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Sienna met his eyes and smiled, then climbed in the back. Adrianna followed her as well as Xavier, while Jensen and Jaxon took the front seats. The Lockwoods and the other important people as well as the friends and allies they’d made along the way would meet them at the cemetery. Everyone wanted to pay respects to Mr. Carrington and escort him to his final journey.
The church had already been filled to the brink with a lot of people standing outside in a line that expanded throughout the whole street. It said a lot about the man Mr. Carrington was and Sienna couldn’t help but wish that she’d have more time to get to know him. If only they’d met under different circumstances, they wouldn’t be so tempted to constantly threaten one another. Times were rough and they certainly didn’t make it any easier.
Jaxon drove the car behind the church and parked it in front of the back entrance. Xavier climbed out and offered his hand to Sienna and Adrianna. Together they entered the church through the back door, but they didn’t go far because they were stopped by missing members of the family.
“Aiden,” Sienna cried out, then winced for being so loud.
She quickened her pace and gave the injured heir a kiss on the cheek. Sienna felt ridiculous towering over Aiden who was stuck to use the wheelchair.
“What are you doing here? You should be resting in bed. To hell with that, you should be in the hospital under observation. Do they know you’re out?” Sienna asked, then looked over his shoulder at Aurora who nodded. “Is it safe? Promise that you’ll tell me if you don’t feel good.”
“I’m okay,” Aiden assured her and squeezed her hand. “I need to be here with my family. Don’t worry, there’re plenty of doctors in the attendance and several of them have been informed of my current situation. They’ll keep an eye on me and I’ll do my best not to move too much.”
Sienna narrowed her eyes at him, then shook her head in dismay. “You’re hopeless,” she told him, but her voice was kind and her eyes full of love. “I planned on visiting you after the funeral but having you here is a lot better.”
Sienna left Aiden to say hello to his brothers while she moved forward to Aurora. “How are you holding up?”
“It’s been a long day already, but at least I have all my sons here,” Aurora said, then gave Sienna a pointed look before adding, “And a daughter.”
Sienna’s eyes teared up and overwhelmed with emotion, she leaned forward, giving the older woman a hug that was long overdue. Aurora returned it just as strongly and passionately, finally burying the bad feelings that arose between them because of one thing or another.
“We should go inside,” Jensen said. “It’s time to say goodbye.”
They entered the main part of the church through the back room to avoid the crowds of people. They walked in twos, starting with Jensen, who moved up from being the heir apparent, leading Aurora, who was the widow and the matriarch of the family, then Aiden, who was now Jensen’s right hand and the new heir apparent until Jensen had his own kids, and Sienna by his side with Xavier pushing the wheelchair. In the end of their little family procession were Jaxon and Adrianna. It was a special kind of honor for Adrianna to be there with them, but by this point, she was one of the family, growing up with the heirs and being raised by Mr. Carrington.
The music from the pipe organs sounded and Sienna let herself close her eyes to allow herself to feel the emotions. She was sitting in the front row, Mr. Carrington’s coffin only a couple of feet away from her. The priest began the mass.
Sienna looked around, thinking about everyone and everything they’d lost. The Carringtons had to say a painful goodbye to their longtime friend and martial arts teacher Brian, who turned out to be a traitor working for the Remingtons. Sienna’s lawyer Samson Ball had to bury his father because of the bomb that was meant for her. Tina was almost one of the victims, and not to mention, Sienna herself almost died on more than one occasion. Truth be told, they were lucky to be here today. If only, Mr. Carrington could be here and see how far they’d come together.
After the mass ended, Mr. Carrington’s coffin had been loaded onto the carriage. The family and friends followed him up the street toward his lasting place. Sienna saw familiar faces in the crowd.
