Jamar felt the soft pad of her thumb swipe at his cheek.

“I’m not going to tell you that it wasn’t your fault, because you’ve spent too many years believing that it is.”

“Who else’s fault would it be? He left the party to look for me!”

“Who’s to say Silas wouldn’t have had an accident on his way home from the party, no matter when he left?” she countered.

“You think I haven’t tried to tell myself that lie? That I haven’t tried to convince myself that this was Silas’s fate and it would have happened no matter what?” Jamar shook his head. “It’s bullshit. He’s dead because of me. You can come up with however many excuses you want to, but it doesn’t change anything.”

“Do you know what else won’t change anything?” she asked. “You playing this ‘what if’ game. What have you gained by blaming yourself all these years?” She cupped his jaw in her palms. “You need to ask yourself what would Silas want for you. Based on what you’ve told me about him, he wouldn’t want you holding on to this pain, Jamar.”

She tilted his face down to meet hers, and with exquisitely gentle care, pressed her lips to his. The unearned compassion shattered the tenuous hold he had on his emotions.

Jamar could do nothing to stop the tears that rolled down his cheeks, so he let them fall. Even as he lost himself in Taylor’s delicious kiss, he allowed the seemingly endless, cleansing tears to run their course. He could only hope that healing would eventually follow.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Taylor stood before the mirror and slipped on the Tiffany earrings her parents had given her for her sixteenth birthday. She checked the pins in her hair, making sure they were secure enough to hold the braids in the updo she’d fashioned for tonight’s party.

There was a short knock on her door before it swung open. Freddie signed for her to hurry up and come downstairs.

Taylor signed back, In a minute.

Knowing Freddie wouldn’t leave without her, Taylor grabbed the gold wrap that she’d bought to go with her black sequined jumpsuit and a small matching clutch. She gave herself a final once-over in the mirror before following her impatient niece downstairs.

Her entire family had assembled in the great room. Everyone was decked out in black and gold, the official Army colors, and the official colors for tonight’s celebration. She spotted Jamar standing near the fireplace and damn near tripped over her own feet.