NINE

AUTUMN

I HAD NEVER SEEN FRAY CRY so when he did, I ended up crying with him. We were standing in the doorway, watching Sev sleeping so we ended up sobbing in silence, not wanting to wake him up.

Frazier was the first to move, his arms snaked their way around my waist and I was being pulled into his body. I let my arms go up to his arms. His biceps turned hard beneath my touch and for a split second, I wanted to drop my hand thinking that perhaps this wasn’t a good idea to be up close and personal with Frazier Ronan. But then he slid his hand to the small of my back and put his mouth next to my ear and said, “I can’t tell you enough how sorry I am. I should’ve been there. I should’ve been fucking there with you. I’m such a bloody idiot.”

For the last few years, I’d always been putting up my brave face. I’d always been wearing a mask, acting tough, and never cried. Now the dam was broken. I had one hand holding the back of his neck and the other tangled up in his dark blonde hair wh