If You Were Ours

Chapter Seventy Nine - Tyson

Tyson ~

Later that week we had four funerals to attend as a result of the gala shooting. The first three funerals were difficult and heartbreaking, but the graveside service we were scheduled to attend that afternoon was going to be the most intense.

Our friend Nick was going to have to bury his mother and he was going to need our support. Not only that but Dane and I had close business relationships with Nicks father, Bruno.

Watching a man have to put his mother or wife in the ground was something I wasn't looking forward to witnessing. I felt off all morning as we got ready with my intrusive thoughts repeating over and over - what if that had been Kinsley or Dane?

I shook my head and tried to physically rid myself of the poisonous thoughts as we sat in the back seat of an SUV with Kinsley tucked between us.

She started to fidget with her hair the way she always did when she was anxious.

Dane picked up on her nervous energy and swooped in to comfort her, always knowing what to say and do to soothe our girls nerves.

"Nothing to be nervous about baby." Dane soothed, lacing his fingers between hers as he spoke.

Kinsley nodded and grasped his hand, but didn't seem quite satisfied.

"This one is going to be harder than the others, just because it's Nick. It's going to be difficult to watch." Kinsley said softly, looking down at her lap.

"I know gorgeous. You don't have to go if you don't want to. I'll have Xander drop us off and take you home if it's too much." Dane offered.

Shaking her head no, Kinsley refused almost immediately.

"No. We do these things together." She said in a sweet voice that settled down into my soul.

Reaching out with her other hand, she pulled my hand into her lap, letting my arm drape across her body like a weighted blanket.

The car came to a stop in the cemetery and I climbed out first, holding out my hand to assist Kinsley as she emerged in a form fitting black dress that hugged her curves a little too well. It was hard to keep my eyes off of her and I noticed Dane was having the same problem as he stared intently at her ass.

I held my hand out for Dane to help steady him once Kinsley was on her feet at my side, but he waved me off with a scowl, too proud to show any sign of weakness despite the fact that he was still recovering from his injury.

We stood on either side of Kinsley looking down at her to try and evaluate her emotional state as we walked toward the chairs that were facing a casket that was covered in flowers.

Kinsley had been nervous and fidgety in the car, but as we walked toward the crowd with her tucked between us, her chin was lifted and her shoulders were squared. She was finally starting to understand and accept her role and knew that being with us was a position of power and that she belonged there.

Multiple heads turned in our direction for various reasons, but their eyes weren't on us - they were on our Kinsley.

We chose to stand instead of sit and I continuously communicated and signaled my security team that was out in full force as the service started.

Dane shifted on his feet and shouldn't have been standing for that long, but he insisted, keeping one hand wrapped around Kinsleys waist. I reached over and patted him on the back as a nonverbal check, but he shrugged my hand off and ignored me, too stubborn and proud to admit he probably needed to sit.

Stubborn ass.

Snuggling up against Dane's side, Kinsley pushed her shoulder up underneath Dane's armpit. It was an endearing gesture but I picked up on it immediately.