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Levi and Landon ask me that every year, but the thought of going back there is… “I’m scared.”

“Scared of what?” Sebastian’s fingers continue to comb through my hair, his touch soothing.

Guilt rises in my throat like bile, and I bite my lip. “Of the memories. Of facing the reality that they’re really gone. At the funeral, everyone was crying, but I… I couldn’t. I tried, but thetears wouldn’t come. What kind of daughter does that make me?”

“Hey.” He tilts my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. “There’s no right or wrong way to grieve. Everyone processes stuff differently.”

“But I should have cried. If I loved them, I should have cried.”

“That’s not how it works.” He brushes his thumb over my cheek, catching a tear I didn’t realize had fallen. “I once did something where every normal person would have panicked or felt regret, but I didn’t, and I still don’t. What I want to say is that just because it’s the norm, it doesn’t have to apply to you. You were a child. You were in shock. That doesn’t mean you loved them any less.”

I bury my face in his chest again, and the tears come once more, hot and fast, soaking into his skin. He holds me close, murmuring soothing words I can’t quite make out over my hiccups. But it doesn’t matter. His presence alone is enough.

I sniffle, wiping at my face. “God, I’m a mess.” But I feel… lighter somehow. It’s as if a weight I didn’t even know I was carrying had been lifted.

“You’re beautiful.” He kisses my forehead. “And so fucking strong.”

I let out a watery laugh. “I don’t feel strong.”

“But you are. And if you ever decide to go back, I’ll be right with you.”

Fresh tears prick at my eyes, but they’re different this time. Born of gratitude rather than sorrow.

“Thank you.” I press a kiss to his chest, right over his heart. “For being here. For listening.”

“Always. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, I will be there.”

My heart swells at his words. “I love you, Sebastian Barron.”

“I love you too, Lilian Edmunds. More than anything.”

Chapter 39

Sebastian

What the fuck? I blinkaway the remnants of sleep and sit up, dragging a hand over my face. “Dad? What the hell are you doing here?”

Luckily, Lil is not here and had a sleepover with Gemma and Mary. Otherwise, it would have been awkward.

Without a word, Dad rolls my desk chair in front of me and takes a seat, arms crossed. He tosses a stack of papers onto my bed. “Look at these.”

This wasn’t how I expected my morning to go. “Good morning to you too, Dad.”

“Morning.”

“What are these? Couldn’t it wait until a decent hour? Or, I don’t know, a phone call?”

“This is not a matter to be discussed over the phone.” His tone is clipped. “It’s about the Edmunds girl.”

My jaw clenches. Of course it is. “Her name isLilian.”

“I don’t care what her name is. What I care about is you ending this foolish entanglement with her. Lilian Edmund is no more than a pawn in her family’s game, and she’s playing you for a fool.”

“It’s not foolish, and it’s not ending.”

“Don’t be naive, Sebastian. You know the history between our families. This… relationship,” he says the word like it’s poison, “it’s not right.”

“Not right for who, Dad? For you? For your precious reputation?” My hands ball into fists at my sides.

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