the water.#p#分页标题#e#

“Don’t feel bad. We’ve all lost poles. Of course, we were all drunk as shit at the time,” Rider joked.

King looked toward Shade, who was sure he was waiting for a smart-ass comment to come from him; instead, he kept his eyes on the lake.

“How’s Lily adapting to the new minister and his wife?” King asked.

“She’s adjusting, but there’s not a connection with Merrick like Lucky.”

“Dean’s living at the clubhouse now?” King broached the subject Shade was sure he was the most interested in.

“Yes,” Shade answered.

“How’s that working out?”

Shade sighed while turning to look at him, noticing Rider had a smile on his face as he listened.

“If you want to know if he participates in the club’s activities, yes, he does. Not that it’s any business of yours. Lily and I have our own separate house. Neither of us want Lily to see him when he’s partying, so I text him when Lily’s in the house. Dean cares about Lily and has no desire to tarnish his image to her.”

“That’s a lot of work for you two to make sure Lily isn’t uncomfortable.”

“She’s worth the trouble.”

“Yes, she is. Now that I’m in town, I want to get to know her better.” King hesitated before adding, “Both of you. I don’t want to invade your lives, just become a small part of it. I want to be able to have a relationship with my grandchildren when you two have a child.”

Shade could imagine the hit it took to King’s pride to admit he wanted a relationship with the children he and Lily would have.

The boat went silent; the only sound was the water lapping against the side.

“Got another cigar?” Shade eventually asked. If the man wanted to end the silent war between them, he wasn’t going to say no. He wasn’t the one who had started it, and King had something Shade needed more than he wanted to maintain the antagonism between them.

“Yes, I do.” King pulled his stash out of his tackle box, offering one to Rider and him.

King relaxed on his seat while they talked, the atmosphere lightening on the boat. Shade actually managed to talk to King a couple of times without wanting to rip his arrogant head off.

Shade and Rider both managed to catch six fish before the sky darkened, and they decided to go back to camp. They docked the boat, carrying their tackle boxes and poles as they walked to the cabin. The others had fished from ashore and had already begun frying their catches.

“Where’s your pole?” Viper asked King from the grill.

“He lost it,” Rider volunteered the information.

As The Last Riders broke into laughter, making jokes at King’s expense, King took it good-naturedly. If he was going to maintain a relationship with Evie, then King was going to have to get used to the brothers giving him a hard time. Fuck, they were going easier on him than if Shade had been the unlucky bastard to lose his pole.

Viper and Cash served up the fish. Then, after dinner, they all pitched in to clean up outside before going inside to get away from the insects and play some cards.

Shade looked up at the flashes of lightning as he went inside the cabin, frowning. Lily was still terrified of storms.

He managed to play three games, listening to the thunder get closer and closer. By the middle of the fourth hand, a loud burst of thunder shook the cabin. Shade stood up, going to his bunk. Every instinct in his body was screaming that he had to get the fuck out of here.

“What are you doing?” King asked when he saw him gathering his things.#p#分页标题#e#

“I’m going back.”

“Why?” King looked down at his watch. “It’s after midnight.”

“I know what time it is. The storm is getting worse, and Lily is afraid of storms.”

“She’s with Evie and Beth; she’ll be okay. We’re heading back in the morning, so there’s no need to hike back a mile to the truck in this storm. Call her if you’re worried,” Cash advised, throwing two poker chips into the pile in front of him.

King didn’t say anything; instead, he crushed his cigar into the ashtray and got to his feet.

“What are you doing?” Shade stopped putting on his jacket.

“Going with you.” King put on his boots then his jacket.