Page 30 of Luna: Posy 2

"Ash?"

I turned my head to see Jay standing in the doorway.

"She wants you."

"Me?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, you."

I left the supervision of repairing our back door in Mase's hands and walked over to Jay. Clamping one hand on his rigid shoulder, I squeezed it gently and stood there until his eyes met mine.

Stop,I linked him. You're on the 'everything is my fault' train again. Time to get off.

He pinched his lips together until they turned white, then kind of deflated with a sigh. He gave me a little nod, which I returned before I released him and jogged up the stairs.

Following my nose, I found her in our bedroom. She had her back to me as she stared out of one of the wide windows.

"Princess?" I murmured as I stood just inside the door.

"Can you please close the door?"

"Sure."

I did, then took a couple of long strides until my chest was inches from her ruler-straight back.

"Are Cole and Peri here yet?" she asked.

"No. Peri's taking forever. They'll be another twenty or thirty minutes."

She turned then and studied my face for several long moments. I wasn't sure what she wanted to see, but I wasn't hiding anything from her. I had never hid anything from anybody, and I probably never would.

I liked being underestimated as the simple, easygoing alpha.

"Are you okay?" she whispered at last.

"Yeah. Not the first time I've stood between Wyatt and someone who wanted to kill him," I smirked, "or between Quartz and someone he wanted to kill."

"Are you sure?"

My smirk curled into a genuine smile and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sure, cupcake."

"Then," her voice quavered, and my smile dropped, "is it okay ifI'mnot okay for a few minutes?"

"Baby, you can be as not okay as you want for as long as you need."

"Mason is too mad, Wyatt and Jayden are too upset, and Cole's not here, so wouldyoumind ... holding me ... while I ... cry for ... a bit?"

Oh, Goddess.

I had her up in my arms and cuddled on the bed before the first tear finished its path down her cheek. Tucking her head under my chin, I wrapped my arms around her neck and shoulders.

"Don't tell the others," she sobbed into my chest. "Just for a minute. I need to let it out just for a minute. Don't tell them. Don't tell them."

"Shh, princess. Cry all you want. I'm here." I pressed kiss after kiss to the top of her head.

"I'm ... so ... sorry."

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