Chapter Twenty-Five

I hate funerals. I always have.

Then again, when I was younger, it was always a brother that died. Someone who was like family.

It's just a reminder that we haven't done this for my father yet. Or Fend.

Pulling out my phone, I shoot a quick text to Savage telling him we need to do that soon.They deserve a true send-off.

First, though, we have to send off one of the best people I have ever met.

"No, Reaper. It couldn't have been an accident. I'm telling you, someone had to have driven her off the road. There's no way she is just gone from a fucking accident." I hear Honk pleading his case to Reaper from inside of a private room at the church.

Honk refuses to believe it was only an accident. Reaper says they investigated, and her car wasn't tampered with. There were no other cars on the road at the time. The cameras caught the whole thing. She was driving in front of the bank when a dog darted out into the road. It was pouring down rain. She swerved to miss the dog and ended up crashing into a light pole and it fell on top of the car.

They didn't find her right away. It was in the middle of the night. She was coming home from the clubhouse after tending to one of the sweetbutts. It took over an hour for someone to find her, and it was only because she took out the lights.

I hurt for him. I have no idea what I would do if that were Kaitlyn. Especially since she was alive for weeks after. They finally told him that they wanted to see if she was breathing on her own. He was reluctant but agreed.

The problem is, she wasn't. She was already gone.

Leaving Reaper to comfort Honk, I head into the chapel area. The body is on display at the front of the room. Elenore wanted a traditional funeral with a viewing and everything.

She deserves it.

Looking around, I note all the people milling about. She was a loved woman. She was kind and caring. She took in everyone and never judged.

"Hey," the sweet voice I've become addicted to says, causing me to turn around.

There she stands. My beautiful old lady with our son.

"Hey. You okay?" I ask.

She nods. "We should take a seat. The pastor said the service would be starting soon."

I nod, wrapping an arm around her as we find a seat in the back. As much as I want to be up there with my brothers, with Kolby, we need to be close to a door.

I watch as everyone finds their way to a seat.

Wrath has Tara next to him, his face grim. He takes death the hardest. I'm sure it makes this even harder since he viewed Elenor as a mother figure.

Then Pinky and Sunny come in. Sunny stops at the casket for a moment before they take their seats. The rest of the guys file in, Midnight leading the group. Fang splits off to come sit near us.

Bullet walks in, his arm around Harlee. She's crying as he helps her into a seat. That poor girl. Her mother and her butted heads sometimes, but they loved each other. Hell, she's just a teenage girl who still needs her mother for those big moments, and now she won't have that. I'm glad she has Bullet. They are closer in age, so it makes sense that they became friends. He will help her through this. He's a good kid, but one I'll still keep my eye on because she's still too young.

Reaper comes in with Honk next to him. Honk looks like he's aged ten years since the last time I saw him. It's clear he's been crying, but his tears are dry now. He takes the seat next to Harlee, Reaper on his other side.

The service is beautiful. Everyone gets up and says something about Elenore. It speaks to how amazing the woman is. Even Harlee gets up, making a statement.

Honk stays seated, though. He's still not ready to accept that she is gone.

And honestly, I can't blame him. I don't know if I could do it either if it was my wife lying lifeless in a casket.

When Natalie steps up, I know it's going to be emotional.

"Elenore is, was, an amazing soul. She always had an ear to listen to any problem you might have had. If you were going through something, she was at your side, usually with a snack or two, because she believed that food was the way to heal a wound. She gave it to you straight, never sugarcoating her words to spare your feelings, yet she also gave you enough love to take the sting away. She was the heart and soul of this club in many ways. Now she is resting easy. I hope each of us takes a lesson from her and passes her teachings along as we navigate this world. Elenore." She turns toward the picture. "I love you. I always will. I'll watch over your family for you as you have watched over me."

She is crying by the end of her speech. Reaper holds a hand out for her, helping her down the steps as they retake their seats.

The pastor speaks of the afterlife and her soul for a while. Then we are told to follow for the graveside service.

As everyone stands to leave, Fang stops me.

"I think I need to go back to Texas," he says quietly.

"Why?" I ask.

"Life is short. This just proves it. I can stay here and be with you guys, and I would love it, but my gut says that I need to be down there. I don't know how to explain it. When I was there, I felt like it was where I needed to be," he tells me.

"Alright. We will put the transfer paperwork in, and I'll get it approved with Reap."

"Thanks, brother."

I nod. "You'll always be welcome back here."

He walks away, leaving me with Kaitlyn and Kolby.

"That was nice of you," Kaitlyn tells me.

"Fang needs to follow his own destiny. I can't hold him back."

"Still, you are a good man."

Then she leans up and kisses me.

Fuck, I love this woman.

