“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.
“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.
“There’s no need for you to leave.”
A sense of urgency filled him, and King would slow him down. The storm was nearly overhead, but Shade didn’t believe that was what was causing it. He had been outside during too many storms to attribute that to his instinct to protect Lily.
“We’re going back in a few hours, anyway. Might as well go now,” King stated.
Shade didn’t argue further as King reached to open the door after grabbing one of the flashlights.
“Wait a minute. Let me get my things. I’m going, too,” Razer said, getting up from the table and gathering his things.
“Fuck, if you guys go, then I have to go. Winter will throw it up to me that you came running back to your women, and I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“You pussy-whipped bastards are ruining all the fun,” Cash said, getting to his feet.
As they gathered their things, Shade wanted to snap at the brothers to hurry. King caught his eye, and Shade knew the man was beginning to feel his anxiety. Shade didn’t care if everyone thought he was crazy as hell; he needed to get back to Lily.