by Laura Kaye
“Who else?” she asked again.
“They’re both okay,” he hedged. Both? Cora’s belly rolled as Slider finally told her. “Caine was discharged in the middle of the night with a single shot through his wrist.” Slider pressed his lips together for a long moment. “And Haven will be released within the next few hours. She took one in her shoulder, too.”
“Haven? Oh, God,” she gasped, her stomach dropping to the floor and tears immediately flooding her eyes. “She’s okay? You promise me?”
Slider eased onto the bed by her knee, and his hand went to her thigh. “I promise you. In fact, she’s going to come see you as soon as she can.”
Cora sighed, impatient to see her now. “And what about Davis?” She was almost afraid to ask.
He squeezed her thigh. “He’s gone, Cora. And so is the man who shot at the house. That guy ran the dogfighting ring, too, and that’s all over now. All of it.” It felt weird to celebrate such macabre news, but Cora was glad these men were gone. There were too many people in the world who thought it was okay to hurt, abuse, or exploit others, and Cora was happy to see a win for the good guys, for once. If that made her a bad person, she could live with that.
But what she couldn’t live with was waiting to see Haven. The two hours until she was finally discharged felt like a million. But then Haven was sitting there in the doorway, Dare pushing her in a wheelchair.
“Hi, Cora,” Dare said. “Brought you a visitor.”
“They won’t let me walk,” Haven said as Dare rolled her closer.
A little chuckle spilled out of Cora, and she groaned. “Don’t make me laugh.”
Haven took her hand, and her blue-eyed gaze ran over all Cora’s bandages. “I’m sorry. God, Cora. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m just glad you’re okay. I would never want to be without you,” Cora said.
“I feel the very same way. You’re like a sister to me. And we’re going to survive this just like we’ve survived everything else.” Haven gave her a watery smile.
But her best friend was right. “Yes, we will. We all will.” Her gaze went to Slider then. “And we’ll be stronger for it.”
He gave her a nod and a look full of so much love it had to have healed some part of her.
And that night, when it was just the two of them again, Slider made Cora even stronger by telling her just how much he wanted her. “I couldn’t live without you, Cora. Or, at least, I wouldn’t want to. Along with the boys, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to my life. I know we have a lot going on right now, and you’ll need time to heal. And I’m going to give that to you, that and everything else you need. But I just want you to know. You’re my forever, Cora. And when you’re ready, I’m going to be asking you a question and hoping you’ll say yes.”
She exhaled a long breath that released every bit of the loneliness and abandonment she’d ever felt. “God, I love you, Slider, and I already know what my answer will be. So just know I’ll be waiting for you to ask.”
Chapter 26
Thanksgiving dinner at the Raven Riders’ clubhouse was bound to be a pretty huge affair in a regular year, but this year’s celebration was special.
Because every single one of them had something to be grateful for.
Cora sure knew she did. Nearly six weeks had passed since she’d been shot, and though she still had some pain, she was recovering even faster than the doctors expected, which was probably explained by the fact that Slider and the boys wouldn’t let her pick up a single thing around the house. Here she’d been hired to be their nanny, and they’d spent almost every day since taking care of her.
Not that she was complaining. Because the Evans men knew how to dispense some serious TLC. Especially the oldest Evans man. With his mouth and hands and cock. It had been a joyous day indeed when she first felt well enough again to enjoy each of those . . .
In the kitchen, Cora helped Haven, Alexa, and Bunny put everything they’d been cooking for the past two days into all the pretty serving bowls and platters they’d bought just for the occasion. The girls laughed and talked and joked as they always did, but it felt different now, deeper. Because all these crises they’d been through, all these challenges, had forged them into a sisterhood. And when Cora thought of all the ways she now belonged to the people around her, it almost made her want to cry with the sheer goodness of it.
The door swung open and a hand wrapped around her still-flat belly as lips pressed to her neck. And those were two more things Cora had to be grateful for. The eight-week-old baby in her belly, almost old enough for his very first sonogram—because Cora was sure he was another Evans man—and the father of her child who loved them both. None of which was a secret anymore, not after the doctor had apparently shared the news of Cora’s pregnancy in front of Ben. Luckily, the boys were thrilled about the possibility of a new little Evans. So much so that when, a few weeks ago, Ben had crawled into her bed and asked her if he could call her Mom like the baby would one day do, Cora had been absolutely floored—and immediately said yes.
“There’s my sweetheart,” Slider said against her throat.
“Mmm, I’m feeling a little more grateful already,” she teased.
Slider chuckled and nipped her neck. “I’ll be happy to make sure you’re very grateful later. How’re you feeling? You’re not overdoing it, are you?”
She turned in his arms. “I’m fine. It’s a good day,” she said, not willing to think about any of the bad ones. Not today. “The best.”
“Yes, it is.”
“You going to share your news?” she whispered, because she knew he’d been keeping something he’d been working on under wraps from the guys until the details were final.
Slider grinned, and he was so damn handsome with some scruff back on his jaw again. “I think today would be a good time, don’t you?”
“I really do.”
“What are you two whispering about over there?” Haven asked, winking.
