Blaine shifted on his feet, and Tobias didn’t miss the annoyance in his expression. Ignoring it, he said, “Thank you. I’ll try to keep this brief. Madigan said you’re aware of the circumstances that led to my conviction, but what you may not know is that my best friend, Kevin Arlo, the man I didn’t set out to kill but did, manhandled my pregnant sister. I was a fighter, and I knew better than to hit anyone in the side of the head. Especially the man who had mentored me and offered me a future I should have been able to count on.” He swallowed hard against the emotions coming at him. “But it happened, and I lost everyone I loved with the exception of my grandfather. His cognition is failing, and I came here when I got out of prison to be near him. But I wasn’t planning on sticking around, and I didn’t intend to get caught up with anyone while I was here.” He glanced at Madigan, watching him with appreciation and deep affection, and felt that knot in his chest he’d tried so hard to ignore when he’d left. “Certainly not a woman as special as Madigan. But you all know how great she is. She’s smart and tough, and when she’s nervous, she rambles incessantly. It’s just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

His gaze moved over her family, taking in the compassion in her mother’s eyes and the knowing glance passing between Maverick and Chloe. He was sure they’d felt that pull, because he could feel something similar between them. “We weren’t supposed to have the kind of relationship where you share your baggage, but as we got closer, I wanted to tell her everything, but I couldn’t.” He looked at Madigan again, and there was no containing his feelings. “How do you tell the most beautiful soul you’ve ever met, a woman who brings light into your darkness, that you’ve taken a life?” He turned back to her family, noticing her father and grandfather nodding. “It didn’t seem fair, and I tried to end it so she wouldn’t suffer because of my past. But no matter how many times I tried, it never stuck. I couldn’t go a day without seeing her. I was going to try to end it again the morning you guys showed up. You made it easier, because after seeing the pain she felt, I never wanted to cause her pain again. But from the second I drove away, I wanted to come back. I felt like I had left the best part of myself behind. But Madigan wasn’t mine, and I believed she was better off without my past hanging over her head.”

“Then why the hell did you come back?” Blaine snarled.