Lily rose reluctantly from Shade’s lap. “We need to get home. Ember is babysitting John and Beth’s twins for us.”
The others also stood to leave, going into the living room to say their good-byes. Bliss stood back as the men all talked in the doorway and the women put on their coats.
“You happy?”
Bliss gazed at Shade. It no longer hurt to look at him.
“You were right.” All the times she had begged for his attention, he had told her he wasn’t the one for her.
“About what?” Shade paused at putting on his leather gloves.
“That I didn’t love you. That being in love wasn’t about making yourself happy, but the one you loved. I couldn’t understand that until Drake. He works hard at making me happy. I’m not an easy woman to love, though. It would be hard for me, but I would let him go if I thought it would make him happier. It would break me, but I would let him go.”
“Do you know how Drake managed to get custody of Jace during a time when it wasn’t easy for a man to, especially one in Treepoint?”
She shrugged. “I just assumed because Stephanie was the one who left.”
“No, it was because Drake never lets go of anything that’s his. It’s a Porter trait, like how Greer’s still driving his father’s old truck. Drake told Stephanie if she didn’t sign custody over to him, she wouldn’t live to raise him anyway. He’s kept his family’s property intact for years, despite big money being offered for it from the lumber companies. He even bought Rachel’s, despite the mortgage crisis going on that had him losing his ass from not selling. He saved it for her until she could buy it back someday, which Cash did. He managed to save his company by working his ass off, keeping a roof over his and Jace’s head by cage fighting every weekend.”
Shade finished putting his gloves on. “You don’t have to worry about Drake ever leaving you. When I went into his office to try to convince him to sell the property next to the factory, he asked me if it was true that the women were only allowed to be with The Last Riders. I told him yes, and he asked to join the club. I told him no.”
“When was this?” Had Drake been interested in her enough to join The Last Riders before they had told her to leave?
Bliss’s heart felt as if she was standing in front of a roaring fire, melting any lingering doubts that Drake would wake up one day and no longer want her in his life. Trying to join The Last Riders was the type of gesture Shade would have done for Lily.
“The day before we voted you out. Merry Christmas, Bliss.”
“Merry Christmas, Shade.”
Bliss watched the motorcycles pull out of the driveway from the window, holding the curtain back. She noticed the snow begin to fall.
A warm arm circled her waist from behind.
“Wish you were going with them?”
“No. Actually, I was thinking I’m glad I’m not out in the cold, freezing my ass off.” Bliss dropped the curtain, turning into his arms. “Thank you for giving me my friends back.”
“You never lost them, Bliss. They’ve been watching over you. They were there the night Stark attacked. If my cousins hadn’t been there, Stark still wouldn’t have succeeded. The Last Riders would have stopped them.”
“I know. I saw them when I was running across the parking lot.”
“And you still didn’t call out for them?”
“No, I didn’t need to. I knew you would be there. I trusted you.”
“You just gave me the best Christmas present I could have asked for.”
“Then I guess I should take back that new motorcycle I had Stud custom-make for you that I hid in the back of my garage.”
Drake stared down at her in astonishment. “You bought me one of Stud’s bikes? I was going to buy Jace and Cal each one for a graduation presents, but he said he had two years of pre-orders.”
“He did. He’s running behind schedule.”
“How did you convince him?”
“I didn’t. Sex Piston did. I talked to her when she tried to fix my hair. I told her if she could convince Stud to sell me three bikes, I’d convince Jace to sell back their car. Fat Louise sold it to Crazy Bitch when she bought a new car. Crazy Bitch got aggravated at it when it kept breaking and sold it without telling the other bitches. They’ve been mad at her ever since.”
“Three?”
Bliss nodded. “One for you, Jace, and Cal. Three men in Kentucky aren’t very happy with me right now for swiping their Christmas gifts.”
“I know three who are going to be ecstatic, but I think you might have trouble convincing the boys to give up that car. They’ve grown attached to it. I told you it’s a classic.”