Today has been such a sad day. It's such a contrast to the weather. It's sunny with clear skies.

Normally, this would be a beautiful day.

Instead, there is a layer of gloom over everyone.

I never met Elenore, but it's obvious that she was loved. Based on how upset everyone is, I think it's safe to say she was one hell of a woman. I'm sad that I will never get to know her.

"Oh, a baby. He's so cute," Tara, Wrath's old lady, says to me.

Colt introduced me to everyone when we arrived a few days ago. I've been getting to know each of the old ladies and the brothers while we are here. So far, everyone has been amazing, even with everything going on.

It's clear that this club isn't like my father's. From what little I had heard before coming here, I knew it wasn't like what I grew up with, but it's different when you see it in person. They run things differently here. The women aren't treated as afterthoughts. They are considered rare and precious. It's sweet the way the brothers all show respect to the other old ladies.

"Thank you. Do you want to hold him?" I ask, needing a break from holding him.

"Please." She holds her hands out, taking him from me. "Oh, you are handsome. You are going to be fighting the women off when you get older."

"Hey, don't be taking the spot of number one aunt. That's all mine," Natalie says, coming up to my side.

"I don't know. You have had more time with him, but Auntie Tara is the fun aunt. I will read books to you. You can come play in the kids area of my store. We will have a blast."

I shake my head. "You guys are going to spoil him, aren't you?"

They both laugh. "Us? I mean, yes, but have you seen the way the brothers have been looking at him? They are going to go all soft over him. I bet they are the ones who spoil him."

"Really?" I look around and notice some of the men looking at Kolby with a soft look in their eyes.

"Don't let these men fool you. They are tough as nails, but let a baby make grabby hands at them and they will pick that kid up. They are family men deep down," Tara says.

Shouts from the other side of the yard draw our attention.

"No. I won't shut up about it! I'm telling you that we need to look harder." Honk throws his hands up in the air.

Harlee marches across the yard over to him. Bullet tries to stop her, but she shakes him off. "That's enough, Daddy. Mom is dead and never coming back. She's gone, and there's nothing we can do about it. You need to stop this now. You are only making it worse and embarrassing yourself. She wouldn't want you to act like this, and you know it."

A look of grief and guilt crosses his face as he reaches for his daughter. "Harlee…"

She takes a step back and shakes her head before running off. Bullet stands there, unsure of what to do.

"Go, I don't want her alone, and I…please," Honk pleads.

Bullet nods and takes off after her.

Reaper rests his hand on Honk's shoulder, offering him support while grief consumes him.

"That's so sad. I can't imagine losing a mother or a spouse," Natalie whispers before her eyes go wide as she looks at me. "Kaitlyn, I'm so sorry, I wasn't even thinking about the fact you just lost your mom."

I reach over and squeeze her arms. "You're fine. The difference between Harlee and me is she still needs her mom and she's gone, and I was never close to mine. It just sucks that she had to go through this at sixteen."

"Grief takes time," Tara says.

"Truth. Hey, can you guys watch little man for a minute? I want to talk to Colt," I ask.

Natalie nods. "Yeah. Take your time."

Walking over to Colt, I step up next to him. He immediately wraps his arm around me as he continues to talk to Cueball.

After a moment, he looks down at me. "Where's our boy?"

"With the old ladies. Can I steal you for a minute?" I ask.

He nods. "Catch you later, Cue."

We walk to the edge of the yard.

"Is this good, or do you want privacy? We can go to my room," he says.

I shake my head. "This is fine. We haven't made any decisions about where we want to live yet, and you said the decisions are all mine. Did you mean that?"

He frowns. "Of course I did. Whatever you want, you get, Little Mama."

Taking a deep breath, I nod. "Good. I made my decision. I think, no, I know I want to stay here."

His mouth drops open. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. I was scared to leave my home and everything I knew, but all that did was hold me back. You have this amazing club that is more of a family with this clubhouse that is so full of love. If this was what my father's club was like, I never would have met you because I would have wanted to stay in it. I don't want you to miss out on this, and I don't want our son to either. This is where we belong."

He smiles wide and picks me up, twirling me around. "I fucking love you."

"I love you."

"Good, because you are going to be my old lady. As soon as things settle after today, we are making it official."

"Does that mean I get a property cut?" I tease.

"Fuck yeah, it does. My name on your back. Wait, how do you feel about tattoos?" he asks suddenly.

"Why?" I ask warily.

"Some of the old ladies get tattoos. Midnight designs custom pieces for each woman. Fuck, my name on your skin forever? Can I take you to my room now?" he jokes, kissing on my neck.

"You are incorrigible."

"Yeah, but I'm your old man and you love me."

I melt in his arms. "I do. So much."

In that moment, I know I've made the right decision.

This is where our family belongs.