He looked at her.
For years, he had wanted her to ask about the parts of him she had never understood.
Now she was finally asking.
But the question was no longer whether she could see him differently.
It was whether he could see himself differently without needing her permission.
— THE WOMAN WHO WANTED HIM BACK
Claire followed Cole into the parking lot.
“Please don’t leave yet.”
He stopped beside his truck.
“What do you want to talk about?”
She looked toward the gym, where people were beginning to disperse.
“I didn’t know.”
“Know what?”
“Any of it. Daniel. Fallujah. What you went through.”
Cole rested one hand on the truck door.
“You never asked.”
“I know.”
“You asked about my knee once. I told you it was an old injury. You accepted that answer because it was easier than asking what it meant.”
Tears gathered in her eyes.
