“Why?” I asked with a quaking voice. “Why?”
Sitting up some, I looked between my father and Grayson. “Is his mother okay? What about his brothers?”
Clearing his throat to speak, my father squeezed my hand. “She’s doing the best anyone can expect and Melissa has been with Mitchell’s brothers.”
I attempted to swallow but my throat was so dry. Gripping my father’s hand, I looked into his eyes. “Daddy,” was all I could manage to get out.
My father kissed my forehead and mumbled against my skin, “I love you, pumpkin.” Pulling back, he gave me a weak smile. “Let me go see what I can find out about how Mrs. Haus is doing.”
I watched as my father quickly walked out of the bedroom.
Grayson reached his hand over and pushed a piece of hair behind my ear as I closed my eyes. Mitchell’s face appeared and my eyes snapped back open. “Meg, Melissa is really worried about you. I told her I would call her when you woke up and let her know you’re okay.”
When I turned to look into Grayson’s blue eyes, I saw nothing but sadness. “I don’t know what to say, baby. I’m so sorry.”
“How did I fail him? What did I do wrong? How could I have missed this?”
Grayson blinked back tears as he shook his head. “Meagan, you didn’t do anything wrong, and you certainly didn’t fail him.”
A sob escaped as I whispered, “How can you say that? He killed himself because I couldn’t help him.”
“No,” Grayson whispered as he pressed his lips to the back of my hand.
Grayson moved to the bed and sat while he pulled me to him. My arms wrapped around him tightly. “Why, Gray? Why didn’t he talk to me about this?”
My body shook uncontrollably as I cried harder. “God, why did this happen?” I cried out as Grayson’s arms held me tighter.
My mind was filled with images of Mitchell. His smile. His laugh. The way he told me things were starting to look up for him.
My body felt numb and I couldn’t even imagine how Mitchell’s family was feeling. “I should have known. It was my job to make sure something like this didn’t happen. He must have felt so alone and in a place so dark he couldn’t find a way out. How did I miss that? Gray, how?”
Gripping onto Grayson’s shirt, I lost it as I buried my face into his chest.
Grayson
MY ARM WAS wrapped tightly around Meagan’s waist as we stood and listened to Mitchell’s eulogy. Meagan stared off with a distant look on her face as her father and mother stood on the other side of her.
Feeling Meagan’s body tremble, I pulled her closer to me. When the service was over, it was Meagan and Mrs. Haus who didn’t move.
“Meg? Do you need a few minutes alone?” I asked.
Snapping her head over to me, Meagan’s eyes filled with panic. “No. Please don’t leave me.”
Glancing over to Brad, his eyes met mine. With a quick nod, he and Amanda headed back to my truck.
Meagan had had this fear of me leaving her the last few days and it was beginning to worry both her parents, as well as me.
“Meagan?”
Mrs. Haus stood to the side of us as Meagan immediately wrapped Mitchell’s mother in her arms and told her how sorry she was.
Both women cried for a few minutes before Meagan took a few steps back. Mrs. Haus wiped her eyes and attempted to smile.
“I want you to know how much he cared for you. How much you helped him.”
Meagan’s lips trembled as she tried like hell to keep her composure. Wrapping her arms around her body, she nodded and said, “I cared about him so much and I’m so very sorry.”
With a quick nod of her head, Mrs. Haus placed her hands on Meagan’s arms. “I know. Um . . . Mitchell had written a few letters. One for me, Casey, his two brothers, and one for you.”