“And you didn’t pick up the phone. Not once.”

“Shit,” Ember muttered.

“It’s okay, Ember,” I assured her. “You told Sam to check on me. God knows how long I would have gone without knowing if you hadn’t, so thank you.”

“Oh God.” Paisley’s mouth opened and shut a few times as she looked at Ember, then back at Jagger. “Morgan, I wasn’t thinking clearly! My husband was injured!”

“The man I loved was dead!” My hands flew into fists. “You don’t think I made your excuses time and again? I knew you were under water. God knows I prayed for Josh and Jagger to heal quickly, and I’m honestly so grateful for their lives, but you abandoned me until the day of the funeral, and then you invited me to sit in the front pew like it was yours. Like he was yours!”

Paisley’s lower lip trembled. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

“At what point did you remember that I loved him, Paisley? Was it when your daddy made his funeral all about Will’s love for you? His sacrifice so your husband could live? Was it when I held you up at the gravesite as they buried the only man I’ve ever loved?” My voice cracked.

“Morgan,” she whispered.

“You want to know why I can’t bear to be around you? It’s because every time I see your face and hear you gush about how damned happy you are, all I can think is how fucking unfair everything is!” Tears stung my eyes. “You got Jagger back. Ember got Josh. Sam has Grayson, and I have a fucking truck that I can’t sit in without having an anxiety attack!”

She reached for me, and I stepped back. It wasn’t in her nature to watch suffering and do nothing about it, but in this case, there was nothing she could do.

“Do you know what causes complicated grief?”

“It’s a breakdown in the grieving process,” Paisley answered, letting her hand fall back to her side. “Usually caused by an overwhelming guilt that you could have stopped the death from happening or the inability to accept the injustice of it. I read up when you told me why Sam was here. I would have come if you’d let me. I would have stayed with you.”

I ignored her last two statements. “Your happily-ever-after came at the expense of mine. That’s why I can’t be around you. That’s why I’m still crippled by a grief that you all think about from time to time. And I would never want you to feel this! Not in a million years would I ever wish this kind of debilitating pain on you. I wouldn’t trade Jagger’s life for Will’s. How many times have I told you how grateful I am that you still have Jagger?”