He shouldn’t have come back here. He should have stayed with Del. Should have been there right now, Del’s arms around him and Del’s kisses soft against his prickling skin. He should never have left the place where he felt loved. Where maybe he wasloved.
He wished he’d had the courage to ask.
And he wished that was his biggest regret as well, but it wasn’t. How could it be, when he’d brought the kids back into this house? An ugly sob tore its way out of his throat.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.
It hurt, and he was scared, and he was going to die and he’d never see the kids grow up.
I’m so sorry.
His vision went black when Steve kicked him in the head. 18
Somehow, Del managed to run upstairs, pull on some clothes and grab his phone. When he made it back downstairs, Abigail looked wide-eyed as she huddled on the couch with all three kids.