“I thought you wanted to keep your home for our children?”
“They’ll have a home. The home you’re building is where they’ll grow up. You can only have one home.”
Lucky couldn’t resist placing a kiss on his wife’s lips.
“There can only be one home—the one we’ll make,” Lucky agreed.
“Ginny deserves it. She finally opened up to me what her issues were with the West’s. I was worried about Cal’s sister Darcy living with them, so she told me to keep me from being worried about her. It gave me another reason to love you.” She looked up at the men in the room. “All of you.”
“We’re glad you think that since you’re our newest member.” Viper grinned. “You’re going through the initiation tonight.”
When Willa went white, Lucky almost laughed, knowing she was thinking about how he had told her the votes were given.
“Siren, I told you that votes could also be given by markers, and I called all mine in to make you a member.”
Willa still didn’t seem to be jumping with joy. “Exactly what’s the initiation?”
Lucky waited for Viper to answer, having already noticed that Shade was boxing up the last of the cupcakes before they could be eaten.
“You have to make another batch of those cupcakes,” Viper stated, wincing when Winter hit his arm.
“And a batch of peanut butter candy,” Rider added quickly.
“And a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies,” Lucky joked.
“I thought you wanted me to stop making them until you lost some weight?” Willa teased.
Lucky bent down to whisper in her ear, “How do you feel about bandits?”
Epilogue 2
“Dad, Becky said I’m going to Hell.”
Willa gasped, looking up from playing with the one-month-old infant in her arms when her son repeated her daughter’s angry statement. Then she and Lucky both stared up from where they sat on a blanket in the front yard, watching their children as they played outside.
“Why did you tell your brother he’s going to Hell?”
Willa threw Lucky a chastising look at the amusement she heard in his voice.
“He said dammit.” Becky’s voice rose as she told on Kale.
Kale turned a bright red. “Uncle Rider says it all the time.”
“Just because Rider says it, that doesn’t mean you can.” She was going to let Rider have it the next time he came over to investigate what she was cooking, which was daily. “I’ve told you that before.”
Becky and Kale were as different as night and day. Becky was older than Kale with an angelic personality. Her son, on the other hand, had a bit of a hellion inside of him. He was definitely his father’s son. He was constantly in trouble, and despite his five years, he was already begging for a miniature bike. Every time Rider showed him his motorcycle collection, the little boy would spend the next three days asking for one. The boy was definitely stubborn and had a temper when his older brother and sister pushed him. She didn’t know where that came from because Lucky rarely lost his temper.
“Why did you say it?”
Kale remained silent, but Becky spoke up, answering her father’s question.
“He said it after he asked Mama for a dog and she told him no.”
“Kale.” Willa had noticed her son becoming angrily silent and walking away after she had told him he couldn’t have a puppy like the one Razer had given his children.
“Go play,” Lucky ordered. “Kale, we will discuss how to control your temper and your language tonight.”
“Yes, sir.” Both children ran off to play with their older brother.
Lucky waited until they were out of earshot before chuckling.
“It’s not funny,” Willa snapped. “He needs to control his temper.”
“Siren, he can’t help it. He takes after his mother.” Lucky leaned toward her, giving her a kiss that melted her indignation. When he straightened, she could tell he wanted to get something off his mind. Unfortunately, she knew what it was. They’d had the same conversation many times before.
“He wants a dog. All the kids do.”
“I know, but I can’t,” she said, her expression filled with pain. The passing years hadn’t taken away the pain or the guilt of losing Ria.
“She was trained to be a protector from the time she was a pup. She wanted to save your life. She would have been proud. If you hadn’t survived, our children would have never been born.”
Willa wiped the tear sliding down her cheek away, cuddling her son closer to her chest.
“I gave her away.” Willa sobbed, revealing her secret anguish. “I was so hurt I couldn’t look at her and not think about you. I didn’t care if she cost twenty thousand dollars. I thought, if she wasn’t there, I wouldn’t think about you so much.”
“I know it wasn’t about the money,” Lucky spoke soothingly. “You’re the most generous woman I know. The whole town depends on your foundations from the schools to the women’s abuse shelter. You turned around; you were coming back for her. You weren’t able to leave her. You’re not capable of giving up someone you love.” Lucky nuzzled her neck as he reached out to stroke his baby’s soft cheek.
Willa regained her composure, not wanting the children to see her cry.
She gave a hiccupping laugh. “I don’t know about that. I didn’t like you very much when Jenna was your girlfriend.”
Lucky straightened up, staring into her eyes. “Jenna was never my girlfriend. I’ve only had three girlfriends my whole life. One was Ava, whom I dated in high school and thought I was going to marry. Beth was the second, and you were my third and still are the only one I ever loved.”
“Your fingers are crossed.” Willa looked down at his hands. “I’m not the only one you loved.”
Lucky stared at her seriously, his eyes hurt. “I can prove it.”
He shifted, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his wallet. Willa watched curiously as he opened it and pulled out a thin strip of paper before he showed it to her.
Willa’s mouth dropped open in surprise. She had wondered on and off for years what had happened to the pictures from the photo booth.
“You’ve had them?”