Page 63 of As The Shifter World Turns

63

SEE YA

Ivor

“Are you driving with me?” Ryder asked as he studied himself in the mirror and flicked his hair back?

“Yes. Micah will drive Archer and his dad and Neil will go with them to look after Elune so Archer can devote his attention to his father.

Archer’s alpha father, George, had passed away. It wasn’t surprising as he’d been ill and getting progressively worse but of course no one was really prepared for death. And Archer and Ron, his omega dad were grieving the loss of their mate, father and Elune’s grandfather.

Originally Ryder had come out of the bedroom dressed in a black suit and tie but I’d explained to him Archer’s dad hated pomp and ceremony. We’d been asked to dress casually. There’d be a small informal ceremony, Micah had paid for food to be delivered and Daire's parents had given us the use of the house for the day.

The Sunshine Manor family used the house and grounds so often, I was surprised Daire’s folks didn’t charge us rent. Maybe they’d mellowed a little after seeing their son make a success of his career.

After the ceremony, or maybe during it, those who wanted to shift would do so to honor George. At the stage I was at in my pregnancy, I wasn’t shifting so I’d stay with Neil and Elune.

Ryder and I didn’t talk much as we headed outside of town. Usually when we made this trip it was to shift—often with our manor family—and it was a joyous occasion. Today was somber, though Archer had emphasized he and his dad wanted to celebrate George’s life not mourn his passing .

“What do you want me to do if you die before me?” I asked. “A big splashy funeral or a quiet get together with friends?”

“You know the answer to that. And make sure there’s plenty of beer. No tears, just telling stories about me.”

I cradled my bump and thought of the life growing inside me and was sad that Elune wouldn’t remember George though perhaps her unicorn would keep the memories safe and show them to her when she was older.

“Does it make you uncomfortable talking about our deaths?”

He shrugged. “A little, but it’s sensible. And that reminds me, we should make a will.”

Uggh. We’d been putting it off which was silly as we had to appoint guardians for our baby. Archer and Neil were the obvious choices. And maybe Daire too. But we hadn’t asked them. My fault as there’d been so many upheavals in everyone’s life, it never seemed like a good time.”

“What about you?” Ryder kept his eyes on the road. “Do I toss your body on a bonfire and raise a glass of wine in your honor?”

“Ryder!”

“Kidding, mate. Kidding.”

I squirmed in my seat, his joke making me uncomfortable.

“My attempt at humor didn’t sit well with you, love. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. My family always spoke of death in whispers, we never discussed our feelings.”

“That’s probably the same for most families,” he suggested.

Having a new life inside me and discussing a life that had just ended had me worried that mentioning death was bad luck. “Hopefully our little one will be all grown up by the time I die and maybe with a family. All I ask is that you keep me in your hearts.”

He patted his chest. “Already there. Your name is scrawled over mine.”

Being pregnant and talking about our deaths wasn’t a great combination and had me wiping tears from my eyes. Ryder reached out and put a hand on my thigh. “No one likes it but we do it for those we leave behind, so that when they’re grieving, they don’t have to worry about dealing with the unnecessary hassle of lawyers and courts because we didn’t leave a will.”

“I guess.” The thought of dying and leaving my baby had me properly sobbing but I dabbed at my tears with a tissue not wanting to arrive with a tear-stained face.

“Life is short, love. We need to live it to the fullest.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and when we arrived we hugged Archer and Ron and greeted everyone else. While Elune was too young to understand what was happening, she was more subdued than usual, observing everyone and cuddling her toy bunny rather than chattering and waving.

When everyone had arrived, and Daire had filled our glasses with champagne, Archer and Ron stepped forward and we stood around them in a circle. Our wolf shifter friend held his dad’s hand. “Thank you all for coming. Dad and I appreciate it. I’ll keep this short because my father hated long speeches.”

Everyone laughed which brightened the mood a little.

“My father, who you all knew as George, would want us to remember the good times we had with him and not focus on the past few months and weeks when he’d been unwell. He adored his family and loved spending time with Elune.

Elune gurgled on hearing her name.

“He loved generously during his life and received it in abundance. I think that’s all anyone can expect. I ask you to raise a glass to George, mate to Ron, my father, and grandfather to Elune.”

“To George.”

We milled around sampling the snacks and I was heartened to hear Ron and Archer laughing as they related stories of George’s life.

Ryder put a hand on my back. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Archer and Ron are obviously sad and missing George, but I love that this is a celebration and not a funeral.”

“When everyone is ready, we’re going to scatter my father’s ashes in the woods,” Archer informed us. “He hated the water and said, and I quote, “Don’t put me in that damned lake. It’s always freezing.”

I chuckled because it was true.

“And as soon as we do that, we’re going to shift. As the wind carries away the ashes, we’ll run, acknowledging my father’s last journey.”

I put my face on Archer’s chest to stifle a sob. Being pregnant, my hormones were all over the place and hearing my friend use the expression “last journey” was too much. Ryder put his arm around me and Neil squeezed my hand.

Archer and Ron each gripped the urn as they tipped out the ashes, and we all said, “Vale, George,” meaning farewell.

Everyone apart from me, Neil and Toby removed their clothes. While humans were often dressed in their suits and black dresses when farewelling someone, getting naked was the norm for shifters. Archer and Ron’s wolves led the group, while Neil and I watched until they disappeared through the trees.

Toby played a video game as Martin had refused to allow him into the woods after the time he got lost, especially with no Patch to protect him.

We went back inside, Neil pushing Elune’s stroller. She had fallen asleep, clutching her bunny.

“Try these curry puffs,” Neil told me.

I glanced over my shoulder. “Should we be talking about food and enjoying it when Archer has just scattered his dad’s ashes?”

“I can’t tell you how to feel or what to do, and we’ll always be sad when someone dies, but perhaps if we accept death as part of life, and understand that laughing at funny things the dead person said or did or eating food they enjoyed isn’t being disrespectful. ”

“Is all of this food that George loved?” I peered at the curry puffs, brownies, mac and cheese, pizza, green chicken curry. And toffee apples. “I just thought Micah was overcome with grief and ordered a weird selection of food.”

Neil nodded. “There are different ways of grieving and celebrating life, and everyone has to do what’s right for them. But enjoying food that made George happy seems like a great way to do it.”

He was right. “Wanna hand me a curry puff. I haven’t eaten one since I was a kid.”

Later, as Ryder drove us home, I said, “We should make an appointment with a lawyer and have them draw up a will.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea.”

“And I’ll ask Neil, Archer and Daire if they’ll be the baby’s guardians. Unless you have someone else in mind.”

“I’m okay with that.”

My wish as a parent was to protect our child and I had to look into the future and face something that was painful. But once it was done, I could take comfort in knowing we’d done everything we could to safeguard our little one.