Chapter 65

Jenny

Oh God. God, God, God.

No wonder. No wonder he'd freaked out and had chosen to be celibate. To him, her death was his fault, and that was directly tied to sex in his mind. Matt had such a deep, ingrained respect for women and a white knight syndrome to the nth degree. Guilt. Blame. Loathing. That's the result of stepping outside the box, the kind of guy he was-selfless, kind, compassionate. He'd spent the past two years punishing himself.

"Matt, she was an addict long before you met. You tried. You called a taxi after she refused your help." Setting the wine aside, I crawled across the couch and cupped his jaw. "What happened to her wasn't your fault. You'd never do anything to hurt anyone."

He swallowed, the look in his eyes begging for forgiveness. "I didn't just hurt her. I'm responsible for her death."

Tears formed in my eyes before I could get a grip. "Am I responsible for my mom's overdose?"

"What?" His eyes rounded. "No, of course not."