Her hand covered her heart, and she said, “Oh my gosh. I love that, too.”

“I’d give just about anything to have caused that reaction,” he said more to himself than to her.

“You have caused that reaction, many times. You just didn’t see it,” she said, touching the couch, as if she needed to touch everything he owned.

And he loved that, too.

“I melted on the spot the very first day you picked up Kennedy from dance class, when she leapt into your arms, and every time you’ve picked her up since then.” She walked toward him and said, “When you told me you were taking Kennedy and Lincoln out on a date, you got the same melty reaction.”

She took his hand as they sat down, and the intimate touch brought another wave of relief after not knowing if he’d ever have a chance to hold her again.

“I love that the kids are so important to both of you,” she said softly.

“Tru and the kids are three of the best reasons for me never to touch drugs again. I have a lot to make up for, and I have great appreciation for the love they give me,” he said honestly. “I want to be sure they know that. I’ll never do wrong by them again.”

“I’d imagine they know that. But, Quincy, while I might get warm and melty over a lot of things, what I feel for you goes beyond that. I hope you don’t think that I’m holding your past against you in any way. I’ve found a place for your past, and for us, in here.” She patted her chest over her heart. “I know you did what you could with the kids given your addiction, and Tru did what he could. But that doesn’t make him better than you or make me think less of you. The truth is, you get that swoony reaction from me with almost everything you do and say. I love the way you love your friends and family, and while it felt amazing to be welcomed into their close-knit circle Friday night, what made it so special was that those were the people you love.”

His chest felt full to near bursting. “Damn, babe. That’s…Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. It’s how you make me feel. I’m sorry it took a while for me to see things clearly. But when you first told me that you’d been clean for two years, I weighed that against the six and a half years you’d used drugs, and at the time, it hadn’t felt like very long. But what I’ve read online since then and the stories I heard tonight have shown me that two years in the life of a person in recovery are probably equivalent to about five years in the life of someone who isn’t battling addiction, struggling every single day to overcome something stronger than they are. And from what I’ve read, in the first few months of recovery, maybe struggling every single hour is more accurate.”