She made him look at her and the emotions he'd promised to lock away were right there again, written plainly written across his face. He loved her still. He always would. But the guilt of everything that had happened to Starling, to his family, to her, to the Lances...
The thumb brushing his cheek almost made him lose it, his jaw clenching as he tried to hold back the emotion welling within himself.
"I knew you'd be there," he answered, voice low. "And I got held up. If I'd just gotten there...." Tommy wouldn't have died. Their relationship wouldn't be broken. His voice cut off, emotion choking it.
He forced the emotions down, taking several more breaths before he could speak, directing himself onto another topic. "I never thought of you as a victim, Laurel."