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  Evie shrugged into her peach jacket, covering her little black dress with a gold belt. She was wearing a pair of black sandals that had cutouts all the way to her ankles. She thought she looked poised and elegant while still having a trace of attitude.

  King was back in his familiar suit, which Evie had to admit she preferred. She felt comforted, as if he could keep her safe and handle anything she didn’t want to. She liked the feeling of femininity she felt around him. She had hidden from it for a long time, and now she wanted to feel like that near him.

  She locked the door then King took her arm, leading her down the sidewalk to his car and opening the door for her. After she’d slid inside the front seat, he closed her door then walked around the car to get behind the driver’s wheel.

  “That a first for you?”

  King laughed. “Are you implying I’m missing Henry?”

  “Are you?”

  “Yes, but not for the work. We’ve spent many hours together over the years, so it’s like my left arm is missing.”

  “It’s going to be an adjustment for you.”

  “For Henry, too. He’s already called to check on me six times.”

  “I’ll have to call him and tell him I’ll keep an eye on you.”

  “Are you trying to relieve him or make him worry more?”

  Evie laughed. “Both.”

  King pulled into the parking lot of the Pink Slipper.

  “In the space of five minutes, you can drive from one end of Treepoint to the other unless you get caught by the only red light in town.”

  “It is small. That’s why the Pink Slipper is so busy tonight; it’s the only restaurant in town with a liquor license,” she told him when he couldn’t find a parking space in the crowded lot.

  “So far,” King said, getting out of the car. Evie gave him a startled look when he opened her door. He took her hand, helping her out of the car. “I’m thinking of giving them some competition.”

  “I thought you were retiring?”

  “I have no plans to open a strip club, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m thinking of something like this, a restaurant with a bar.”

  “That’s good because your chances of opening a strip club in Treepoint are nil. I don’t even believe some of these people get naked when they have sex.” Evie’s voice had dropped to a whisper as they entered the club.

  “Oh, I think they do,” King said, staring around the busy restaurant.

  “I don’t know,” Evie continued to tease him as the hostess showed them to an intimate table.

  Once seated, Evie stared across at King, admiring his harsh, good looks while the waitress took their drink order.

  “When did you start drinking wine again?”

  Evie looked down at her hands, adjusting her utensils. “I’m trying to cut back on the hard liquor. I’m not getting any younger. Did you know excessive drinking can age you?”

  King took a drink of whiskey, his amused expression gentle. “You look beautiful. You don’t look a day over twenty-one.”

  “Liar.” She rolled her eyes at his transparent compliment.

  The waitress took their dinner order at that moment. Once she’d left, Evie watched King enviously as she took a sip of her wine, wincing at the taste just as his eyes sharpened at something over her shoulder. She was about to turn when a familiar voice greeted them. While Evie’s stomach lurched as she gazed up into her sister’s face, Merrick came to his wife’s side, sliding his arm protectively around her waist. Evie’s lips tightened, her hand clenching the wine glass, threatening to snap the fragile stem.

  “Evie.”

  “Pastor Patterson.” Evie refused to acknowledge her sister.

  “I haven’t seen you in church since I’ve gotten here. Lucky said you were a faithful parishioner when he was pastor.”

  Evie decided to be truthful. “I’ve decided to go to the church in Jamestown.” She almost regretted her bluntness when she saw the hurt look on Merrick’s face. He was a nice man--too nice--and he was completely blind to his wife’s faults.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I was hoping you and Brooke would overcome your childhood arguments now that you are older. Brooke has sent numerous invitations for dinner; the least you could do is respond. Evie, it is your niece that she is carrying. We really would like our baby to get to know her mother’s twin.”

  Evie ignored King’s body tensing across the table at Merrick’s cutting words.

  “I don’t think that’s going to be possible, Pastor. I’m afraid I haven’t reached the point of turning the other cheek.”

  “Evie, that was uncalled for.” Brooke’s tearful voice drew both men’s eyes, one more discerning than the other.

