My head turned, looking at the casket just a few feet away.
“He lived life to the fullest and didn’t hesitate to put others first. He always looked out for the people he loved.”
I stepped to the side. The casket was smooth and cool under my hand. My fingers tightened against the hard surface like I was squeezing his shoulder one final time.
“You might be gone, but you’ll never be forgotten, brother,” I breathed out as a final goodbye.
I took my seat again and watched as Abigail shakily got to her feet. Every step closer to the front seemed to come slower than the one before it. Once she stood in front of everyone, it was like she had to force her head to look up at us.
She was having a hard time getting her words out. I wanted to go to her but I wasn’t sure if I would make it worse.
Maybe she hated me. Maybe she blamed me. Maybe she wished Dade had never stepped foot in the club. I didn’t know because she had kept her emotions to herself, going through the day doing what she usually did. Though it wasn’t the same because her heart wasn’t in it. And any time I tried to tell her to stop, that I’d take care of it, she had waved me off like I was being ridiculous.
Surprisingly, it was Blade that got up and went over to her. His face remained stoic as his hand went to Abigail’s shoulder. She stopped shaking, but the tears still fell. He kept his hand there until she’d finished reading the words she had written down. Then she turned to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Stiffly, he hugged her back, his eyes locked somewhere out in the crowd.
Abigail scurried back to her seat.
We all waited for his parents to get up and say something but they remained stiffly seated. Even the pastor had a brief look of shock.
After all was said and done, everyone scattered. Petra and I rose together once it was clear. Neither of us said anything as we made our way back to my bike. The roar of bikes taking off filled the air.
Raised voices caught my attention and I turned to track where they were coming from.
Abigail and her parents were standing behind a big oak tree at the edge of the cemetery. I hung back for a moment. I wasn’t going to butt in unless I felt that Abigail needed it. I understood that family fought and this was a high emotion time.
“I think it’s past time you came home,” her mother said.
Abigail’s head shook as she looked down. Her expression was hidden by her curtain of hair.
“That club is what got your brother killed. All that careless and reckless behavior. Riding a motorcycle. What was he thinking? Of course he died living in a place like that. Those people don’t care about anything but themselves and having a good time. Do you see what having a good time gets you? Put in the ground.”
I couldn’t take it one second longer, I had to step in. I was shocked this woman was Abigail’s mother and that she dared to talk to her daughter like that. On the day Abigail buried her brother, no fucking less.
“Abigail,” I said stepping up and making my presence known. “Everything alright, sweetheart?”
Abigail’s head came up the moment my hand touched the top of her back.
“Yes, Iron. Thank you.” She turned her head to look at her mother. “You have it all wrong, Mom. And it’s truly sad that you can’t get your head out of your ass long enough to see it. Dade had a good life here. He had people that loved him and cared about what happened to him. They were here for him when he lost his leg. They stuck by his side through it all. The club was more family to him than the two of you could ever claim to be.”
Proud of Abigail, I couldn’t help but smile.
Her mother gasped and her head reared back like she’d been slapped.
“You ready to go home?” I asked Abigail.
“Yes,” she said with a final nod.
I led her away, shielding her as best as I could from her parents’ disapproving glares.
“You gonna tell me about them one day?” I asked after we were out of earshot.
“I’m not perfect,” she said softly. “And to them, that is unacceptable.” She shrugged and walked off without another word.
Charming held out a helmet for her and waited until she had it buckled on before he climbed onto his bike. She got on behind him, her movements a little awkward letting me know that she didn’t make a habit of getting on a bike. With a jerk of his chin in my direction, Charm took off.
“Ready, babe?” I asked feeling Petra behind me.
“Yes.”
“Comin’ to the clubhouse?”
We were having a party in honor of Dade. I had a good feeling most of the brothers would be plastered by the end of the night and I wasn’t about to give a single one of them shit for it.
“No. Take me home. I know it’s going to be a long night for you and I don’t want you to have to worry about me, too.” There was no bitchiness in her tone. No anger. Not even a hint that she wanted me to beg her to come.
She’d decided this was what was best for tonight and while I may have wanted her with me, I got that she was right. Plus, I knew she was probably exhausted from being around so many people for this long. I would let her have her quiet time while I gave all of my focus and attention to the club.
I drove her home. She kissed me lightly before heading into her building.
Then I went to celebrate life in death.
