Shade's Fall

by Jamie Begley

  Excitement infused her as she jumped out of bed, going to the window and pulling the curtains back. “It snowed, Shade.”

  “I know. It started getting heavy last night,” he grumbled from the covers.

  Lily jumped back on the bed. “I love snow.”

  “I know. You told me.” Shade grinned, pulling her back down. Lily circled his neck with her arms.

  “Does your family open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?”

  “What?” Shade asked, not understanding what she was getting at.

  “Each family does it differently. Some families open their presents on Christmas Eve, others Christmas Day. We always opened them on Christmas Eve because I couldn’t wait.”

  “We opened ours on Christmas Day.”

  “Oh.” Her face fell in disappointment.

  “But I can open it on Christmas Eve.”

  “No, I’ll wait until tomorrow. I don’t want to break tradition. It might be bad luck.”

  “I don’t believe in bad luck.”

  “I’m still not giving you your present until tomorrow,” she taunted.

  Shade got out of bed, going to the bathroom to shower and dress, telling Lily she took too much time, so he was going first. Lily lay on the bed, waiting for him to come out.

  He came out of the shower cleanly-shaven, wearing a nice pair of jeans she hadn’t seen before and a dark blue muscle shirt.

  He went to look out the window. “It’s supposed to quit snowing this afternoon. Come here, Lily.”

  Lily climbed out of bed, determined not to let his bossiness on Christmas Eve bother her. She stood by him in front of the window and then Shade went to the bedside table and opened it, removing an envelope before coming back to her and placing it in her hand.

  “This present isn’t technically for you. Open it.”

  Lily tore the envelope open, reading the words on the paper. She looked back at him with pure joy.

  “Look at the date.”

  The paper signing over the land that Beth and Razer’s property was built on had been signed the day after she had visited Diamond at her home.

  “I don’t know what to say, Shade. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Taking the papers away and setting them on the chair by the window, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny box, placing it in her hand.

  “This present is for you.”

  Lily’s fingers trembled as she slid the ribbon off and then opened the box. Inside, a diamond ring lay on a bed of velvet.

  “Will you marry me?” Shade was down on his knees in front of her.

  She began crying, telling herself this time didn’t count because it was so special. For once, she didn’t have to think about her answer. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  Shade stood up, kissing her so passionately that it had her arms circling his neck. He raised his arms, pulling her away. “Good. Now you need to get showered and dressed. We’re getting married in two hours.” He walked to the door and started to open it.

  “Wait. What are you talking about? We can’t get married in two hours. Weddings have to be planned and—”

  “I’ve already planned everything and what I couldn’t, Beth and Winter took care of. You want a snowy, winter wedding. Look out the window. You know Kentucky weather, it could be another year before it snows again. I’m not waiting a year to get married. Besides, how do you schedule snow?”

  “I don’t know,” Lily said in bemusement.

  “I don’t either. So everything is a go for today, even the snow. I talked to Pastor Dean and got his blessing.”

  “You did?” Lily was in awe of that accomplishment. She didn’t think Pastor Dean liked Shade.

  “I did. So are we going to do this?”

  “Yes. Do you need me to do anything?”

  “No, everything is ready. The brothers and I spent half the night getting it set up. But I do have a quick question.”

  “What is it?” Lily asked.

  “Do I have to invite Sex Piston and her crew?”

  Chapter 34

  “Are you sure about this, Lily?” Lily turned from the doorway where they were waiting for the guests to get into position.

  “Yes. Look out that door, Beth. How could I not marry a man who did that for me?” The sisters stared out into the winter wonderland that Shade and The Last Riders had created for her. It was everything she had dreamed about and more.

  The snow in the backyard of the church was virtually pristine except where the guests were standing. They had waited for the ceremony to begin to go outside into the yard so they wouldn’t have to be cold long.

  “Shade’s been planning this since the weather forecasts came in. I didn’t think he would wait for the last second to ask, though.” Lily felt Beth scrutinizing her face. “Lily…”

  Lily turned to her sister, taking her hand in hers. “I want to marry him, Beth. I don’t know if I would have made it the last few months without him. I love him.”

  She looked outside to where Shade was standing in his black tuxedo; he didn’t even seem cold. She saw her reflection in the glass door, standing in her adopted mother’s lace wedding gown and veil that lay on her black hair and fell to the floor in a beautiful train that would brush the snow as she walked to Shade.

  “I can’t even cry; I’ll smear my make-up,” Beth said, smiling tearfully.

  “Are we going to get this show on the road or not? They’re freezing their asses off out there.” As if on cue, Killyama opened the door for them. She was the only one from Sex Piston’s crew able to make it to the wedding on time. Stud had refused to have his wife on the road during a snowstorm and the others had been snowed in by unplowed side streets. Killyama was the only one near cleared roads.

  The woman who had showed up was not the one Lily was familiar with, though. The biker bitch had been replaced with a feminine woman whose hair, which hadn’t been teased within an inch of its life for once, lay against her shoulders in loose curls the color of rich, dark bourbon. Without the crazy eye shadow, she had hazel eyes that didn’t look nearly as scary, either. She wore the tight green dress that Sex Piston had bought the day they had gone shopping, which accentuated a figure that would make a fitness trainer cry. She looked smoking hot, but Lily didn’t care how she’d come dressed as long as she was there.

