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Seventeen years old. Grinning as he climbed onto the back of my motorcycle.

Come on, Grim. Just this once.

My mother’s warning echoes through my skull.

Promise me you won’t take him riding.

I promised.

Then I broke it.

And buried my little brother.

“I shouldn’t have let him on that bike,” I say.

Autumn goes still.

“Gray.”

“Mom told me not to. Made me fucking promise.”

“Tyler crossed the center line.”

“Eli wouldn’t have been there if I’d kept my word.”

“You couldn’t have known what would happen.”

“Doesn’t change a goddamn thing.”

She moves closer, but I straighten before she can touch me.

I can’t do this.

Not here.

Not with her standing in front of me looking like the one good thing I managed to destroy.

“I never blamed you for what happened, Gray.”

My throat tightens.

“Maybe you should’ve.”

She shakes her head. “That’s the part you never understood.”

“What?”

“I knew how much you loved your brother. I knew losing him would destroy you.” Her voice wavers, but she holds my gaze. “I didn’t hate you for leaving. It broke my heart, but I understood why you couldn’t stay.”

I look at her.

For ten years, I’ve imagined her telling me to go to hell.

Turns out this is worse.

“You always did give me too much credit,” I mutter.

“No. I just knew your heart better than you did.”