Franklin wasn't afraid of losing Cassie anymore. That fear, the one that used to sit heavy in his chest, the one that whispered doubts late at night, had finally gone quiet the moment Nathan told him about the confessions of her feelings for him.
Since then, he was shoved with the quite understanding of the way she loved, the way she guarded herself, and the way she softened when she thought no one was watching. And that knowledge felt stronger than any insecurity he'd ever carried.
Still, before anything else, he wanted Frederick and everyone around them to understand something very clearly.
Whatever he had with Cassie wasn't fragile. It wasn't temporary, and it wasn't something anyone could interfere with.
He wanted them to feel the depth of that bond long before they ever
