“Shit, it’s not like everyone else isn’t thinking the same thing,” Killyama continued.
Evie avoided Lily’s amused gaze as she sat down on the couch beside Beth.
“Well?”
Evie was trying to remind herself the woman was a good friend of Beth’s and that was why she had invited her and Sex Piston’s crew. However, she was seriously thinking of shoving one of the many pacifiers Beth had received as gifts down her freaking throat. The woman wasn’t going to shut up until she answered, though.
“I’m in love with him.” Where in the hell did that come from? Evie had never had any intention of stating it so bluntly, but the bitch hadn’t let up since she had let them in her door.
The room went silent, which wasn’t an easy thing with so many women packed into the small house. All eyes shifted to Lily, waiting for her reaction.
She got up from the chair she was sitting at. “I know you hate hugs, but I’m going to give you one anyway.” Evie opened her arms and Lily bent down, giving her a hug that brought tears to her eyes.
“Fuck, if I’d know we were going to turn into a bunch of crying pussies, I would have kept my mouth shut,” Killyama griped.
Evie and Lily broke apart, laughing.
“That would have been asking for the impossible,” Beth threatened her friend with a heated glare.
Evie gave Beth a reassuring smile that she wasn’t upset, picking up the bowl of chips and passing them around like nothing had been said. She was determined to make a success of her party, despite her guests. She had promised Razer that Beth would have a good time after he had packed his wife in earlier, placing her on the couch. He hadn’t wanted to leave her, despite the men impatiently blowing their horns from outside, until Evie had promised to take good care of her until his pickup of her tomorrow. Both Beth and Lily were spending the night with her, and Evie was looking forward to the girl time.
Evie passed the chips to Willa.
“No, thanks.”
“Motherfucker. What is this?” Crazy Bitch asked.
“Peanut butter candy,” Willa answered.
“My freaking God,” Jewell moaned. “This is better than sex with Lucky, and if you tell him, I’ll deny it,” she threatened.
The women turned to look at Beth.
“How would I know? The extent of my knowledge about Lucky is kissing.” She shrugged, blushing. “We stopped seeing each other before it progressed that far.”
Evie noticed Willa pick up the bowl of chips. Thinking the casual talk about sex was upsetting her, Evie sought to change the subject.
“It’s really delicious, Willa. Could you show me how to make it?”
“What about you, Evie? Which is better, the candy or Dean?” Killyama butted in before Willa could answer. She recognized the crushed look on Willa’s face. Evie wondered if Knox would arrest her if she killed the bitch.
Fed up, Evie put her hands on her hips, glaring at the interested women, who were avoiding Willa munching on chips, and Lily’s embarrassed expression.
“I am only going to say this once, then we’re changing the subject. There are two brothers I never did. One is Shade, the other is Lucky. Now, the candy is freaking awesome, and if you want to compare it to something, then it’s better than Winter’s lasagna.”
“It can’t be that good,” Bliss said, getting up from her chair to get a piece of the candy. The women burst out laughing at her expression. “I’m your new best friend,” Bliss stated, picking up another piece before turning to sit back down. “That stuff is addictive.”
“It’s my best seller. I can’t make it fast enough,” Willa explained with a shy smile.
“I’m going to take some back to the clubhouse, if you don’t mind. Rider loves peanut butter. I’ve been trying to get him to fix the garbage disposal for a month, and that stuff will give me the bribe I need,” Bliss stated around a mouthful of candy.
Sex Piston reached over to take a piece of the dwindling candy. “Girl, you could get any man in town with that stuff.”
“I’d do her for it,” Jewell said, reaching for another, but Bliss got up, moving the tray to the kitchen.
Willa turned so red Evie almost laughed, but she didn’t want to draw even more attention to the embarrassed woman.
“The only men who want me are the ones who think I’ll be their slave in the kitchen.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Lily said, reaching out to take her friend’s hand.