  “I see I was wrong in trying to make an effort to encourage Brooke to make an attempt of reconciliation. I hope your new church can give you what you need.”

  “I hope you take those blinders off, Merrick. I truly wish you the best.” Evie was sincere; she wouldn’t wish Brooke on her worst enemy, much less a man like Merrick who deserved better.

  “Let’s go, darling. I told you it was useless.” Brooke gave King a sweet smile before turning into her husband’s protective arm as he led her away from the table.

  “The check I had done on her doesn’t do her justice. The poor bastard.”

  “Why did you run a check on her?” Evie made herself lower her voice.

  “Don’t be angry, but I had you checked out, too.”

  Evie started to smart off then closed her mouth. “We had you checked out, too, but you knew that, just as I should have. So, you already knew my past before I told you?”

  “Some of it, yes, but I became curious after you told me what happened. It didn’t match the report I was given, so I looked into it further. That’s when I discovered one of the men’s testimonies about Brooke’s involvement.”

  “You already knew about Levi before I told you?”

  King nodded his head.

  “You want to know the ironic part? She did it to break up my friendship with Shade, and it only strengthened it. She was angry we were stationed together. I wouldn’t have made it through those days after Levi was killed if I hadn’t had him to lean on.”

  “I’m glad he was there for you.” Evie saw the truth in his eyes.

  “She has the life I wanted. Levi and I were going to get married and make a family together. She never wanted kids, though. She hated them.”

  “Evie…”

  At that moment, the waitress brought their food, and thankfully, the topic was changed, but the lighthearted atmosphere was gone. Evie managed to take a couple of bites yet couldn’t force herself to take another drink of the appalling wine.

  King motioned for the waitress to bring the ticket, giving her his credit card.

  “Finish eating. I’ll be fine in a minute.”

  “Yours isn’t the only appetite she ruined,” he said, signing the check and rising to his feet.

  They drove back to her house in silence. “King, I...” she started when they got to her door.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Evie.” His mouth brushed her lips before he stepped back, going to his car. He waited until she was inside before pulling out of her driveway. She had been tempted to invite him in but had not wanted to return to her habit of using sex to escape the pain of her past.

  Evie went into the living room, sitting down on the couch and staring into space.

  King had irrevocably changed her; all she could think of was wanting him. She had missed him and wanted to touch him. None of that had to do with missing Levi. She was tired and aggravated at Brooke, but she didn’t feel like sitting and thinking about the past; it had finally lost its grim hold on her.

  Evie got off the couch and went to bed.

  * * *

  Monday’s were always busy days. She was returning a file to the office when she looked out into the lobby to see Beth sitting there. Evie opened the door, motioning her back.

  “I didn’t know
you had an appointment today with Dr. Jones.” She caught the brief twinge of pain Beth tried to hide.

  “I didn’t. I haven’t been feeling well, so I thought I would get Dr. Jones to check me out. I know I’m probably just being paranoid, though.”

  “I have a room available. Go on inside, and I’ll tell the doctor you’re here.” Evie went to the nurse and passed along the message.

  Beth was carrying twins, and while she had a naturally-fair complexion, she seemed pale to Evie. She went into the exam room she had placed Beth in, going to the cabinet.

  “I’m going to get some blood work on you, Beth, while we wait for the doctor.”

  “Okay.” As her friend’s worried gaze caught hers, Evie swallowed, forcing herself to focus. She had been trained to maintain a profession demeanor, yet Beth had become a close friend. She had become more of a sister to her than her own twin.

  When Dr. Jones came in, her eyes showed the same concern as Evie’s. Both women worked together to check Beth out then talked silently outside before going back in to Beth.

  “Beth, I’m putting you on bed rest.”

  “Before you freak out,” Evie started, “I’ll take over your patients for the rest of the week. Besides, you’re already training Dayton to take over for you while you’re on maternity leave anyway.”

