It was dark in the stateroom except for the dim lights over his bunk. Chris guessed it was only about four o’clock or four-thirty.He turned over until he faced the wall. Sleep had been elusive and fitful since he left Sia’s cabin. His shock at the news of her parents’ deaths had hit him very hard, right in his heart.His loss was now totally complete. Unequivocally permanent.And he had to wonder. He didn’t want to complete the thought, but he wasn’t easy, even on himself. Did she blame him for her parents’ deaths as well as her brother’s? The thought gnawed at him in a place that, even after six years, was still raw. And he had to assume some of the blame. He was indirectly responsible for their deaths. It was his error that killed Rafe.Being with her again had brought it all back. He didn’t have to hear her tell him she couldn’t forgive him when forgiveness was what he wanted and needed. He knew she couldn’t and that reality shattered his foundations even more.Like a thirsty man so close to water he could smell it, but wasn’t allowed to drink.He would have been kidding himself if he’d thought there had been any way back into their good graces.
