Page 73 of No Regrets

Dex looked up as he stepped into the room.

“Hey man, I’m so sorry.” He placed a hand on his shoulder. “Whatever you need, I’m here.”

Neither spoke but Ryan stayed. He wasn’t leaving him to deal with this alone. After a while, Dex stood up and pulled the sheet up over his father’s face, then turned to Ryan. “Thanks for coming.” He said, hugging him.

Before Ryan could respond, the door opened, and the rest of the team filed in. Ryan had spoken with Tyler on the way here and told him to let everyone know. It didn’t surprise him to see them all standing there. They were family and for Dex, they were his only family now.

“We’re here, Dex. Anything you need.” Steve spoke for them all.

Dex nodded. “I appreciate that, thanks.”

Ryan could see Dex was struggling to keep it together. The team wouldn’t care if he lost it, but Dex wouldn’t fall apart, not in front of them. “You want a ride home?” Ryan offered, giving him an escape.

“Yeah, that would be good. Thanks for coming down, guys.”

The two men left, leaving the rest of the team to pay their own respects. They drove to his house in silence.

“Want some company?”

“Thanks, but no, not right now. I’ll call you later.” Dex got out of the car and Ryan watched him disappear inside. His heart ached for him. The shit seemed to keep piling on lately. Yeah, he was tough, but he was also human, and he was hurting. Fuck, he wished there was something he could do to alleviate some of the pain and help his best friend.

Kelly. Should he call her? She was so close to Matt; she would want to know. Deciding he should be the one to tell her, he headed to her house. He was about to pull onto her drive when another car pulled in front. He stopped behind it, surprised to see Sophie get out.

“Sophie?” he called out, getting out of his Mustang. She turned, surprised to see him.

“Ryan, what are you doing here?”

“I was about to ask you the same question, it’s late. Is Kelly OK?”

“She’s fine. She just had some bad news today. I’m stopping by as a friend.”

He couldn’t help but let his eyes roam over her face. Was she blushing?

“Do you mean the news about Matt?”

“Matt?”

“Dexter’s father. He passed away.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that. What happened?”

He told her what he knew. “I came here to tell Kelly. She and Matt were really close.”

“Of course. Damn.” Sophie looked worried.

“I take it you don't think this is a good time to tell her.”

She bit her lip and his dick rose to attention. Jesus, what was it about this woman that he got an instant hard on around her all of a sudden?

“Were you with Dexter tonight at Jerry’s?”

How the fuck did she know they were at Jerry’s?

“I was, why?”

Sophie raised her eyebrows, a touch of annoyance on her pretty face. “Then I think you can understand why this is not a good time. She’s upset, but I guess we can’t keep this from her.” She went to walk away, but Ryan grabbed her wrist, heat searing through him.

“Upset about what? Am I missing something here?”

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