  “All right. I want to say no, but I’m not going to take any chances with the babies.”

  “Good choice. Your blood pressure is slightly elevated, so I want you to get plenty of sleep and relaxation. No worrying over those clients, either,” Dr. Jones ordered in her no-nonsense voice.

  “If Evie is watching over them, then I know they’ll be in good hands.”

  “Did you drive yourself in?” Evie asked her suspiciously.

  “Yes, I didn’t want to worry Razer,” Beth admitted.

  Evie slid out her phone.

  “You wouldn’t dare,” Beth said, reaching out to try to take the phone away.

  Evie pressed Razer’s number, putting the phone to her ear. When he came on the line, she explained where Beth was and the doctor’s orders. She hung up after a brief word from him.

  “Traitor.”

  Evie shrugged unconcerned. “He would have kicked my ass if he found out you were here and I didn’t tell him.”

  “Now he’s going to kick mine,” Beth said, feeling sorry for herself. Evie recognized the emotional signs of Beth’s advanced pregnancy.

  “That man would never hurt one of those blonde hairs of yours,” Evie said unsympathetically.

  “I’m going to pay you back for this one day,” she threatened.

  “Maybe so, but you’re a hell of a lot easier to face than Razer.”

  Chapter 25

  King stood in the parking lot of the church, waiting for Evie to drop off the clothing she had collected for the store. The backyard of the church was filled with the town celebrating the Fourth of July, so King’s eyes traveled over the yard, looking for his daughter.

  She was leaning against one of the large oak trees as she waited for Shade to finish his conversation with Viper and Rider. Shade was facing his wife while the other two men had their backs to her.

  If he hadn’t been watching, he would have missed the silent communication between the couple. Lily was staring at Shade with a soft smile on her face, and for a flash of a second, her face turned to one of heated desire before she blushed, regaining her composure. Shade caught the look and returned it with one of his own. Excusing himself from his friends, he stalked across the yard to his wife who was frantically looking around to make sure no one was watching. Her husband captured her, bending down to whisper something in her ear before placing an arm around her shoulder then maneuvering her through the crowd.

  “Are you spying on them?” Evie’s amused voice drew his attention.

  “Shade really loves her, doesn’t he?” It wasn’t a question.

  “That’s what I’ve been telling you for the last six months.”

  They opened the gate to the backyard as Shade and Lily were about to reach it.

  “Leaving early?” King watched as Lily turned a bright red.

  “The heat is getting to Lily. We thought we would go home until it cools down then come back for the fireworks,” Shade explained with an impassive face.

  King smiled down at his embarrassed daughter. “I’ll see you later tonight then.”

  “You two have fun,” Lily said quickly as Shade led her to his bike.

  King stared after them as Shade drove off.

  “They are still considered newlyweds,” Evie laughed.

  “I never thought I would see the day where she was that happy.” His voice was thick with emotion as he turned back to Evie. “I’m glad we came.”

  “Me, too. I haven’t missed this picnic since I’ve come to Treepoint, but I don’t know if I would have come if Lily hadn’t told me Brooke wouldn’t be here today.” Lily had told her Brooke had taken her new niece back to Georgia for their mother to see and would be gone the next three weeks. Evie was hurt her mother and Brooke were so close while their mother had turned her back on her; Evie couldn’t imagine turning her back on one of her own children.

  As they filled their plates at the many tables that had been set up, King was much more wary this time about the food; he only dumped small amounts onto his plate.

  “You’re learning.”

  “I learn from my mistakes,” King said, following Evie to where The Last Riders were seated at a picnic table.

  He hadn’t met them yet, but he recognized them from their pictures that had been given to him when he’d had Shade checked out. They were a hard group of men that had faced many challenges. King had grown up rough, but a couple of them could probably teach him a lesson or two.

  “Hell no, why didn’t someone warn me they would be here,” the one King recognized as Train groaned.

