Last Riders: Lucky's Choice Part 49

"Why isn't Willa pressing charges? I figured she'd be p.i.s.sed off with Sissy almost taking a nose dive off that cliff." Lucky saw the regret in Bridge's eyes that he would never voice. The man he had once loved like a brother had saved countless lives; therefore, to almost take one unintentionally must be a bitter pill to swallow.

"Because she has faith that you'll realize your actions almost cost them their lives. She's praying that almost succeeding opened your eyes to the price your revenge could take."

"I see you're not thinking the same way."

"No, I don't, which is why I'm here." Lucky turned his back on Bridge, no longer able to look at him. Talking about almost losing Willa without beating Bridge to a b.l.o.o.d.y pulp was testing his resolve.

"During our last tour, Evie was hurt, and the men responsible not only nearly killed her, but got in a fight with Levi, Evie's fiance. When they were up for court martial, it looked like they were going to walk. Shade and the rest of the squad were ready to kill the f.u.c.kers before the trial was halfway over. One of the main attackers was a general who was using his rank. It was Evie's word against four men. Levi's death had already been ruled an accident, so the brothers were out for blood. I knew it was only a matter of time before Shade killed them, lost his career, and then spent the rest of his life in a military prison.

"I pretended to be drunk and started a fight in the barracks, and they threw me in a cell for a week that was next to the men who had attacked Evie. It took three days before the arrogant p.r.i.c.ks started bragging. They gave every f.u.c.king detail, and I remembered it all.

"I testified against them, and with my record and past as a pastor, it was no longer just Evie's word against theirs. They'll be sitting in that prison until they need v.i.a.g.r.a to get a hard-on, and even then, they probably won't be saved from Shade.

"All the men gave me their markers. Each promised to repay me for putting those f.u.c.kers away. I didn't do it for their markers; I did it for Evie and Shade." Lucky turned back to face Bridge.

"I didn't know anything happened to Evie." Bridge's face had gone pale, his body taut with anger.

"No one did. It was kept quiet. They said it was out of respect for Evie, but everyone knew it was to protect General Lander and his son's reputation. It happened two weeks after Kale died. You were stateside with your family."

"I served with Evie."

Lucky continued as if Bridge hadn't spoken. "I never took any of them up on their markers until Viper and I returned from Kale's memorial service, and Viper told me Shade was coming after you."

Lucky still remembered how harshly Bridge had told him to leave when he and Viper had arrived. Viper had heard every threat.

"I called in his marker not to kill you, and he has kept it all these years. You were like a brother, and it's not easy to kill a brother, even when Willa's life hung in the balance. When Willa was in surgery, repairing her shoulder, I released him from that promise. Willa and I are trying to start a family. She could have been pregnant, and you could have succeeded in killing Willa and my child. I thought I could protect her from you, but I won't take that chance again.

"What it comes down to is a choice between you and Willa, and she will win every time, so I'm done f.u.c.king around with you. I have a better use for Shade's and the rest of the brothers' markers now, and it doesn't involve you.

"I'm giving you a last chance to move on, Bridge." Lucky tossed a set of keys to Bridge who caught them in his hand. "Move on, leave Treepoint, and don't come back. Kale is dead and gone, and there is nothing either of us can do to bring him back. If you ever try to come near Treepoint again, Shade will make sure it's the last time you suck air." Lucky went toward the office door, brus.h.i.+ng past Bridge to open it.

He paused without looking back. "Ride as far as you can, Bridge, and find a place that you can call home." Lucky's voice became choked, remembering all the times they had spent together when they were in the service. "I was f.u.c.ked up when I came out of the service, too. The difference is I became a member of The Last Riders, and they helped me keep my sanity. You turned them down, and you've been lost ever since.

"Goodbye, brother. I pray you find peace. I already have."

Lucky walked out of the office, coming to a stop at seeing all the brothers waiting outside the door. They were there to support him, just as they always had and always would.

Willa had lunch waiting for them when they arrived home. The men ate while sitting around and talking when Shade went to the counter, taking a cupcake.

Lucky was eating his own meal as he looked up to see Shade take a bite. An expression of complete ecstasy came over his face as he took another bite.

