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Oh, the joy I ju both Nix and Harley and yelled out, "Mooing to love Danny so much And Ryan misses you a lot"

I was ju around the apartment when I stole a look at Nix His full attention was onat me from ear to ear

My , "Mom is fine, Emily I kind of like it now"

It truly had been aup the phone with ged hi afternoon in his bedroom

All too soon, it was tio to the fundraiser

I had brought my Monique Lhullier cocktail dress with me and Nix borrowed one of Linc's tuxedos, which thankfully they were both the saht and build

I have to ad in a burlap sack Hell, I've never seen hi other than a t-shirt and jeans, and he'd always looked edible toHe even styled his hair a bit so it was layered back away fro the beautiful lines and angles of his face He didn't shave, which I loved His forever look of stubble h man And that was fine by me

He was h manfor now

When I ca touches ona bouquet of flowers

"Are those forto fill with tears

He nodded "I ran down to the corner grocery while you were in the shower It seeht where floere in order"

I took the bouquet and held therance but they were lovely, and they were given to ht to do that forto crack wide open and suck him inside

"They're beautiful, Nix Let o put them in some water"

I didn't say any to cry As I went to walk by hi ainst ht flowers to a woman before, Emily It's a first for me"

I turned my face into his and our lipsa lot of 'firsts' with you"

My heart had been ha with excitement over those words as we drove to The Waldorf-Astoria

Yesit had been a practically perfect day leading up to this fundraiser

And here I stand nowin the corridor outside of the restrooo in

And Todd Fulgra here with his hand on

His ression, and had it not been for a slightly sad air to his whole de trapped here But he said quietly, "EmilyI really need to talk to youto explain my situation"

I shouldn't trust him I should make polite excuses and walk the other wayor run into the bathroo, childish, threatening or arrogant in the usual Todd Fulgram way

It is sorrowful and scared

My heart, damned fiend that it is, says I have no choice but to stay and listen "Okay"

He releases h his hair "First, I' here But I knew you'd be here and I had to talk to youin person"

"I'," I say carefully

Todd leads ainst a wall in the hallway We both sit down, our knees angled inward He's nervous, twining his fingers around each other