“Brothers by Blood,” I whispered softly, hearing the same words echo throughout the church like a wave.
Hadley squeezed my hand, and I inhaled a deep breath.
The priest got up and announced that it was time for the body to be carried out to the hearse.
I saw Harmony get up from her seat and move toward the front, her guitar in her hand. She stood by the mic, and she started playing. I knew the song, and it took everything I had inside me not to break down. Her voice sent a chill through me as she began to sing.
Tears in Heavenby Eric Clapton.
Optimus gestured to us to come forward to carry the coffin. I took a deep breath, pressing my lips to the top of Hadley’s head and making my way forward with my brothers.
The sounds of Harmony’s voice filled the church as we walked down the aisle with Slider’s body braced on our shoulders. The sunlight hit me, stinging my eyes as we walked down the steps.
“Wish he’d eaten less when he was here. Bastard is heavy as fuck,” Tally commented, breaking the harsh tension in the air and making us all laugh. “It had to be said. Let’s face it, he never let any of us get by without a laugh at our expense.”
I was relieved to feel the smile on my face as we placed him down and pushed him inside the long vehicle.
“Say goodbye to your girls and then get to your bikes,” Optimus ordered as he made a beeline for Chelsea and Harlyn. I found Hadley, wrapping my arms around her.
“We’ll meet you back at the clubhouse.”
She nodded.
I’d already explained to her that it was customary for us to go to the cemetery and help cover the body in by hand. It was our last goodbye. We never let a man be thrown into the darkness without knowing that we were there for him. Forever.
“Leo?” Callie approached us, dabbing at her cheeks with a tissue.
“Callie, this is Hadley, my Old Lady. Hadley, this is Slider’s sister, Callie, and her man Switch.”
For a second, I saw Hadley’s eyes widen and her shoulders sink. But Callie swept in, pulling Hadley into her arms and holding her close.
“I’m so sorry,” Hadley whispered through her tears as the other woman cradled her.
Callie shook her head. “Please don’t be.”
I let them have their moment, picking Macy up off the ground and propping her on my hip.
“We’ve got a couple of our own at home,” Switch said, his face softening as he looked at Macy. “Girl who’s six months and a boy who’s two.”
“I’ve got my hands full with one, man.”
He laughed, his eyes moving to the two women. “Hadley looks like she’d be a good mom.”
I didn’t miss the insinuation that said he thought that Macy was ours, but I just nodded, a smile creeping onto my face, knowing that he was right anyway.
She would be a good Mom.
Not just for Macy, but for the future children I intended on putting in that perfectly toned stomach of hers. I kissed Hadley goodbye as she headed down the street to my truck with the other women. Every club member that was there had already climbed on their bikes and started their engines. The roar was unlike any sound you’d ever heard.
I joined my brothers, starting my bike and feeling the motor rumble between my thighs.
The hearse pulled out of the church and drove down the center of the street. As it passed each member, they revved their engine, a chorus that was so sweet, so perfect. As it passed by me, I revved my throttle until the vehicle had moved on. I watched it continue down the street.
“Thanks, man,” I whispered quietly. “Without you, I wouldn’t still have her. I’ll never forget this.”