As he strode towards me, my stomach hollowed. He radiated power and self-assurance as he moved through the space. Without a word, he pulled me towards him. The kiss he laid on me wasn’t a casual hello. It was hungry and just a bit desperate. When I pulled back, I had to take a second to steady myself. “That was a heck of a hello.”

“Missed you,” he said as if that were the only reason necessary.

“Missed you, too. I’m ready for food, wine, and bed.”

Griffin glanced over his shoulder at Will, who was still working away. A flicker of guilt passed over his features. “I think we need to talk before that happens.”

My stomach pitched. “What now?” Had this week not rained down enough hardship?

Griffin grimaced but linked his fingers with mine, tugging me into the hallway. “Will and I had a talk this afternoon.”

“A talk?” That wasn’t exactly something to write home about. I often found Will and Griffin with their heads together, talking about the house or school or a million other topics.

“I pushed. I could tell he’d been holding a lot inside, and I didn’t want that shit eating him up.”

I tensed. My first instinct was to snap at Griffin that pushing Will wasn’t his job. But I swallowed the words back. I’d known for a while now that Will was holding things back from me. Maybe they were things that he simply felt more comfortable sharing with a man. “What did he say?”

Griffin glanced over his shoulder towards the room where Will was working before returning his focus to me. “He blames himself for what happened that night.”

“What night?”

“When that asshole broke in and terrorized him and his sisters. He knew things were off with your parents, but he didn’t tell anyone. He’s taking everything that happened on himself. And now he’s doing everything he can to keep from being a burden.”

“Oh, God.” I felt sick to my stomach. “None of this was his fault. I can’t—” Tears filled my eyes.

Griffin cupped my face, sweeping his roughened thumbs across my cheeks. “I know. And I told him that. But I think he could use hearing it from you, too. It’s going to take some time for it to sink in.”

I nodded woodenly. “Other than the night I picked them up at the sheriff’s station he hasn’t said a word about blaming himself.”

“He’s ashamed.”

My insides gave a painful twist. My beautiful boy with the biggest of hearts. I couldn’t handle the knowledge that he’d been carrying this around for so long. I took a shuddering breath, trying to get my emotions under control. Me crying all over him was not going to help the situation. “I need to see him.”