He registers my tears at the same moment I do, because I blink and suddenly his face is blurry. “Oh, baby.” He rises and drags me against him. A hug. Takes a second to register it for what it is. An all-encompassing hug, his arms around me, his hands hot on my back. My head tucked under his chin. I don’t know the last time I was hugged like this. I close my eyes, and a foreign feeling washes over me. For the first time in a long time, I feel safe. And that scares me more than anything.
