pressed the tip of the plastic plectrum to his lips and placed it next to the flowers. Quinn wanted to run and throw her arms around him then and there, to apologize and beg his forgiveness. She dug a heel into the mud, twisting and grinding it deeper and deeper into the soft ground.
Her movement caught Josh’s attention, and he turned his green eyes, the exact shade of emerald as Aaron’s, swollen and rimmed in red, on Quinn. Her breath caught in her throat, and she gasped. His fierce glare, filled with pain and accusations, pierced her heart. Guilt etched itself on her face, and she quickly looked away. She couldn’t blame him, any of them, for their sidelong looks and hushed whispers. This was her fault, after all. Soon there would be nothing left but empty grief for an empty grave.
“Receive Aaron James Collier into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints of light. Amen.”
Reese had an arm tight around Marcus, her soft sobs muffled against his heaving chest.
“Amen,” they all said in unison. Once those final words were spoken, people filed past the marker, placed a flower or a trinket on the soft earth, and then scattered to the wind. Off to grab a coffee, back to work, to move on with life. Even Josh and his dad didn’t stick around for hugs and condolences. Weeks of waiting and wondering must have left them drained. To them, this was the end of it, say goodbye and move on, something they’d had more experience with than most. Quinn wished they could teach her how. Together, they turned their backs and walked, stiff and halting, back to the waiting red pick-up.
“You coming?” Cade hugged his sister and she shook her head.
“I need a minute. You go on.”
Cade nodded and followed their dad out of the cemetery and into the parking lot.
As the cemetery emptied, Quinn, Reese, Marcus, and Jenna gathered around the grave. Four pillars crumbling under a sky full of heartache, the last ones to see him alive.
Chapter Eight
Aaron had no idea how long it had been since he’d been ripped away from his glimpse of nirvana, but the vortex slowed again, suspending him in front of a red door with a brass handle this time. He turned away. The door turned with him, placing itself directly in front of him. Closing his eyes didn’t help either; the door still floated in the blackness, taunting him. He shook his head. Whatever was behind this door wasn’t something he was ready to face. When the handle turned, his whole body trembled. And then the portal swung open, and Aaron’s stomach rolled.
Beyond the door, Quinn, in a tight black dress, stood in the cemetery of St. Angeles. Sunglasses swallowed her face, hiding her eyes from his. Misery and remorse pulsed through her, and he could feel every tear falling from her cheek. Her emotions jumbled inside her like a box of broken glass, each one slicing into his soul as she mourned the loss of someone she loved. Aaron swallowed the boulder in his throat. Not just anybody—him. This was his funeral.
“Quinn!” His voice sounded hollow, empty. “I’m here. Look at me.” She stared at the ground; he felt guilt pinch her gut as his name crossed her lips like a prayer. Could she sense him? The longing to hold her in his arms overwhelmed him, and he balled his fists at his sides. Aaron ached to run to her, but he remained trapped in the dark tunnel that held him, forced to be a voyeur to her pain. Would the torture ever end? If he could get through the portal, he would be home, with her. Closing his eyes, he focused all his thoughts on walking through the doorway and into the cemetery, but his body was stuck, suspended between life and death.
“I’m here. I’m here. I’m here.” He sent out his appeal, a steady knock against the door that could bring him home. Quinn could bring him home, if she would just look at him. “Please, look at me. Please help me. I want to come home.
Her movement caught Josh’s attention, and he turned his green eyes, the exact shade of emerald as Aaron’s, swollen and rimmed in red, on Quinn. Her breath caught in her throat, and she gasped. His fierce glare, filled with pain and accusations, pierced her heart. Guilt etched itself on her face, and she quickly looked away. She couldn’t blame him, any of them, for their sidelong looks and hushed whispers. This was her fault, after all. Soon there would be nothing left but empty grief for an empty grave.
“Receive Aaron James Collier into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints of light. Amen.”
Reese had an arm tight around Marcus, her soft sobs muffled against his heaving chest.
“Amen,” they all said in unison. Once those final words were spoken, people filed past the marker, placed a flower or a trinket on the soft earth, and then scattered to the wind. Off to grab a coffee, back to work, to move on with life. Even Josh and his dad didn’t stick around for hugs and condolences. Weeks of waiting and wondering must have left them drained. To them, this was the end of it, say goodbye and move on, something they’d had more experience with than most. Quinn wished they could teach her how. Together, they turned their backs and walked, stiff and halting, back to the waiting red pick-up.
“You coming?” Cade hugged his sister and she shook her head.
“I need a minute. You go on.”
Cade nodded and followed their dad out of the cemetery and into the parking lot.
As the cemetery emptied, Quinn, Reese, Marcus, and Jenna gathered around the grave. Four pillars crumbling under a sky full of heartache, the last ones to see him alive.
Chapter Eight
Aaron had no idea how long it had been since he’d been ripped away from his glimpse of nirvana, but the vortex slowed again, suspending him in front of a red door with a brass handle this time. He turned away. The door turned with him, placing itself directly in front of him. Closing his eyes didn’t help either; the door still floated in the blackness, taunting him. He shook his head. Whatever was behind this door wasn’t something he was ready to face. When the handle turned, his whole body trembled. And then the portal swung open, and Aaron’s stomach rolled.
Beyond the door, Quinn, in a tight black dress, stood in the cemetery of St. Angeles. Sunglasses swallowed her face, hiding her eyes from his. Misery and remorse pulsed through her, and he could feel every tear falling from her cheek. Her emotions jumbled inside her like a box of broken glass, each one slicing into his soul as she mourned the loss of someone she loved. Aaron swallowed the boulder in his throat. Not just anybody—him. This was his funeral.
“Quinn!” His voice sounded hollow, empty. “I’m here. Look at me.” She stared at the ground; he felt guilt pinch her gut as his name crossed her lips like a prayer. Could she sense him? The longing to hold her in his arms overwhelmed him, and he balled his fists at his sides. Aaron ached to run to her, but he remained trapped in the dark tunnel that held him, forced to be a voyeur to her pain. Would the torture ever end? If he could get through the portal, he would be home, with her. Closing his eyes, he focused all his thoughts on walking through the doorway and into the cemetery, but his body was stuck, suspended between life and death.
“I’m here. I’m here. I’m here.” He sent out his appeal, a steady knock against the door that could bring him home. Quinn could bring him home, if she would just look at him. “Please, look at me. Please help me. I want to come home.
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