Shade wanted to strangle Razer to shut him up; instead, he released him, stepping back using deep breaths to regain his control.
“You don’t know what it’s like,” Shade confessed. “Can you imagine if Beth didn’t ever give you the time of day, if she jumped every time you came near her, if you could see she was screaming for help in her eyes and no one was listening to her? I see that in Lily. She’s not getting better; she’s getting worse. And I’m standing back, watching her fade away more inside herself every time I get to see her.”
“I don’t know what to say, Shade. I really don’t.”
“There’s nothing to say.” Shade ran his hand wearily over his closely cropped hair.
“The most important thing to Lily and Beth is that she finishes college. She dreams about becoming a social worker. Let her finish school, and I won’t stand in your way. I’ll make sure you can be around her, slowly get her used to you being a part of her life. You don’t want to become another nightmare she has to live with, do you?”
“No.”
“I’ll help, but we have to do it my way. Can you do that?” Razer asked.
“I have no choice, do I?”
“No, brother, you don’t.”
Shade wanted to yell at Razer not to call him brother, but stopped when he saw the torn expression on Razer’s face.
He was trying to protect Lily for Beth. Shade couldn’t fault the brother for his loyalty. It was the one feeling he understood.
Shade left the bar, ignoring Winter who hastily stepped back from the door, went to his bike and took off toward town. He passed the street Lily lived on, keeping to the speed limit until he reached the county line. There, he opened his bike up, full throttle. He needed to put some distance between him and Lily until he could think again, until he could breathe again.
Chapter 25
Shade stood at Razer’s side as he spoke his vows to Beth. The wedding was in the backyard of the church. Tables had been set up on the other side of the yard, away from where the ceremony was being performed.
While everyone’s eyes were on the happy couple, his were on Lily. Her gaze briefly met his before dropping to the bouquet she was holding, the faint trembling of her hands betraying her calm facade. Shade turned his head, pretending to watch Lucky perform the wedding. He bet Beth’s father was rolling over in his grave at the man who had taken his position over in the church.
The ceremony didn’t last long, but afterward, the pictures of the wedding party took forever. There were several photos taken in various positions. First, the whole bridal party, then the bridesmaids, then groomsmen, and then the groomsmen and bridesmaids.
The brothers began getting antsy when they saw the guests going for the buffet tables.
“They’re going to eat all the food,” Knox muttered.
“Let’s finish this up,” Razer warned Beth, seeing the men’s threatening glares.
“All right, all right. Just a few more,” Beth soothed.
Shade was in no hurry, managing to put himself in several pictures with Lily. The photographer decided to take pictures of them together, exactly like the others had during their pictures.
“Last one,” the photographer said, moving to a different position.
Hearing the photographer, Charles moved closer, waiting for Lily, who gave him a sweet smile. Shade’s eyes narrowed as he slid his arm around Lily’s waist, bringing her flush against his side. Lily stiffened within Shade’s grasp, her hand going to his chest. Though she didn’t pull away, her body went taut against his.
While her smile became more nervous, Shade’s became a different matter, giving a clear warning to the young man standing beside Winter.
“Let’s get something to eat.” Charles led her away to the buffet tables, giving Shade a gloating smile over his shoulder.
Did that little pissant think he was going to get away with that smug smile? Shade was going to rip him a new asshole.
Winter moved to block his path. “Hey, Shade. It was a nice ceremony, wasn’t it?” Winter used a saccharine sweet voice which scraped at his nerves.
He took a deep breath, reminding himself she was Viper’s woman.
“Beth and Lily looked beautiful, didn’t they?”
Shade’s eyes went to Razer and Beth standing together as their friends congratulated them.
“Yes,” he growled out.
“They all are so happy; Beth with Razer and Lily finally settling into college. Their lives are merging, yet still fragile. It could be hurt irreparably if Beth feels Razer’s putting a friend’s wants over her sister’s needs.”
Shade’s body stiffened.