  Beth took a deep breath. “Ready?”

  “Yes.” She looked toward the arch filled with fairy lights where Pastor Dean and Shade were waiting. “I’m more than ready.”

  * * *

  The freezing guests left immediately after the wedding. Shade had invited only Pastor Dean and Killyama back to the clubhouse for the private reception; both had refused. Pastor Dean had Christmas Eve service that evening and Killyama wanted to get back to Jamestown before the weather made the roads even worse.

  Lily said goodbye to Killyama before climbing into Beth’s SUV. She saw Train approach the woman before she could get in her car. She couldn’t help hearing them argue as the other women climbed into the back of Beth’s SUV. The men were riding their bikes except Shade and Train who were riding in Rider’s truck. Winter and Viper were bringing the overflow in their SUV.

  “You had your shot; you didn’t want it. Now fuck off.” Lily winced when she heard Killyama’s harsh words; however, she had no doubt that Train probably deserved much worse.

  She watched as Killyama got in her car, ignoring the man while he was trying to talk to her. Train had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by her, finally giving up and climbing into Rider’s truck.

  She didn’t blame the woman; Train was all over the women at the house. He was… a sudden thought struck Lily. She turned in her seat to look at the women crowded in the backseat as Beth pulled out of the parking lot.

  Raci, Bliss, Evie, Jewell, Ember and Stori stared back at her.

  “Who’s the worst?” Lily asked, staring at the women. “Is it Train?”

  The women didn’t even question what she m
eant; they knew what she was asking. Their eyes went back and forth between each other.

  “Lily, don’t do this. It’s your wedding day,” Beth said.

  Lily turned, facing the front again. The silence coming from the backseat was deafening. Shade was the worst. Lily thought back to every incident that she had witnessed since she had moved into The Last Riders’ Clubhouse and knew it wasn’t that long ago that Shade also had been participating… and now she knew he had been considered the worst among them by the club itself.

  Her mind whirled as they drove home where Beth turned into the parking lot. When she parked and cut the motor, the women members used the opportunity to escape.

  Beth turned to her. “Talk to him.”

  Lily gave her a smile, trying to regain the same cheerfulness she had possessed before she’d left the church. “I will. Let’s see if we can make it up those steps without breaking our necks.”

  The men ended up carrying them up the steps then several went back out to clear them and the pathway for anyone who came by later. As soon as Shade set her back on her feet, she escaped to their bedroom to change. Lily pulled on soft brown slacks and a green sweater.

  Dressed, she went back downstairs where the men were standing at the bar congratulating Shade. She watched the men from the stairway, her mind not on what they were drinking but the camaraderie they shared. A bond like theirs was unbreakable; they would die for each other without a second’s hesitation.

  Shade saw her standing on the steps and came to her. His hands circled her waist, lifting her off the last two steps and holding her against his chest.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Watching you.” She smiled, touching his cheek.

  “Why?” Shade smiled down at her.

  “Shade, we need to talk. We should have talked before we were married this morning.” Her serious tone wiped his smile away.

  “Not today.”

  “But, I really need to tell you—”

  “Not today, okay? Today is Christmas Eve—our wedding day—and we’re not going to talk about anything else except that today.”

  “Okay.” Lily gave in to his demand.

  “I’m going to go get out of this get-up. I’m never going to live this down.”

  “I think you’ll survive,” Lily teased. Shade bent down, brushing his lips with hers.

  Before he could start up the stairs, a knock sounded on the door behind them, and Shade gave her a quick grin.

  “I have another surprise for you,” he said, turning to open the door.

  As it opened, Lily caught sight of Penni standing on the porch. When she saw Shade, she threw herself into his arms. “You big doofus. Only you would give me a day’s notice to get here. My stupid flight got cancelled, and I didn’t think I would ever get through the roads from Lexington. I didn’t even know you two were seeing each other. How come neither of you told me?”

  Shade set Penni back on the floor. “Slow down, Penni. If you hadn’t been so occupied with your new job, you would have known,” he told her.

  Penni saw Lily when he took a step back. “Lily!” She grabbed her, pulling her into a tight hug. “I missed seeing you in your wedding dress. I was supposed to be there,” she wailed.

  “It’s all right. Razer took a video for us.” Lily tried to keep the reserve out of her voice, yet she was unsuccessful. Penni’s eyes flashed her hurt, but she wasn’t one to take anything without giving it right back.

  “I know you’re probably mad at me for not telling you Shade was my brother, but he threatened to take the car back if I told.” Lily saw Shade’s face go blank at his sister’s revealing words.

  “Your car?”

  “Yes. The one he bought me for transferring colleges so that I could be your roommate because he didn’t want Beth to worry. You’ll be part of the club now; they’ll watch out for you like they did Beth. I’m glad, too; you tend to be a little accident-prone.” Penni finally stopped for a breath.

