Still, he was kind.
Not in a performative way, but in a way that remained consistent.
Nathan remembered what I said. He noticed when I grew quiet. He made space for me without making it feel temporary.
After years of uncertainty, that kind of steadiness felt like something I could trust.
When Nathan proposed, there was no grand gesture.
He simply looked at me one evening and said, “I don’t want to spend what’s left of my life alone, and I don’t think you do either, Mattie.”