The last of the bicycles appeared to have passed, but the light had turned red again. Jamie shifted in his seat.

"I'm sure it's perfectly normal for a teenage boy to act out after his parents die, Jamie. Anyone would. You can't blame yourself for that."

"That's not what I blame myself for."

"Then what is it?"

He set his jaw and didn't answer, and Olivia decided to let it go. He'd talk about it when he wanted to, and she didn't want to start a fight. They'd only made up a week ago and they were on their way to see his family. Now was not the time for tension.

She took his hand and squeezed it. "All that matters is that you're getting along now. I thought you were happy when I first met you, but now it's almost like you've found peace."

"Yeah," he said, squeezing his hand again. "It's something like that."

The traffic jam finally gave way, and Jamie seemed to sigh with relief.

"We're late, aren't we?"

He laughed. "We're not late. I told them we'd be there around six."

"You told me five-thirty. I've been so worried!"

He leaned in and stole a quick kiss. "You know how hot it gets me when you're responsible."

"Jamie!" She shoved him back to his side of the car. "Why did you say five-thirty?"

His smile faded and he cleared his throat. "I thought we might stop somewhere else real quick."

The nervous way his fingers tightened on the steering wheel confused her, but she nodded. "Of course."

They drove down the street, then took a few more turns until they were in a part of town she didn't think she'd ever driven through. Jamie pulled into an entry gate that made her sit up straighter. It was a cemetery.

He eased slowly down the narrow lane before he stopped and cut the engine. "I wanted to bring you here because...my parents are buried here." He gestured up a hill dotted with large trees.

Olivia gasped and reached for the door handle. "Do you want to go up? We can. I don't really care about being late, Jamie."

His hand closed over her wrist. "No. I don't want to. I...I don't go up there."

"Ever?"

"Only when Tessa insists."

She settled back into her seat and watched Jamie as he stared out the window.

"They were really great parents," he said.

"I'm sure they were. Do you look like your dad?"

His lips turned up for a moment. "Yeah. My mom used to complain that she did all the work of having babies, and we got all of his genes."

She didn't know what to say. That she was sorry he'd lost them? Those words seemed so paltry in the face of what had been taken from him. "I'm so sorry," she said helplessly.

"Me, too. I wasn't...I wasn't the son they deserved."

"Oh, Jamie-"

"It was my fault, Olivia."

"What was?"

"The accident."

Her heart clenched and her lungs seemed to freeze. "What do you mean? You were there?"

"No. None of us were there. Tessa was spending the night at a friend's house. Eric was already living in Denver. And I was out doing what I always did-getting into trouble."

"So how could it have been your fault?"

Jamie closed his eyes for a moment and swallowed hard, but when he opened his eyes they were dry. "I told my parents I was going to a school dance, but there was no dance. Some rich girl was having a party at her house up in the mountains. I had a car, so I volunteered to be the designated driver. I wanted to do the right thing. But I didn't. When we got to the party, I started drinking along with everyone else. But then we had to go. My friend had to be home by midnight or he'd be grounded. I was drunk. Everyone was drunk. So I called my parents. I told them I'd had a drink and I needed a ride home. Of course, Mom and Dad jumped in the car. But they never made it. It'd been raining for three days. There was a rockslide. They drove right into a boulder. Never even hit the brakes."

He let Olivia take his hand, but he didn't look at her. She tried to swallow her tears. My God. He'd been sixteen. He must have felt... "It was an accident, Jamie."

"It wasn't an accident. It was me being irresponsible. *Oh, sure, I'll drive. I'll just have one beer.'"

"You called them because that was the right thing to do!"

"No," he said firmly. "The right thing to do would've been to not lie and go to the party. Or stay sober when I told my friends I would."

"You did the right thing by not getting in the car with your friends and driving home drunk. Then you would've been dead."

"I know. But at least my little sister would've been raised by a mom and dad instead of two clueless brothers. At least-"

"Stop. Jamie, you can't blame yourself for an accident. Your family doesn't blame you, do they?"

He finally looked at her then. "You're the only one I've ever told."

Oh, God. She saw it in his face then. The reason he'd pushed his brother and sister away. The reason he felt he owed them so much.

"I couldn't tell them. I didn't want them to hate me as much as I hated myself."

"Jamie, no." She reached for him, getting as close as she could in his car. "Don't say that."

"It's true. I was a coward. I never wanted them to know how worthless I was."

"Don't say that," she managed to say past her tears. "It's not true, Jamie."

"It's okay," he whispered into her hair. "I'm finally figuring it out. I think I deserve something better than how I've been living. At the very least, I want to live in a way that would have made them proud. I owe them that. My parents and my siblings."

"Jamie, you don't owe anybody anything. You were sixteen. You made a stupid mistake, but then you did exactly what they would've wanted you to." Tears spilled down her cheeks, but she kept her face against his shoulder so he wouldn't see. "And no matter how hard you tried to throw your life away, you couldn't do it, because you're a good man. You took care of your sister and graduated from college and you worked with your family every day. I've never seen you be unkind to anyone. Ever."

She felt his cheek rise in a smile. "What about that time I punched Victor?"

"That was an act of mercy. For me, anyway. I'm just saying that you were trying to do the right thing. And you're no more at fault than your sister would've been if she'd asked them to pick her up at the mall. You wouldn't have blamed her, because it was an accident."

