Page 16 of Ride or Dies

“We’re not worried,” Jenna said, reaching over to take Isabel’s hand. “And even if we do end up with a bunch of paparazzi trying to get a picture of my very famous maid of honor, I wouldn’t change a thing. Having you here is worth a little extra hassle.”

“Thank you.” My eyes burned with the tears I blinked back.

“Now, how about we get back to wedding planning,” Jenna said. “We already have the two songs you’re singing during the actual ceremony, but I was hoping you could sing a couple at the reception too. “Kentucky Sky,” of course. And yes, I know it’s not a love song, but it is the one that got you discovered and I take almost full credit for that.”

“You do?” Isabel asked.

“She never told you the story?” I laughed. “She’s the one who recorded me singing it and posted it online without my permission.”

“She was furious,” Jenna said happily. “But then she got the call from the record label and is now eternally grateful. She also owes us her firstborn, so we’ll need to be ready for that as soon as she starts dating a decent guy.”

Levi made a snorting sound that I thought could’ve been a laugh, but I ignored him.

Asshole.

At least my feelings about one of the Bradshaw brothers were pretty simple.

“Let’s not get carried away,” I said. “Now, what other songs do you want for the reception?”

Chapter Nine

Levi

How the hell did I go from president of a motorcycle club to babysitter?

Jenna’s laugh was bright as she listed off the songs she wanted Evie to sing, and I could only shake my head. I’d faced off with men who would kill their own mothers for a dime, but I couldn’t say no to my baby sister.

It had absolutely nothing to do with wanting to protect a certain green-eyed songbird. And it definitely didn’t have anything to do with that damn kiss.

I’d kissed plenty of women in my life. Some, I remembered. Most I didn’t. Kissing was just part of getting to fucking. Before my dad died, maybe I thought different because I’d been different. Back then, I thought I’d follow in Dad’s footsteps. College or trade school. Regular job. Wife and kids when I felt like settling down. Instead, I became the man of the house at seventeen, and then we moved here.

Looking at Mom, I felt a stab of guilt at how I’d behaved back then. For two years after the move, I was a total jackass. Rebelled. Joined the Thunder Riders. Partied. Slept around. Then Mason had joined the MC and I realized how badly I’d fucked up being a role model for him. The Thunder Riders hadn’t ever been into the really dark shit that clubs like the Cobras dealt in, but we did our fair share of illegal shit. After I became president six months ago, I started making changes, and I hoped we’d eventually be mostly legit.

I didn’t have the time for a woman beyond how long it took to get us both off. And even if I did, Evie was the last girl I should be looking at.

But I still couldn’t stop thinking about that fucking kiss. Those sounds she’d made that made me wonder what other noises I could get her to make. The way her body had leaned into me. The feel of her ass under my palm and how badly I’d wanted to spank it.

Just the thought of turning her ass pink had my jeans uncomfortably tight.

“So, I know you two have been having a hard time picking out a song for your first dance.”

The nervousness in Evie’s voice had me looking at her, wondering at the change.

“When you told me that you proposed to Isabel, I started working on something.” Evie’s smile was shy, nothing like her usual confident smirks or that sunshine smile I’d always hated and loved.

Loved because she’d been through so much shit in her life that she deserved to be that happy, but hated because I’d never been able to get one of those from her. Most of them had gone to Jenna, but Mason and Tucker had managed it every once in a while. But not me.

I pushed those thoughts away and moved from the kitchen to the living room to look out front and make sure it was still clear. The kitchen was close enough that I could still hear what was going on in there.

“I finished it this morning before I got here. It’s my gift to you, so even if you don’t want to use it, it’s still your song.”

Everything out front looked good, which meant it was time to take a walk around the yard, make sure we didn’t have anyone trying to get in through the back. But I didn’t leave. Instead, I walked back toward the kitchen, stopping in the doorway as Evie picked up her guitar.

I had wondered why she insisted on bringing it even though I told her we were going on my bike and not in her tiny clown car. Seeing the tears in my sister’s eyes, I was glad I’d taken the time to figure out how to bring the guitar on my bike.

With Evie’s head bent over her guitar, her hair covered her face, but I didn’t need to see it to picture the expression she wore. I’d seen her messing around on that guitar for years before she wrote her first hit, and she always had the same look before she started. She’d fiddle with the strings, making sure they were just right, and her eyes would be narrowed, her mouth flat. Every ounce of concentration focused on perfection.

I told her once that she looked like she had to take a shit when she did that. Mom had slapped me upside the head for that one, and Jenna had refused to speak to me for a week. It made for a damn awkward Thanksgiving, and I’d been too arrogant to apologize for it.

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