Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 311

CHAPTER 174-2

“I am.” I said as I looked at the names carved into the stone.

“I keep thinking about Uncle Will.” I added and Jace nodded.

“He would have liked this.” He said and smiled.

“He would have complained about the motorcycles being too clean.” I said and Jace laughed quietly.

“That sounds about right.” He said.

The tension around us eased slightly, and several members began sharing stories about the fallen brothers.

Mason told a story about a member named Tommy who once tried to repair a motorcycle after drinking too much beer, and apparently the result had been so terrible that everyone had spent the next morning fixing the damage.

Another member remembered a brother named Ray who had apparently been incapable of arriving anywhere on time.

The stories made people laugh, and that was when I understood something important. Remembering someone didn’t always have to hurt.

Sometimes remembering meant laughing at the ridiculous things they had done. Sometimes it meant telling the stories that made them feel alive again.

When it was my turn, I stepped forward.

I hadn’t planned a speech, and I had no notes because I didn’t need them.

“I didn’t know most of the men whose names are on this stone, but I know what it means to lose someone who helped shape your life.” I said as I looked down briefly before continuing.

“My Uncle Will taught me almost everything I know about motorcycles, and he taught me that fixing something doesn’t always mean making it perfect because sometimes it means giving it another chance.” I continued as Jace watched me from the crowd and I smiled.

“He believed broken things were worth saving, and I think that lesson followed me into every part of my life.” I added as my voice became quieter.

“I miss him every day, but I’m grateful for everything he gave me, and I’m grateful that his memory still has a place here.” I said.

I stepped back beside Jace, and he wrapped an arm around my waist.

“You did good.” He whispered.

“I was nervous.” I said.

“You couldn’t tell.” He said.

“That’s because I was trying not to fall apart.” I said and he kissed the side of my head.

< CHAPTER 1742

“You didn’t.” He said.

After the memorial ceremony, everyone returned to the clubhouse, where tables had been prepared outside.

Clam

Food covered nearly every surface, and the atmosphere slowly shifted from solemn to warm as people talked, laughed, and shared more stories.

Someone brought out old photographs, and soon several members were arguing about who had owned the worst motorcycle in club history.

“That one wasn’t mine.” Mason protested as Derek held up the photograph.

“You are standing beside it.” Derek said.

“I was standing beside it because I was trying to figure out who had brought that disaster here.” Mason said and the table erupted in laughter.

I watched everyone around me, and I realized how much the Iron Vipers had become my family.

Jace stood beside me with a glass in his hand and the president raised his own glass.

“To the brothers who came before us.” Jace said and everyone lifted their glasses.

“To the brothers who still ride with us in every memory.” He added.

The glasses came together, and I raised mine too.

“To Uncle Will.” I added quietly and Jace looked at me.

“To Will.” He said.

Everyone repeated it, and for a moment I felt something settle inside me.

I thought the day was finished. I thought the memories, the stories, and the toast were enough. Then I noticed Charlotte was missing.

I looked around the yard, but she was nowhere near the tables

“Have you seen Charlotte?” I asked Jace and he shook his head.

“No.” He said.

I assumed she had gone inside, but when I walked toward the clubhouse, I noticed her car was gone.

Later that evening, I drove past the cemetery because I needed some quiet, and as I turned into the small parking area, I saw a familiar vehicle sitting near the entrance.

Charlotte’s car.

I slowed down and looked toward Uncle Will’s grave and Charlotte was standing there alone.

She held a small bouquet of flowers in both hands, and she stood silently in front of the grave for several seconds before lowering them beside his headstone.

CHAPTER 1742

stopped the car but didn’t get out.

Claire

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