Chapter 56

• Anderson gives me a measured nod followed by a full-blown smirk. The one that fifteen years ago captured my heart when he walked past me in his football uniform during lunch in the quad.
• “After this week, us being apart because of work, once again … I realized I miss us too,” he says with a nod of his head. He reaches into the box and moves items around with an obvious unease, but at least he’s looking. He quiets for a moment before looking up and meeting my eyes. “I’ve been stubborn. I’ve been so wrapped up thinking with my ego and not my dick that I’ve completely missed the whole point.” I suppress the burgeoning hope I feel, afraid to believe too quickly that Anderson has finally heard me. “Without you here, I realized that it’s lonely as hell … and that I need to stop and listen to you sometimes, really hear the words you’re saying. And you’ve been saying that these toys don’t mean that I’m not enough, but rather you just want a little more variety.”
• I close my eyes, the tears leaking out because he finally gets it. I hiccup back a sob as relief finally finds its place within me.