“World domination,” Slider deadpanned. Cora threw her head back and laughed.
“Sounds about right,” Bunny said. “Now, Slider Evans, go recruit some help to start carting everything out to the tables, if you would.”
He snagged a piece of stuffing from a bowl. “Yes, ma’am.”
Cora swatted at him but missed, and she rolled her eyes at the smug expression he wore.
“You realize,” Alexa said, “that you are literally glowing.”
Her three friends lined up, all of them nodding.
“Yup,” Haven said, grinning.
“She’s right,” Bunny said. “That’s what the magical peen does to a girl.”
They all burst out laughing. Just stupid, snorting, can’t-stand-up laughing.
Slider, Dare, and Maverick stopped in the doorway and traded looks like they wondered what the heck they’d just walked into. And it made Cora start laughing all over again . . . since they were the owners of some of the magical peens in question.
From the mouth of a sixty-year-old!
How very much Cora hoped she grew up to be just like Bunny.
When the girls managed to pull themselves together again, they supervised everything getting taken out to the tables, and then they all gathered in the mess hall.
Everyone.
Including Jagger, who sat at the head of the main table. His freedom was the biggest thing the club was celebrating today. After an arduous and frustrating set of legal delays, he’d finally been released—and exonerated—three weeks ago. His wavy mess of brown hair had been cut off in jail, but otherwise, the time in hadn’t seemed to change him. At least, not much. He still smiled easily and talked freely and constantly played guitar chords with his fingers, whether he was holding a guitar or not. And he’d jumped right back into his work at the track. But it seemed to Cora that something inside Jagger shined just a little less brightly than before. And they were all determined to help him get it back.
But for now, he was free, an
d home where he belonged. Justice, at long last, had finally been served.
Cora sat next to Slider on her right and Haven on her left, and the boys sat right across from them. No one had dressed the slightest bit differently for the meal, and all the brothers wore their cuts. That felt right. Because they were being exactly who they were.
The tables were laden with turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, cornbread, and so much more—not including Haven’s desserts, of course—and everyone filled their plates and dug in.
One giant family of choice and of blood, of friendship and of love. One where Cora finally fit in. One that finally claimed Cora right back. One that she’d have forever. For the first time in her life, she had no doubts about that.
And the fact that it was a legacy she’d be able to pass on to her own child made it that much more special. The newest little Evans was never going to know what it was like to want for love.
“So, I have some news to share,” Slider said, catching the attention of everyone around them. Cora squeezed his thigh, a silent encouragement to remind him how proud she was.
Maverick tapped his spoon against a glass, gathering the rest of the room’s attention, too. “Hold up, Slider has some news.”
“Stand up, brother,” someone said.
“Oh, well, okay.” Slider rose, and Cora could feel the excitement rolling off him. “You all know I’ve worked at Frederick Auto Body for years. Well, you’re looking at its new owner, effective the first of the year.” Cora nearly burst to hear him say it, and the club was enthusiastic for him, too, clapping and calling out words of congratulations. In the weeks while she’d healed, when Slider had spent so many days at her side, they’d talked about dreams and futures. And the minute Slider had talked about wanting to own his own shop, maybe make a name for himself with custom paint and remodeling jobs, she’d pushed him to do it. Cora hadn’t known that he had decent savings consisting in part of money from Kim’s life insurance, but she was entirely supportive of him using it to build his future.
Their future.
“I love you, Slider, and I’m so proud of you,” she said when he sat back down.
“You make me want to build a life I can be proud of, sweetheart. For all of us.” He kissed her there, in front of everyone. And didn’t even care when the boys groaned and Phoenix teased and Maverick declared that Slider and Cora were the worst PDA offenders among them.
He wasn’t wrong . . .
When people had nearly finished their dinners, Dare stood up and raised his glass. “I’m not sure I’ve ever had as much to be grateful for as I do this year. This club—and every member in it—has stepped up again and again, and I’ve never been prouder to wear these colors.” Murmurs of approval circled the room. “So today, I want us to count our blessings. First and foremost, that Jagger is free, his name has been cleared, and he’s back where he belongs, with all of us.”
A cheer rose up, and everyone raised their glasses. “To Jagger!”
The guy blushed to the tips of his ears, and it was the most endearing thing, especially as his sister and her boyfriend were sitting right there with him, and his sister got a little teary and took his hand. It was so sweet it almost made Cora cry, but then she seemed to get weepy over TV commercials these days. Stupid hormones.
Dare continued, “Next, I’d like us to raise a glass to Caine, Haven, Cora, and Sam, who are all healthy again after some pretty hard fights.” Another round of toasts went up, and Slider pressed a kiss to her cheek. “We also have a special gift for Sam and Ben, too.” Dare pulled two boxes out from under the table and passed them down to the boys.
“Did you know about this?” Cora asked.
Grinning, Slider shook his head.
“Whoa!” Sam said, his eyes going huge as he opened one of the boxes. It was a sentiment Ben echoed a few seconds later. Both of them jumped up holding cutoff jackets, denim and leather, not with full colors, of course, but with the word Prospect on the back. For prospective member.