He turned to Willa who was sitting next to Lucky with Lily and John sitting on her other side. "What flavor are these?"

Willa broke off her conversation with Lily to answer his question. "Oh, those are chocolate bourbon. The recipe was giving me trouble. I thought they would be a big seller during the Derby festival. I think I've finally got it right."

"You sure as f.u.c.k have. Willa, I love my wife, but woman, if I had never met Lily, that a.s.shole husband of yours wouldn't have caught you. I would have put a ring on your finger after the first bite."

Willa blushed, smiling in pride at her accomplishment.

"Willa, I'm going to need that recipe." Lily laughed, not at all upset by Shade's comment.

Lucky couldn't say the same. He saw red.

Why did the brothers all think Willa would have succ.u.mbed to them over him?

"Willa wouldn't have given you the f.u.c.king time of day."

Shade finished eating his cupcake. "It wouldn't even have been a compet.i.tion."

The last word wasn't out of his mouth before Lucky was out of his chair and lunging toward Shade who dodged his first blow. Lucky, unable to stop his momentum, fell against the counter, sending a Crockpot full of macaroni and cheese cras.h.i.+ng to the floor. This time, as Lucky twisted, going after Shade again, he managed to send Shade backward against the counter, nearly toppling the cupcake tray.

"Watch the f.u.c.king food!" Rider said, jumping up from his chair to break the men apart with Train's help.

"Lucky, there are children in the room!" Willa yelled at him angrily.

Lucky glanced at Beth's boys and Shade's son who were too busy eating the vanilla cupcakes that Willa had made to notice what the adults were doing.

Lucky shoved Rider off him, retaking his seat. Guiltily, he let Shade clean up the mess. d.a.m.n b.a.s.t.a.r.d deserved it for aggravating him.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Willa snapped.

"I'm sorry," he apologized to the women.

"I don't know what you became so jealous for." Willa placed her hand over his.

"I don't, either," Lucky said, picking up his fork.

"Willa, after dinner, I brought those papers for you to sign," Diamond said, handing Knox a cupcake before taking one for herself. The brother took it then reached for another before retaking his chair.

"You promised me no more changes to your will for at least a year." Lucky frowned. He had hoped telling her that she would save money would be an added incentive.

"Oh, it's not a will."

The room went quiet as the members eavesdropped on their conversation.

"I signed over my house to Ginny."

"You gave your house to Ginny?" Lucky was surprised Willa hadn't mentioned that she was thinking of doing it. She had told him that she was keeping it for their future children. "Why?"

"Because she can't afford an apartment and pay for college, too. Bliss is going to be her roommate. It will help her afford the bills."

"She's going to share the house with Ginny?"

"Yes, that way, Ginny can afford it until she gets her degree, and Bliss won't be lonely," Willa explained, waiting for his reaction.

"I thought you wanted to keep your home for our children?"

"They'll have a home. The home you're building is where they'll grow up. You can only have one home."

Lucky couldn't resist placing a kiss on his wife's lips.

"There can only be one home-the one we'll make," Lucky agreed.

"Ginny deserves it. She finally opened up to me what her issues were with the West's. I was worried about Cal's sister Darcy living with them, so she told me to keep me from being worried about her. It gave me another reason to love you." She looked up at the men in the room. "All of you."

"We're glad you think that since you're our newest member." Viper grinned. "You're going through the initiation tonight."

When Willa went white, Lucky almost laughed, knowing she was thinking about how he had told her the votes were given.

"Siren, I told you that votes could also be given by markers, and I called all mine in to make you a member."

Willa still didn't seem to be jumping with joy. "Exactly what's the initiation?"

Lucky waited for Viper to answer, having already noticed that Shade was boxing up the last of the cupcakes before they could be eaten.

"You have to make another batch of those cupcakes," Viper stated, wincing when Winter hit his arm.

"And a batch of peanut b.u.t.ter candy," Rider added quickly.

"And a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies," Lucky joked.

"I thought you wanted me to stop making them until you lost some weight?" Willa teased.

Lucky bent down to whisper in her ear, "How do you feel about bandits?"

Epilogue 2 "Dad, Becky said I'm going to h.e.l.l."

