***
I feel safe on the back of his bike. I feel free. My arms are wrapped around his waist, my fingers interlocked, holding me in place. His arm rests over my thigh, his hand holding my calf, his thumb rubbing back and forth as we travel behind the car my brother and his sister are in, driven by the prospect. Tongue is on his bike in front of them, and in front of him are Arthur’s men. I let out a small chuckle.
"You okay, Dragonfly?" he asks through the headset, his hand giving my leg a little squeeze.
"Yeah," I respond. "Just find it a little funny we're all driving along in a row," I tell him with a smile.
"Safety first, baby. I know it might look ridiculous, but your safety is the priority," he says.
"I know, and I'm so grateful. Thank you," I tell him, giving his stomach a small squeeze.
The cool air blows around us as we continue to cruise down a motorway. I'm so at ease I don't realise we're pulling off until we've slowed almost to a stop.
"What's happening?" I ask, a little worried.
He gives my leg another squeeze. "Nothing to worry about, baby, just a little detour. I'll explain when we stop."
I don't push, I just hold on and let him drive us through two villages until we're at a stop and he's turning off his engine. I look in front and to the side and see the others have all stopped and are getting out of the cars. Arthur’s men are walking ahead while Max helps me off the bike and leads me to the car with Mason and Georgia. Max grabs my hand, and as I look up to face him, my eyes catch a glimpse of Arthur’s men heading through two large black iron gates. I blink a couple of times and try to swallow the lump in my throat as I realise where we are.
"Max?" I breathe out in a whisper.
He stops and turns to face me. "If you don't want to go in there, we don't have to. But you said you guys hadn't been since the funeral, you said that you wish you could visit. That Mason has asked a couple of times. I knew it was on the way home, so I wanted to give you both the option." He pulls me closer, wrapping his arms around me. "It's up to you and him, baby. If you want to go in there, we can go, and if not, we can go home."
"Please, Nova?" Mason suddenly cuts in. I look down to see a pleading look on his face.
"You sure you want to, buddy?" I ask him.
He nods as he glances toward the entrance. "Yes, please. I really want to." He doesn’t wait for me to respond, he just starts walking toward the gates as Arthur’s men give the nod, letting us know it's all clear. Max holds me in place as Georgia quickly follows my brother, grabbing his hand, giving him the support I'm failing to give him right now.Prospect gives us a nod and then follows closely behind them.
"Dragonfly?" Max asks, his eyes flicking back and forth over mine.
I pull in a couple of deep breaths, my stomach doing somersaults as I watch my brother casually walking through the gates. Max grips my chin, tilting my face toward him. "Baby, talk to me."
"I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. I know I said I wanted to come here, that I needed to see the graves, but now that we're here, I'm not sure I can do it. And now I've let my little brother walk in there without me. What kind of person does that make me?" I'm rambling, Iknow I am, my thoughts and feelings all over the place. I love that he brought us here, I just wish he'd told me, that he'd given me a heads up we were coming here.
"I'm so sorry, Dragonfly." I look up at the sadness in his tone and wrinkle my forehead. "I didn't think, I should have asked you first. Shit." He closes his eyes, resting his forehead on mine.
"Max." I grab his face and pull him back, forcing him to look at me. "I love that you brought us here, I love that you thought about it. I just wish you had given me a chance to prepare myself for it. I just need a second to get my head around being here. It's been six years since we were last here, six years since we saw their coffins being lowered into the ground. I want to go in there, I really do, I just need a second. Okay?" I breathe out.
He nods, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to him. The warmth of his body, the strength of his grip soothes my worries, it eases my pain, just enough for me to gain my strength and walk through the gates of the cemetery a few minutes later.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
I want to be next to her; I want to hold her. Hold her brother. I want to give them comfort, but I don't want to insert myself into their moment. When she finally walked in here, she let go of my hand and rushed straight over to her brother. They've been sat at their parents’ graveside for the last forty-five minutes. As Georgia left them to it and walked back over to where I'm stood, I couldn’t help but notice that they don't even have a proper headstone. They have a small post with their names on, nothing more. I hate that for them, I hate that their uncle couldn’t even have a proper headstone erected. I fold my arms over my chest, trying to suppress the anger I feel.
"Do you think this was a bad idea?" Georgia asks me.
"What?" I question.
"This, bringing them here?" She gestures toward my woman.
"No. I think not giving her a heads up was a mistake, but they need this. They've not been back here since the funeral, neither of them had a chance to say goodbye. This is exactly what they need," I tell her as I watch Nova crying into Mason’s hair, while he just sits there, staring at the post with his parents’ names on.
Fifteen minutes later, I walk over to them and squat down. "Nova, Mase, are you guys ready to go?" I ask them. Mason nods and stands just as Georgia's hand comes from behind me, reaching for his. She gives me a smile and leads Mason back to the car.
"Baby." I reach for Nova, gently resting my hand on her shoulder. She half turns her head toward me to acknowledge me, but she doesn't turn all the way around. I take a seat behind her, placing my legs either side of her and pulling her back as close to my chest as I can, wrapping my arms around her. "Are you okay?" I whisper into her hair.
She leans into me, shaking her head, her hands gripping at my arms as she sobs. "What if they're disappointed in me?" she asks between sobs.
