//

"Please don't feel like you're a burden, Reina," he said quietly.

His eyes slowly drifted to meet hers. She gave him a pained look. "Jaime, your family is about to lose the house, and I-"

"You need to stay here. I . . ." He shut his eyes and ran his free hand through his hair. "I need you here, okay? This is all gonna be so hard, and . . ." He took a breath, which was a little shakier than usual. "I don't know if I can make it through without you."

| includes smut |