Willa gasped, looking up from playing with the one-month-old infant in her arms when her son repeated her daughter's angry statement. Then she and Lucky both stared up from where they sat on a blanket in the front yard, watching their children as they played outside.

"Why did you tell your brother he's going to h.e.l.l?"

Willa threw Lucky a chastising look at the amus.e.m.e.nt she heard in his voice.

"He said dammit." Becky's voice rose as she told on Kale.

Kale turned a bright red. "Uncle Rider says it all the time."

"Just because Rider says it, that doesn't mean you can." She was going to let Rider have it the next time he came over to investigate what she was cooking, which was daily. "I've told you that before."

Becky and Kale were as different as night and day. Becky was older than Kale with an angelic personality. Her son, on the other hand, had a bit of a h.e.l.lion inside of him. He was definitely his father's son. He was constantly in trouble, and despite his five years, he was already begging for a miniature bike. Every time Rider showed him his motorcycle collection, the little boy would spend the next three days asking for one. The boy was definitely stubborn and had a temper when his older brother and sister pushed him. She didn't know where that came from because Lucky rarely lost his temper.

"Why did you say it?"

Kale remained silent, but Becky spoke up, answering her father's question.

"He said it after he asked Mama for a dog and she told him no."

"Kale." Willa had noticed her son becoming angrily silent and walking away after she had told him he couldn't have a puppy like the one Razer had given his children.

"Go play," Lucky ordered. "Kale, we will discuss how to control your temper and your language tonight."

"Yes, sir." Both children ran off to play with their older brother.

Lucky waited until they were out of earshot before chuckling.

"It's not funny," Willa snapped. "He needs to control his temper."

"Siren, he can't help it. He takes after his mother." Lucky leaned toward her, giving her a kiss that melted her indignation. When he straightened, she could tell he wanted to get something off his mind. Unfortunately, she knew what it was. They'd had the same conversation many times before.

"He wants a dog. All the kids do."

"I know, but I can't," she said, her expression filled with pain. The pa.s.sing years hadn't taken away the pain or the guilt of losing Ria.

"She was trained to be a protector from the time she was a pup. She wanted to save your life. She would have been proud. If you hadn't survived, our children would have never been born."

Willa wiped the tear sliding down her cheek away, cuddling her son closer to her chest.

"I gave her away." Willa sobbed, revealing her secret anguish. "I was so hurt I couldn't look at her and not think about you. I didn't care if she cost twenty thousand dollars. I thought, if she wasn't there, I wouldn't think about you so much."

"I know it wasn't about the money," Lucky spoke soothingly. "You're the most generous woman I know. The whole town depends on your foundations from the schools to the women's abuse shelter. You turned around; you were coming back for her. You weren't able to leave her. You're not capable of giving up someone you love." Lucky nuzzled her neck as he reached out to stroke his baby's soft cheek.

Willa regained her composure, not wanting the children to see her cry.

She gave a hiccupping laugh. "I don't know about that. I didn't like you very much when Jenna was your girlfriend."

Lucky straightened up, staring into her eyes. "Jenna was never my girlfriend. I've only had three girlfriends my whole life. One was Ava, whom I dated in high school and thought I was going to marry. Beth was the second, and you were my third and still are the only one I ever loved."

"Your fingers are crossed." Willa looked down at his hands. "I'm not the only one you loved."

Lucky stared at her seriously, his eyes hurt. "I can prove it."

He s.h.i.+fted, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his wallet. Willa watched curiously as he opened it and pulled out a thin strip of paper before he showed it to her.

Willa's mouth dropped open in surprise. She had wondered on and off for years what had happened to the pictures from the photo booth.

"You've had them?"

"Yes, I took them because I didn't want you to see them." Lucky's voice was filled with emotion.

She stared at the pictures, barely glancing at herself. Instead, she was focused on the raw emotion on Lucky's face that she had been too shy to recognize when they had been in the photo booth.

His face was filled with hunger, which was what she had remembered from that night, but one captured the love that he couldn't hide for a split second.

"Lucky..."

"You have been and always will be my only love," Lucky choked out, sliding the pictures back inside his wallet.