"I can't see it that way, but I've started learning to forgive myself." He took a deep breath. She watched his chest expand and felt his breath tease over her hair. "I told you about this so you could understand. I'm working on it. I'm trying. And I know I said the wrong things that day we fought, but..."

"It's okay."

"Olivia, I don't like you because I think you'll make me a better person. Or because you're smart and mature and I need that in my life. I like you because I think there's a chance I might actually deserve you. Just a chance."

Forgetting her vow to hide her crying, Olivia burst into tears.

"Come on. I'm not that bad, am I?"

"Shut up," she sobbed. "I love you."

"Yeah?" He eased her away so he could see her face, though she tried to hide her blubbering. "Really?"

"Really," she gasped, tucking her face back into his shirt so she could cry freely. She loved him so much that she should be scared, but somehow she wasn't. Whatever would happen would happen, and she was strong enough to bear heartbreak if she had to. But maybe she wouldn't have to.

"Thank you for telling me what happened," she whispered. She couldn't believe he'd lived with that for so long. No wonder he'd been so lost. "You have to tell your family, Jamie."

He shook his head. "Maybe someday. Not today. I need time. I need to think."

She let it go. It was his secret. His truth.

"Are you done crying?" he finally asked.

"Maybe."

"Should we go see my family?"

"Yes." She sniffled a few times, trying to stop her tears. "Okay. Just give me a minute." Olivia snapped down the passenger-side mirror to look at her face. "Oh, no. I look terrible."

"You're just a little moist. Here." He stuffed a Dairy Queen napkin into her hand.

She dabbed carefully at her cheeks and told herself it didn't matter. So she'd be late and blotchy, and it didn't matter. She'd be with Jamie, and things were good with him, and getting better every day.

Jamie put the car in gear, but for a long moment his foot stayed pressed to the brake. "Next time," he said, "maybe we'll go up the hill."

When she took his hand, his fingers squeezed hers hard. "I think that's a great idea."

JAMIE GAVE A PERFUNCTORY knock on the front door before opening it wide. He gestured to Olivia and watched as she stepped inside and glanced around the front rooms.

His chest felt suddenly tight. What did she see? It just looked like home to him. Dark wood floors, a big fireplace, the front window where his mom had always put the Christmas tree. It all looked the same to Jamie, but as he followed Olivia in, he realized he was different now.

He didn't feel like a kid coming home. And he didn't feel like someone stealing into a place where he didn't deserve to be. Instead, he felt...good. Peaceful. Happy to have Olivia here. Thrilled to see her smile and reach for his hand.

"It's beautiful. You must miss living here."

"No. This house has too many memories. But I'm glad to be here now. With you."

She always blushed when he said things like that, and she was still blushing when the sound of Tessa's quick footsteps echoed down the hall.

"Are you ready?" he whispered.

"No!" Olivia answered, her eyes wide with trepidation. "I'm not ready."

"Too late." He took the cake from her hands as Tessa rushed into the entry, a wide grin already spreading across her face. "Hello!"

"Hi." Olivia stepped back as if she were alarmed by Tessa's mad rush, but Tessa just opened her arms and caught Olivia in a hug.

"It's so good to finally meet you!"

"Um." Olivia tentatively patted his sister's back. "We already met at the brewery."

"Yes, but not like this. This is official."

Jamie grinned until Olivia finally smiled at him past his sister's shoulder. "First girl I've ever brought home," he said with a wink.

Tessa snorted. "First girl whose name we even learned," she clarified.

Olivia eased out of the hug and laughed. "I feel kind of like I'm your prom date, Jamie."

"Don't worry," Tessa whispered. "I'll only make you pose for a few pictures."

"Um. Okay." Olivia clearly couldn't tell whether or not Tessa was joking. Actually, Jamie wasn't sure, either.

"Luke will be here in a few minutes. He had to work-"

Tessa was interrupted when the front door opened on a loud whoosh, but it wasn't Luke.

"Oh," Eric said, his eyes flying to Olivia as he stepped inside. "Hello."

"Olivia, you've already met Eric," Jamie said dryly.

"I have. It's nice to see you again."

"Yeah," Eric said. "Nice to see you, too. And, um... I'm sorry about the last time." Eric was actually squirming. That was something Jamie had never seen before. He was pretty sure he was enjoying it, so he didn't bother to step into the awkward silence. Instead, he just smiled. Let Eric be the one left swinging in the wind.

"So," Eric said, his eyes sliding away.

Tessa jumped into the pause. "You brought a cake!" She snatched it from Jamie's hands. "It looks delicious. Dinner's not quite ready yet, so Jamie, why don't you show Olivia the house. I'll put this in the kitchen."

"Thank you!" Olivia called as Tessa hurried away.

Laughing at the dazed expression on Olivia's face, Jamie took her hand and led her on the grand tour. He started upstairs, pointing out the window in his old room that he'd used as a frequent escape route as a teenager. Then the banister where he'd broken his arm trying to slide down it as if he was grinding on a skateboard. In the hallway, there were pictures of his family. He'd always wondered how Tessa could stand to live with the pictures of Mom and Dad on constant display, but now he was glad they were here.

"You really do look like him." Olivia touched a finger to his dad's cheek. "He looks happy like you."