My mouth fell open. “You never said nothin’ like that to me.”
His fingers played with mine. “’Cause my feelings in the moment weren’t important. You were. But this is our safe space, where we can talk about everything.” His brow furrowed, and his eyes darkened. “They hurt you. And when someone hurts the people I love, it’s like they hurt me too.”
“I should’ve trusted Frankie to understand what happened. But deep down, I still believed it was my fault. And that maybe I deserved it.”
“No.” Frankie’s chair scraped on the floor as he hitched it closer to mine. “Never. No matter what happened between us, I never wanted you to get hurt. I told you it’s not your fault, and I meant it. No matter how long it takes, I’m with you, by your side to help you get through it. Like I know you’d be with me.”
The two of us had weathered this brutal storm and come out battered and bruised but still upright. With sheer determination and a whole lot of love, I knew we were going to make it.
“Together, right?”
“Yeah.” His smile flashed bright. “Always.”
Dr. Morrell gave us a satisfied smile. “Sounds like you’ve grown up quite a bit. Both of you.”
My head had finally caught up to what my heart had known all along. Frankie was the man I needed. It might have taken me almost thirty years, but I could finally say I was an adult.
