Page 131 of Anything To Be With You

I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her close. "He thought he was helping, he didn't want to stress you out more."

Dani huffs.

"I’m serious. If he had known that Mason was scared of needles, he would've called you in in a heartbeat." I tell her.

Her head lifts. "It still doesn't excuse what he did."

I wipe her tears away. "I know, Dani girl and he feels fucking awful. He's a fucking mess without you."

We sit in silence, rocking on the swing.

"Can I tell you something?" she says after a while.

I glance down into Dani’s gorgeous, round face. "What’s that."

Tears spill down her cheeks. "I’m in love with him," she sobs, "I’m in love with him and he broke my heart."

Fuck me sideways.

I gather her in my arms and hold her against my chest as she cries tears of pain and heartbreak. I rub her back as she cries, trying my best to sooth her, which in turn makes her cry harder.

"Shhh, Dani girl. I’ve got you." I hold her until her tears subside and she crumples against my chest.

Damnit, Axe

Dani

The next morning is a complete shitshow. After waking up on the swing in Gabe’s arms last night with swollen eyes and my throat raw, I ended up laying in bed, staring at the ceiling until five in the morning because my mind wouldn't shut off. And to make matters worse, all of Mason’s friends showed up around ten, and they were all starving. Those little shits raided my cupboards and fridge. I told Mason his friends could stop by once he was feeling better but I didn’t mean all at once and the very next day. By the afternoon, the house emptied except for the boys.

"Ma! Food!"

I bring each of them a party size bag of chips. "Make it last," I point between the three of them before heading back into the kitchen.

My phone dings on the table. An email from Mason’s physiotherapist, he will be here tomorrow morning to do an assessment on Mason.

"So soon? His cast isn’t off yet." I mutter to myself. I run a hand down my face, this is too much.

"Ms. Carter?"

I look up to find Clay standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "Hey, honey."

He shifts his weight. "Can I…speak to you?"

"Of course," I point to the chair across from me.

He glances back at the living room where Axe and Mason are before he sits. "Mason got hurt because of me." He whispers.

My brows furrow in confusion. "A drunk driver hit him. That wasn’t your fault."

Clay shakes his head. "I should have been the one who got hit. Mason—" Clay’s chin starts to wiggle. "Mason pushed me out of the way."

I reach across the table and take his hand in mine. "Oh honey. It’s not—"

"I froze. I-I-I saw the truck heading towards me, and I froze." Tears flow down his cheeks.

My heart shatters, he's carrying around guilt over something that was out of his control. "Honey, it’s not your fault. Anyone would have froze in that sort of situation."

Clay shakes his head. "Mason didn’t."

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