“I think it is,” she answers as I reach to the side for the card that’s Velcroed to the chair. “What does it say?”

I flip it open and read out loud. “Look your partner in the eyes, and tell them one quality that you admire about them.” I look up at her. “Oh shit, I thought this was going to be harder.”

She lets out a sigh of relief. “Me too. When he said sensual chairs, I was expecting…I don’t know…dry humping or something.”

I let out a laugh while she chuckles.

“Well, thank God we don’t have to dry hump in public.”

“Really saving some dignity this morning.”

“We are,” I say, unable to hide my smile, because she’s just so damn adorable.

“Okay, we can do this,” she says on a sigh.

“Want me to go first?” I ask.

“Sure,” she answers.

I look her in the eyes, and I say, “Scottie, I admire your vulnerability. I know you put yourself in a weird and awkward situation, and you had the chance to just give up and move on, but instead, you decided to see this thing through. You decided to open yourself up to these conversations and to sift through the weight of your divorce with courage. And I don’t think you see that sort of tenacity enough. I don’t think you see people open up their hearts and expose themselves the way you have. So I’m truly impressed by you, and you continue to impress me each and every day.”

Her eyes grow watery, and her hand gradually moves to my neck. “Thank you,” she says softly. “That was…that was really nice of you.”

“I mean it.”

She nods. “I know you do, Wilder. I know you do.”

And that right there, that makes me smile, because that’s change. That’s her coming out of this repressed shell that she’s been living in and recognizing the fact that she’s so much more than how her ex treated her. Sure, he might not have done anything physically bad to her, but ignoring someone, not showing their importance in your life, that is just as bad. Because that wears on you. It’s manipulative and mental abuse. And she deserves so much more than that.

“Okay, my turn,” she says on a deep breath. Her beautiful eyes match up with mine. “I admire your positivity, and I know you were probably hoping for something else⁠—”

“Do not second-guess your answer,” I tell her. “Be brave and tell me why you like my positivity.”