  “I’m not accident-prone,” Lily denied, trying to process her friend’s words. She was coming to the conclusion that Shade was a devious man.

  Penni rolled her eyes at her denial. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter anymore. You have my big brother to watch out for you now.”

  “Your half-brother.”

  “That doesn’t matter. Our families both get along. It wasn’t an ugly divorce. Our mom was just sick of moving every couple of years. Our parents are pretty cool; Shade’s dad especially.”

  “We’ll save that for another day. He couldn’t make it to the wedding. He and my stepmother are in Florida taking a long vacation. He just retired,” Shade explained to Lily. “Why don’t you take Penni into the kitchen and let her see everyone while I go get changed.”

  “You’ve met them before?” Lily asked, surprised.

  “Of course, since I was little; sometimes a few of them would come home with him when he visited.”

  Lily took Penni’s coat, hanging it in the closet as Shade went upstairs. It was hard to be angry with Penni for long; her personality wouldn’t let you remain aloof unless you were willing to be outright mean to her. Her effervescent temperament was always in direct contrast to Lily’s own more solemn one.

  As soon as they set foot in the kitchen, Penni’s appearance created pandemonium as everyone tried to greet her at once.

  Lily pitched in to help cook while Penni sat at the kitchen table, telling all the members about her new job.

  “I absolutely love it. Right now, it’s mainly all paperwork while I set up the venues for the concerts, but once they go on tour, I’m hoping it gets to be more exciting.”

  Shade came back in his normal jeans and t-shirt.

  “There’s the brother I know and love. I almost didn’t recognize you in that suit, or with that smile you were wearing,” Penni teased.

  “Food’s ready,” Beth told everyone. Lily and Shade ate while Penni described all the places she had booked the tour that started next month.

  “Kaden Cross has even agreed to do a couple of the venues. We’ll even be in Lexington and you all better come. I’ll introduce you to Kaden and his wife. I’ve become friends with her and her friend.”

  “I’m glad you met new friends.”

  Penni nodded enthusiastically. “Her friend is married to a member of a motorcycle club. Can you believe it? I actually know two clubs now. Of course, you guys could probably kick their asses.” She was quiet for a whole second. “Maybe.”

  “What’s the name?” Shade asked, his eyes on his sister. Lily smiled at the big brother in Shade coming out.

  “The Predators.” If she hadn’t been watching him, Lily would have missed the slight change in his expression and the shifting of his eyes to Viper.

  The Last Riders had heard of the Predators, and Lily could tell they didn’t like them. She didn’t need to hear his next words to know that.

  “Stay away from them, Penni, far away.”

  “That’s going to be hard to do,” she protested.

  “I don’t care, just do it,” Shade ordered, glaring at her.

  Penni stared at her brother as Lily sat watching the contest of wills.

  “I’ll stay away from them as much as possible,” Penni conceded. “I don’t even know why we’re arguing. I’ve only been around them a couple of times.” She averted her eyes and some tiny part of Lily told her there was something she was holding back. Shade picked up on it, too. Penni was his sister; he would catch something just as easily as Lily.

  “What?” Shade asked.

  “Nothing. I just think you’re being over-protective. Most of them seem to be good guys. They helped my boss out of a jam this summer. They provide security sometimes.”

  “A rock star needs that kind of security?” Shade questioned, and Lily noticed all the men at the table were listening intently.

  “They did when I was doing my internship. Kaden was attacked by a crazy man who wanted something from his wife.”

 
; “Were you hurt?” Shade’s whole demeanor changed; he was obviously protective.

  “No. When I came to, it was already over,” Penni said, filling her plate again.

  “You’re quitting.”

  “No, I am not. I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself. The dude who knocked me out is in prison, so calm down.”

  “Let me know if he gets out.”

  “I will.” Penni’s sparkly personality wasn’t going to let Shade intimidate her. “Now can I finish my dinner?”

  “Yes, but you’re still quitting.”

  “No, I’m not,” Penni repeated.

  “Cut it out, you two. You’re both giving me a headache,” Lily cut in between them. “Quit worrying, Shade. She works for a band. I wouldn’t worry about another motorcycle club and Kaden’s wife’s stalker. It’s all the drugs, sex and parties she’s going to be in contact with on the tour that you should be worried about,” she said sagely.

  “Traitor,” Penni hissed.

  “I couldn’t resist,” Lily replied, taking the beer Penni was drinking away. “I think it’s kind of funny Shade’s warning you away from a motorcycle club when he helped found one, and he’s well aware that sometimes you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m sure your employer was just going through a bad time. You said yourself that the man responsible is in prison now.” Lily turned to Shade. “Your sister is smart enough to get out of a situation in which she could get hurt.”

  “That’s right.” Penni grinned at her brother. “I think I’m going to enjoy having Lily as my sister-in-law. She might be able to keep you off my back.”

  “All right, I’ll leave it alone for now, but if anything happens, leave.”

  “I’ll be out of there like a shot,” Penni agreed.

  “Good, now that it’s settled, can we enjoy dinner? I have to get ready for Christmas service,” Lily said, reminding Shade.

  “The brothers and I are going to stay here and take care of a few things while you’re gone.”