Willa made a face. “Believe me, it is. When I get asked out on a date, they never take me out to a restaurant; they expect me to cook for them.”
“Lewis one of those men?” Evie questioned, watching Willa’s reaction.
“Lewis thinks I would make a good replacement for the wife that ran away with another man.” Willa’s face was white and her eyes held fear that turned Evie’s stomach. “Now that he’s raising his sister’s kids with his own three, he thinks I would make the perfect mother. He says I’m too fat and ugly for other men to chase, and I can cook, clean and babysit. Of course, the most important part is I have a thriving business to sponge from.”
“You need me to have a talk with this fucker?” Killyama asked, sitting down next to Willa.
Willa’s eyes opened wide at Killyama’s blunt words. “That’s okay. I’ve got it under control.” Evie didn’t believe her; she would have a talk with Shade when he came back tomorrow.
While Beth continued opening her presents, Evie organized all of them so Razer wouldn’t have any difficulty loading them up tomorrow when he picked her up.
“Who is this one from?” Beth asked when Lily handed her the last one. “It’s from Pastor Patterson’s wife. He gave it to me today. He told me Brooke had left it before she had gone to visit her mother.”
“Did she know we were having a shower for Beth?”
“Yes, she called the store today to ask if I could see the pastor had dinner tonight. I told her I couldn’t because I would be too busy helping you with the shower. Rachel volunteered to fix him something before she left, though,” Lily said, picking up the discarded wrapping paper.
“I fixed him a bowl of soup. That man is helpless in the kitchen,” Rachel said, taking a handful of chips. “She even had the nerve to ask me if I thought Lily would come in the morning to fix him breakfast. I told her no, that she was spending the night with you and Beth. The man can fix his own bowl of cereal. If my three brothers can manage to feed themselves, then I think the pastor can, too.”
“Your brothers can’t cook?” Evie joked.
“No, they think that’s what I’m for. I keep hoping at least one of them will get married off.” She stared at Killyama. “You dating anyone?”
“No.”
“Want me to fix you up with one of them?” Rachel asked hopefully.
“Which one?”
“Any one you want.” Evie couldn’t smother her laughter at Rachel’s eagerness.
Killyama looked at Rachel suspiciously. “Which one has the most guns?”
“Tate.”
“Hook me up. I’ll give him a try first.”
“First?” Rachel lost her smile.
Killyama nodded. “I’ll give all three a try before I make my mind up.”
“Never mind,” Rachel told her. “They already fight at the drop of a hat; I don’t need them killing each other over a woman.”
“If you change your mind, let me know.”
Without a word, Rachel got up, going into the kitchen to try to get another piece of candy from the tray Bliss was guarding.
It was after midnight before the women began leaving. Holding the door open as they left, Evie heard the rumbling of thunder.
“I didn’t know a storm was moving in,” Evie remarked, seeing the lightning flash across the sky.
“I didn’t, either.” Winter paused in the threshold. “Will the men be all right?”
“Yes. It’s not like they’re sleeping in tents. Cash’s cabin is big enough to hold th
em all,” Evie assured her.
“That’s good. I would have worried about them.”
“They’re perfectly safe. They have all the amenities: a television, radio and weed. I’m sure they’re just fine.”
After everyone left, Evie and Lily cleaned up the mess. When Beth would have gotten up to help, Evie threatened to call Razer, so Beth sank back against the couch, wincing.
“Are you all right?” Evie asked.
“I’m fine. Just a little indigestion. I shouldn’t have eaten all those meatballs.”
“Me, either,” Evie agreed.
With most of the clean-up finished, they decided to turn in. Evie carried Beth several pillows and a blanket. Lily would sleep in her old bedroom upstairs, which Evie had converted into a spare bedroom.
“Comfortable?”
“Are you kidding me? It’s summer, yet you’d think it was winter outside.”
“I was afraid you would get cold with the air conditioning,” she explained.