A huge round of applause and hoots and hollers went up as the boys put on their miniature cuts. Sam looked so much like a younger Slider that Cora could only shake her head. Some girl was already in so much trouble in another ten years, and she didn’t even know it. What an amazing gesture it was for the club to make to these boys who had witnessed so much these past months. Teary again, she met Haven’s smiling gaze and nodded. Thank you, my friend. Because Cora had no doubt that Haven had had a hand in this.
“And the last blessing I’d like to count is a more personal one.” Dare reached out a hand. “Haven, would you join me?”
A grin came immediately to Cora’s face as she watched her friend stand by her man in front of the entire club.
And then Dare Kenyon went down on one knee.
Cora sucked in a breath as Haven’s mouth dropped open, and you could’ve heard a pin drop in the room as the club’s president began to talk.
“Haven, you have literally saved my life. But even before you did that, you’d saved me in a different way—you made me face that I was only ghosting through the life I had and dared me to want more. And even more than that, you made me believe I deserved it. For a man who spent most of his life certain he didn’t deserve anything, you’ve given me everything. And so, I want to give you everything back. My heart, my love, my name. I don’t want to ride alone anymore. I want you in my saddle and at my side, always. So, Haven Randall, will you do me the greatest honor of my life and be my wife?”
Cora pressed a hand to her mouth, her heart so full she had no chance of keeping her emotions in.
“Nothing would make me happier, or prouder, than marrying you, Dare,” Haven said.
Grinning bigger than Cora had ever seen before, Dare slipped a ring on Haven’s finger, then rose and took her in his arms. While the club clapped and cheered, their friends kissed and laughed and started a life together.
Just like the life Cora and Slider were starting. Just like the little life growing in Cora’s belly.
“Someday soon that’s gonna be us,” Slider whispered in her ear.
Cora smiled and wiped happy tears from her eyes. “Yes, it is, Mr. Evans. Yes, it is.” But Cora wasn’t in any rush.
For all the craziness, she’d only been together with Slider for less than three months, and they had the boys to consider. So she and Slider were focusing on settling in together, adjusting to having a new family member arrive soon, and helping Slider start a new business. Not to mention spending time as a family with the boys—and with Bosco the Lovable Basset. Whose nametag now read Bosco T.L.B. Campbell-Evans.
The rest? It would come when they were all ready.
In the meantime, Cora already knew where she belonged. And Slider already knew she was his forever. And they both knew love. So much love.
And in this life, what more was there?
They all brought out the desserts, and then Dare raised his glass one more time. “To brotherhood, club, family!” he called out, his arm around his new fiancée’s waist.
“To brotherhood, club, family,” they all cheered back, bringing to a close the best Thanksgiving Cora had ever celebrated.
But that was just a start to the celebrations that brightened her life these days.
Because Slider proposed at Christmastime, and baby Jackson Dare Evans was born in June, and Cora Campbell became Mrs. Slider Evans in September. And for the first time in her life, the girl who nobody wanted learned to believe in happily-ever-afters, and found hers, too . . .
A Note from the Author
One of the most challenging things about writing this book was researching dogfighting and the abuse and neglect that animals face every day. I’m a huge animal lover and a dog owner, and reading about (and seeing) how so many dogs are treated and what they endure—especially those involved in dogfighting—truly broke my heart. That is why I’m donating a portion of the proceeds from Ride Wild to Noah’s Arks Rescue, a real nonprofit o
rganization that supplies emergency medical, surgical, and rehabilitation services to abused animals. The injured dog Cora witnesses on her first day at the animal shelter, whom I named Otto, is in memory of Noah’s Arks’ Otto, whose story you can find on their site, www.noahs-arks.net.
Acknowledgments
Some books are a trial by fire, and this was definitely one. Of necessity, this book had to be written fast. But the most amazing thing happened—Slider and Cora were so right for each other that the words often flowed faster than I could get them down. This couple surprised me at every turn—with the depth of their emotion, their profound connection, their amazing humor, the way they loved the boys. And I found myself falling in love with the Raven Riders all over again. They have certainly come to feel like my home, too.
I have a couple of people who absolutely must receive my words of appreciation, because when life made finishing Ride Wild difficult, these people helped make sure it could happen. My first thanks must go to my editor, Nicole Fischer, for the incredible support she gave me in letting me finish on a less-than-ideal schedule. Knowing an editor has your back that way means the world, and I really appreciated it. Similarly, a huge thanks to my agent, Kevan Lyon, who was my biggest cheerleader—and my reality check—throughout the entire process. It’s amazing to work with such supportive women every day.
Next, I have to thank my bestie, Lea Nolan, for always being available to plot and brainstorm, including at least one midnight phone call when I’m convinced she got back out of bed to help me. That’s true friendship, and I couldn’t have finished without her. Also, an incredible thanks to another amazing friend, Christi Barth, who put her polishing touches on the book, posing probing questions that made me go deeper right when it counted, and giving me the confidence in a crazy writing situation to know that Slider and Cora were as awesome as I hoped. These two ladies made this book possible, and to have them as my bestest friends makes me the luckiest girl ever.