Harmony began to untangle herself from my arms just as the priest asked for any last words. At first I was confused, she never mentioned getting up to say anything. But then I saw Mix stand from his place across the aisle, shuffling past people, carrying Harmony’s guitar.
I had to smile. I knew my girl, and this was her way of saying goodbye. She didn’t use words, she used song.
Mix smiled as he hooked the guitar over her, the strap holding it in the perfect place for Harmony to play as she stood next to Caleb –Shield’scasket. Standing quietly for a few seconds, her mouth moving while she whispered her own quiet words to a young man whom she cared about deeply and who had saved the both of us.
The intro to ‘Hotel California’by The Eagles filled the church. I knew the tune as soon as her fingers began to pluck at the strings and the music took me away.
Her eyes stayed closed the whole time. The beauty and the pain on her face were both mesmerizing and heartbreaking.
I took the chance to lead the procession, getting up from my seat and kissing Harmony on the cheek before touching the casket and saying goodbye to my fallen Brother. I walked around and stood next to Harmony as I watched my Brothers and their families do the same before they headed for the door.
Optimus took station on the other side of the coffin, Chelsea wrapped in his arms as he nodded and shook hands with everyone who passed, silently thanking them for taking part.
Harmony never faulted; her voice and pitch still perfect, even as I watched tears drip from her stunning long lashes.
I found myself singing along to a song I knew so well. I watched as my mother and father walked over last, the room now almost empty except for my Brothers and all the men and women from Optimus’ chapter. Some stood just embracing their women, others mouthing the words to the song. Bright Eyes brushed a piece of hair from Harmony’s face. My girl finally opened her eyes and they smiled at each other. Oz shook my hand and took a place next to me, his deep voice resonating in the vast space as he joined my girl in the song.
It was surreal as I watched both men and women embrace each other and quietly sing along. It was never easy losing someone who was a part of your family. Saying goodbye never seemed like forever, not like it was today. We all knew we would never see him again. The kid might have shot my girl, but he saved her as well as me. The only reason I wasn’t the one laying cold in the casket was because of him. I owed him. We owed him. He was getting the final goodbye that he deserved.
When the guy from the funeral home came in, Optimus, Blizzard, Wrench, Tally, Tie and myself each took a handle of the coffin and made the long walk down the aisle. Harmony followed. The sound of her voice sent chills through my bones as she walked behind us.
When Harmony finally finished playing nobody applauded, nobody even moved. The air was still as we all took a moment.
“Best sendoff I think I’ve ever witnessed a Brother have,” my father said, patting me on the back.
Harmony pulled off her guitar and handed it to me. I watched as she walked over to one of the club girls, Dana I think her name was, and wrapped her up in a hug with quiet whispers in her ear. There had been tension between the two the first night Harmony and I had met, but since I saw her in Harmony’s room yesterday, there seemed to have been some kind of peace made between them.
“Let’s get our boy to his resting place so we can get back to the club,” Optimus said as we watched the undertaker close the hearse.
We all mounted our bikes and rode from the church to the cemetery. Bikes led the procession, others in cars followed behind, surrounding our fallen with family. Most of the family turned off and headed for Optimus’ clubhouse to start preparing for the party we were holding in Shield’s honor. It wouldn’t be big, with most of the club members from out-of-state and their families needing to return home as soon as possible, but it would be a goodbye that we would all remember. Harmony had gone with them. She’d said her goodbyes at the church and watching him being put in the ground was not something that she needed to see.
As we watched him placed in the perfectly carved hole, a small excavator that they used to put the soil back on top moved over to us. I held up my hand to stop the guy, he stared at me strangely.
“Get us some shovels.”
He looked at me for a moment before nodding.
A handful of us each took turns hefting the dirt into the hole, slowly covering the dark wooden coffin. I watched as it slowly disappeared under a mountain of dirt. That saying finally ringing true –Gone but never forgotten.
“Well, who’s gonna pour me drinks now?” Blizzard joked as he stripped his shirt off and wiped his forehead before shrugging his cut back on over his bare torso. The weather was still cooling, but fuck me if it wasn’t hot shoveling this shit in the middle of a wide open space. I had my shirt off and tucked into the back of my jeans and sweat still dripped down my body.
“Aw, poor baby is going to have to pour his own drinks,” Leo laughed. Blizzard shot him a look that said‘Fucker are you crazy?’and we all laughed.
“We have two other prospects you idiot,” Optimus said rolling his eyes.
Blizzard scoffed. “Neither of them could pour a beer like our boy here.” He gestured to the now mountain of dirt that sat at our feet, shaped into a perfect rectangle. The large headstone protruding proudly.
“Yeah, the kid was good behind the bar. Gonna miss him,” Wrench added.
“Yeah, he had that soft touch,” Optimus said. We all looked at him like he’d grown two heads. “Oh, I’m sorry, I thought we were pretending we had vaginas and this was the sharing circle.”
I chuckled. “Are we done? There’s only one pussy I need and it’s waiting for me back at the club.”
“I bet Harmony will get me a drink,” Tally shot as we walked back across the short grass to our bikes, he wiggled his eyebrows at me.
I shoved him and he stumbled. “Get your own drink you lazy asshole, leave my woman alone.”
The stupid thing was, I knew if he asked her that she would. But I didn’t want my girl distracted. It had been a long day and the first thing I wanted to do when I walked through those doors was to find Harmony, drag her to the bedroom and sink deep inside of her. I needed to feel her, to remind myself that she was there. That she was safe.
I mounted my bike but took one last look over at the space we had just left and was reminded that life is too short. The life of an MC wasn’t always danger and murder. When things are going right, it’s easy to forget that tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us. If anything, having my Brothers by my side made me feel as though I was invincible. But the reality is that I could be struck down tomorrow and there’s not a darn thing anyone can do about it.
With that in mind, I started my bike, the beast vibrating and rumbling between my legs. I needed my woman, I needed her now and I didn’t care what it took or what hoops I had to jump through, she would be coming home with me. Because spending another day without her, just wasn’t an option.