She nodded a greeting to Angelo and Willie Friedman. Next to them was predictably Yvonne Rees, possessively holding onto Willie’s arm. Miruna Vang was behind them, standing between her parents Tyson and Lara. Across the street were the Thornes who grabbed the opportunity to shake Jensen’s hand when he passed. They were old and very close friends. Jack and his son Riley looked just as exhausted as Jensen was, while Riley’s mom Tessa looked completely heartbroken for the eldest heir. To Sienna’s surprise, the governor of Maryland Emyr Ochoa was also in attendance, but he was only accompanied by his wife. The kids must’ve stayed at home. It was nice of him to show up in the first place, considering Sienna had blackmailed him into helping them.
Her eyes didn’t miss the Kelseys and the Samenfelds. Both families have openly supported the Remingtons, but even they knew when to call it quits and kneel before the winner. It must’ve been hard for them to show up, but Sienna knew that the Carringtons would keep it in mind when it came to discussing what kind of punishment to give to the people that had sided with the losing family.
Sienna’s highlight was seeing Tina with the Berti sisters and her lawyer Samson Ball who was with them. She didn’t know that they knew each other, but they knew that they all lost a lot in these last few months, and they’d be a good support to one another. She was glad that they’d found each other.
Her father, mother and her little brother had been waiting for them at the cemetery’s entrance. Adrianna broke apart from Jaxon and joined Angel instead. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and Sienna couldn’t help but smile at the scene. Her little brother would treat her well. He had to, otherwise, she would track him down and make him suffer. Adrianna deserved a happy ending just as much as anyone else.
None of the heirs shed a tear when they put their father in the ground. Even Aurora held her chin up, but her lips were pursed in a thin line and her chin was trembling. They presented a strong and united front, despite the pain and the loss they’d experienced.
Jensen stared unblinkingly at the coffin, his back straight and rigid. Aiden was gripping the handles of his wheelchair, his left hand extended for the IV fluids to flow unobstructed. Jaxon and Xavier flanked Aurora on each side, giving her the silent support that she needed while at the same time letting her know that even though she had just lost her husband, she wasn’t alone.
Jensen was the first one to grab a fistful of dirt and throw it on his father’s coffin. Aurora followed, and so on until all the close members of the family paid their respects. When they were done, they stood at one end of the grave, waiting to greet everyone that would pass and accept their condolences. Sienna stood by them through it all, not caring that eventually it felt like they’d been there for six hours when in reality only three had passed. It would be rude to leave before all the guests came around, so the Carringtons stood their ground and waited. On the outside, they looked strong and stoic, but Sienna knew that on the inside they were breaking and hurting.
It was getting dark when the last guests said their condolences. Sienna was tired and ready to leave. For the last two hours, all she could think about was taking a hot bath and a comfortable bed.
A thought occurred to her that now that Kyle was dead, she could go wherever she wanted. She wasn’t sure if the Carrington heirs still wanted her in their suite or if their mattresses were still there. Sienna had spent the last week in the hospital either by Aiden’s side or having tests done. She didn’t have a chance to enter the sleeping areas of the compound yet and had no idea what to expect. Kyle had left a ruin behind and while the heirs had worked hard to rebuild, things didn’t happen overnight.
Sienna followed the heirs toward their cars when she hesitated and slowed down. She wasn’t sure she wanted to the only home she ever knew, but also a place where her family and friends had died before it turned into her prison, but now her favorite people in the whole world lived there. For some reason, it didn’t feel right going back there anymore. That wasn’t her home and maybe it was time to move on. The thought both scared here as well as filled her up with excitement at the same time.
One thing she was sure about was that after the funeral, the Carrington heirs would need her more than before and she wouldn’t leave them alone. Throughout it all, they stepped into the shoes of her family and became her dearest companions, lovers, and friends. Sienna owed them that and much more. They’d saved her life ten times over.
“Sienna,” Jensen called her name and touched her arm to get her attention. “Can I talk to you? In private?”
Sienna glanced from him to the cars. Jaxon and Xavier were helping Aiden get in, while Adrianna took care of Aurora. Sienna’s little brother wasn’t around, but she was sure that they’d returned to the compound. The Lockwoods wouldn’t leave before talking to her first.
“Of course,” Sienna told Jensen and let him lead her the other way, putting in some distance between them and the others.