  King looked in the direction he was staring at in horror.

  The group of women entering the picnic were dressed flashy, to say the least. One with bright red hair was dressed seductively in a wrap dress that left her chest mostly bare. She had tattoos on her chest, which he couldn’t make out from the distance, and she was pushing a double stroller like it was a weapon of mass destruction, sending people scurrying out of their path. If he were to imagine what hard-living biker women looked like, these women would fit that picture in his mind. They were dressed in leather, boasted tats and had hair that went the gamut of colors. One of the women was taller and leaner than the rest, wearing tight, black jeans and a t-shirt with metal spikes on the shoulders. Her cold gaze surveyed the picnic guests before moving to stand behind the young girls.

  The women were heading toward their table.

  “Shit.”

  “Calm down, Train. We’ll protect you.” Lucky laughed at his friend’s predicament.

  “I don’t know what the fuck you think is so funny; you’re not a pastor anymore. They’re going to consider you fresh meat,” Train taunted.

  “Hey, bitch, where have you been?” King stiffened next to Evie when he realized one of the women was addressing her. Her hand quickly lay on his thigh to prevent him from snapping a reply to her rude greeting.

  The woman in the wrap dress smacked the other woman on the arm. “What did I tell you about your fucking mouth?” She then turned to look down at Evie. “You going to introduce us to your new man?”

  “King, this is Sex Piston. The one with the metal spikes is Killyama. The one with the purple hair is Crazy Bitch. And T.A. and Fat Louise are over there with the little girls, breaking the line to get their faces painted.”

  “Got to teach kids to take up for themselves.” Sex Piston bragged.

  “They’re the ones breaking the line.” King watched the woman shrug unconcernedly, never taking her shrewd gaze off him.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Train try to talk to the one with spikes; however, she ignored him, walking to Lucky. “This seat taken?”

 
“Bliss was just getting us—no, have a seat.” Lucky scooted over, letting the abrasive woman sit down. King then noticed a small, attractive blonde turn on her heel, going to another picnic table. Evie just shook her head at him when he asked why the woman didn’t return to the table. Within seconds, King had his answer as the table was completely taken over by the crew of women.

  Not long after they sat down, King was taking a drink of his iced tea when Sex Piston’s baby began crying. She picked the infant up, and without showing even a hint of embarrassment, she pulled her dress to the side, unsnapping a flap before letting the baby nurse in front of God and everyone at the picnic.

  “One of nature’s most beautiful moments, isn’t it?” Killyama said.

  “That’s easy for you to say; he isn’t chewing your nipple off.” Sex Piston replied sarcastically.

  King choked, trying to blink back the painful tears in his eyes.

  “They have that effect on everyone,” Train said grimly.

  “I see Willa decided to come after all. I’m going to go say hello.” Evie jumped up, glad to take the opportunity for escape.

  King grabbed Evie’s hand. “I’ll come with you,” he said, hurriedly getting to his feet.

  “Coward,” Evie remarked when they were away from the picnic table.

  “What are they?”

  “They belong to the Destructors.”

  “Another motorcycle club?”

  “Yes.”

  “And I thought Treepoint was a sleepy, little town,” King muttered snidely.

  “Technically, the Destructors live in Jamestown, but Sex Piston likes to visit, a lot.”

  “Sweet Jesus.”

  “Hi, Willa.”

  “Evie, King.”

  “Did you bring dessert?” King asked, smiling down at the pretty woman. She was as short as the other blonde, but while the other was slim and perky, Willa was heavier and more reserved. There was no comparison to King when he looked into her cornflower blue eyes.

  “Yes, I brought the cupcakes with the sparklers.” King started to go to the table to get one but saw the table surrounded by children.

  “Sorry.” When Willa laughed at his show of disappointment, King’s mouth almost dropped open, staring at the woman in surprise. When she forgot to be shy, her face lit up, her smile showing twin dimples. A sharp pinch on his arm had him looking at Evie.