He blinked, a little surprised by her intensity. Brushing a lock of her hair out of her face with calloused fingers, he gave her a shy smile. "I don't think I'm ever going to forget how much I missed you, you know."
He was quiet, looking down at Aubrey thoughtfully. "It was awful," he said quietly. "I would look down at her and see your eyes and your smile and your hands, and I would want so badly to hate them. I couldn't, but I wanted to."
“Battered. Bruised.” He paused for a moment, his eyes growing distant as he thought back. “I was pretty desperate.”