Shade(273)

Shade stared down at his wife and son. “Rachel told me this morning that you had asked her to teach you how to shoot the day she came to visit you when John was born. You did target practice at Mag’s when you visited her. Lily, something inside you told you that you needed to protect your family. That’s what I’ve been doing since the day I met you.

“You were right; I can feel love. I thought I couldn’t all these years, but I could. I confused loyalty with love. It took us almost losing John for me to understand what you’ve been telling me all along.#p#分页标题#e#

“The last time you tried to leave me, I could follow you. I can’t follow you where you are now, so you have to come back here to me and John.”

As his son began to whimper, Shade didn’t try to give him his paci or pick him up.

Jane stepped forward. “Let me.”

“His mother will get him. Won’t you, Lily? The nights I went in to check on him, you were already there, watching over him.

“You didn’t want me to kill Brooke, because you didn’t want him to be raised without a father, but he needs a mother, too. I won’t raise him without one.” His voice lost its gentle tone, becoming harsher. “I’ll move Bliss in to take care of him. If she does well, I’ll marry her.”

Jane gave a shocked gasp.

“Who’s going to make sure he’s warm? You know I like to keep the house too cold.

“If you don’t wake up, we’re going to have to give him formula. I’ll pick the best one I can, but that shit’s expensive, and cheaper is always better.

“Who’s going to keep him from riding the motorcycle I’m going to buy him when he gets old enough to ride?”

John began to cry louder.

“For God’s sake, Shade, pick him up.” King stood.

“When King gets too old to take care of himself, I’ll put his ass in a nursing home.”

Shade gave it a final try. “When John turns eighteen, he can join The Last Riders with Chance and Noah. They’ll have a fucking blast.”

“Shade…” King took his arm, trying to move him away from the bed.

“Let me go!” Shade snarled, picking his crying son up and placing the paci back in his mouth.

“You didn’t kill that bitch. You missed her heart. If you don’t come back, she wins, Lily.”

Tears fell down his cheeks as he stared at her. “Lily, I’m begging … please come back.”

When Lily remained unmoving, Shade turned his back to the bed and began rocking his son, placing him against his shoulder as he crooned to him the song Lily always sang to put him to sleep.

“Twinkle, Twinkle, little…”

John began to cry harder.

“Shade!” King’s voice had him spinning around.

Lily was watching him from the bed.

Shade walked back to her.

“I told you it scares him when you sing.”





Chapter 94



“Are you sure you want to do this?” Shade warned as they walked up the pathway to the clubhouse.

“I’m sure. I want to see our house before I go inside,” Lily told him, carrying John as they drew near the corner of the clubhouse to see what remained of their home.

Most of the wood was already broken apart and moved to the side so they could try to recycle as much of it as possible. The Last Riders had already begun the clean-up, moving what furniture could be saved to the storage room of the factory and throwing the rest away.

Lily stood, looking at her destroyed home.

“I’m sorry, angel. I should have listened to my instincts and had that tree cut down before I had the house built.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Lily leaned against his side, and Shade wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “We didn’t lose anything which couldn’t be replaced. We’ll build it back. That house was built for a woman who didn’t know who she was by a man who was afraid to show who he was. That’s why it was broken. The house we build now is going to be stronger, and nothing is going to break it apart.”#p#分页标题#e#

“You sure about that?” Shade teased.

“Yes,” Lily answered firmly, handing him John who was wrapped in the blanket Shade had dug out from his crushed dresser. It was the one Lily’s mother had made for her.

“I know someone who is going to be very happy with this,” Lily said as she started going through a box of pictures the women had found.

“Who?”

“Leonard, the man at the furniture store. I bet he retires after we repurchase our furniture.”

“You ready to go inside?” Shade asked, turning her toward the clubhouse.