“Her precious life is what we honor here today and sadly, she was a woman the world can never replace. My Kate.”
Saying that, AJ sat down quietly and heaved a long sigh.
Sniffling and random sobs ensued, and Daisy clutched a tissue to wipe her eyes. She was pressing her tear ducts to inhibit the ceaseless flow. Her makeup washed off long ago. Occasionally, some of the people released loud wails and moans, reminding Daisy to restrain her exclamations but AJ’s eulogy was so inspiring, the random sounds also escaped her.
Not that anyone seemed to notice. Most were swept up in their own misery. Few could even offer comfort to each other. She and Asher dealt with their sadness independently. Cami and Charlie both cried openly, and their boys couldn’t stop. Ethan leaned against Charlie, sobbing into his shoulder.
AJ walked over and set his arm around sixteen-year-old Ethan. Then he bent down and said something in Ethan’s ear. Ethan nodded and started to calm, keeping his gaze down and his shoulders slumped.
Daisy observed the red, blotchy profile of the boy’s tear-streaked face and knew she must look the same. She resisted the urge to crawl into her dad’s lap and lose herself in his warm embrace. As if he read her thoughts, Shane’s big, beefy hand rested on her shoulder.
Glancing behind her, she found her dad leaning forward on the seat to comfort her. He had tears too, the big, burly, long-haired biker who openly showed his love, along with his sadness and tears. He never cared who saw it and didn’t try to hide it.
Daisy’s mom clung to her dad’s arm and Iris and Quinn flanked Mom’s other side. She spotted Rose, Mateo and their kids next her father. Farther back were Violet and her husband, Gage and stepdaughter, Andy. When Violet caught her eye, they exchanged long, watery stares and only the slight trace of a smile. Violet mouthed, “I’m sorry.”
Daisy mimed it back. She was thinking of Preston and how hard and long Violet’s recovery took. Violet still mourned the loss of her fiancé. She was sad to think that Violet was grieving again. They nodded at each other with complete understanding that only a shared childhood under the same roof could provide. Myriad fights, countless apologies, endless secrets, that they promised to never tell anyone, were only some of the things the true sisters shared loyally.
Family. Daisy’s heart was grateful for the family standing behind her. And hurting for the family sitting beside her.
But something became clearer to her now, and she knew it meant more than everything. More than a job, a degree or any other accomplishment she could make. Daisy advanced pretty far in the world by many people’s standards. A bachelor’s degree from Fordham University. A law degree from the University of Illinois summa cum laude. She also excelled in her new career and everyone expected her to soar. She set her aim higher, hoping to become a judge someday. It crossed her mind more than once or twice. A university professor was another option. Who knew how high she could fly? Her tireless ambition never died.
But Daisy’s ambitions weren’t important now.
After a good five minutes, Jack rose to his feet. He was the next speaker, but after AJ? Who could blame him for taking so long to compose himself?
Jack placed a sheet of paper on the podium. Glancing up, he scanned the room, but his gaze didn’t land anywhere in particular. He inhaled a long, shuddering breath.
“I’m too young to be burying a sibling. I met Kate rather late in life, so I spent less time with her than my brothers. But I loved her dearly. I came to adore her. She was my sister, but more importantly, she was my friend. And no one could argue with me like Kate—”
A soft ripple of laughter filled the room. Many people knew or heard of the clashes that Jack and Kate experienced over the decades. Infuriating each other, both had short tempers that snapped quickly and that fast, evaporated. There were too many occurrences for Jack to recount, but minutes later, everyone was laughing and hugging. Their collective sorrow had some comic relief with Jack’s poignant anecdotes and people were smiling and shaking their heads at each other. Jack’s voice choked up. He looked down at his notes.
“I miss that,” he stated with deep emphasis. “There was no one better to argue with or try to prove a point because Kate Reed was right ninety-nine percent of the time. She found me at the ranch, along with AJ, who became another brother to me. AJ started here with me in the beginning and remained one of the best and most valuable workers I ever hired. Not long after they married, AJ became much more essential to me as well as the rest of us. And that never changed. Never.” Jack’s gaze landed on AJ, who stared right back and smiled.
Jack spoke of their years of friendship. Kate and AJ brought energy and foresight, not to mention amazing improvements and prescient changes to the Rydell family and the ranch.
Jack’s words were almost as sad and heart-wrenching as AJ’s speech. Almost. Nothing could have been more eloquent, honest or simple as AJ’s eulogy. Shane and Kailynn later spoke and said their goodbyes too. Their speeches were shorter but no less poignant.
The pastor asked if anyone else cared to speak. A few of Kate’s employees and long-time friends took the opportunity to add their own narratives. Daisy had no intention of contributing until she suddenly found herself standing up. All eyes landed on her. Asher sat quietly, looking startled and puzzled while glancing up at her.
Daisy began. “Kate taught me how to have a bigger life and be a bigger person—a bigger woman than anyone else. She believed she could do anything. And she taught me that I could do anything. She had no doubt that Cami and Violet and Iris and Rose and Lillian and Melanie, and every girl here had the potential to not only succeed but triumph over adversity. She lifted every one of us up. Any way we chose to live our lives, was eagerly validated by her. She never stopped encouraging us to pursue our fullest, most authentic selves. That’s what she taught me. The confidence and inner power she demonstrated were role models to all. That was her true north. Women can do anything they choose to do. If that means staying home to raise twelve children or leaving the family to seek adventure in parts unknown, Kate encouraged and applauded both choices. No woman could inspire me more than Kate. Even at the end—”
Daisy’s voice lost its volume and tears filled her eyes again. Her shoulders sagged and she hiccupped softly. She felt unsure of how to finish. Then Asher’s hand touched hers and he asked, “What did she say? At the end, what did she say to you, Daisy?”
Daisy gulped and sucked back the snot as her tears streamed down her cheeks. Her watery eyes fell on Asher and everything else disappeared from her view but him. She thought about his question and tried to remember exactly what Kate said to her on her death bed.
“She said a person’s happiness is never permanent, and it changes over time. But that’s okay.” She hiccupped as she tried to orate the words that were so clearly printed inside her brain. She missed hearing Kate’s damn voice. Shaking her head, her tears streaming, Daisy finally got it out. “The last thing she said to me was, ‘No guilt. Whatever you do with your life, go big, Daisy.’”
Asher smiled and nodded. Seeing his red eyes and tear-streaked, blotchy face, Daisy looked away. She held her head high and clasped her hands together to calm her quavering voice.
“Anyway, Kate was strong, and funny, and amazing and all that, but she was also very supportive because she believed in us. She encouraged all of us to do anything we liked. And she lived that and advocated it, which stuck with me from a rather young age. Her philosophy guided me to the life path I chose.”