Devin's been texting me for a few days now. When he first started, I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but then I felt dumb. Wasn't this what I wanted? For him to talk to me? This is what I needed a few weeks ago, but I'm getting it now, so maybe the door isn't closed on us yet. After all, he started this communication, so just maybe....

I get a message from him every day, sometimes twice a day. He's not really saying a whole lot, just random notes, 'good morning, good night, I miss you.' Sometimes he'll tell me about his day. I've come to look forward to his messages. But I've yet to respond. Devin is always in my thoughts...always and I've been toying with whether or not to respond. Finally, I think it's time.

*good morning Devin...please give me a little time...hope u have a nice day*

I stared at it for at least nine hours before I hit send. Not really, but it felt like it. I hit send and got a response immediately. A feeling of excitement and nerves hit me at once.

*hi Nicole...i will give u whatever u need...hope u have a nice day too*

And there we have it. Maybe we'll get to a point where we're both ready to talk this thing out.

I'm in my office alone; it's 7:15 in the evening. Yes, I finally got my butt back into the office. Being home wasn't doing me any good, so here I am. Sitting at my desk with my chair facing the window, I see Solomon pull into the parking lot. Huh. This is unusual. He never comes to my office. Immediately I think the worst, something must be wrong, so I meet him at the door.

"Solomon, this is a surprise. Is everything ok?" I'm nervous now. My insides are jumping. Did something happen to Sydney? Oh my God, Devin...did something happen on the bike?

"Hey Nic...nothing's wrong, nobody's hurt." I'm sure he can see the distress on my face. "I wanted to talk to you about Devin. You have a minute?"

Leading him into my office, we sit. "You want something to drink?"

Shaking his head, "No, I'm good...thanks."

He takes a deep breath and cuts straight to the chase. "So, look, Nicole, I know this hasn't been easy for you. Syd has told me a little about what you've been going through."

Damn you Sydney!

Apparently, Solomon knows me well because he says, "Don't be mad at her Nic, she's just been really concerned about you. Anyway, Devin has had a rough time too. I won't go into detail...he really needs to do that, but I'll just say it wasn't any of his doing. He was just trying to do the right thing, by Ethan and by you...but just give him a chance to explain it to you, ok? He'd kick my ass if he knew I was saying this, Nic, but I've never seen Devin like this. He's been distraught without you...he needs you, Nicole."

He needs me? But what about his family?

When he finishes, he watches me, waiting to see what my response will be. "Thank you, Solomon, for always looking out for me. I trust you never to steer me wrong, so I promise, I'll think about it."

His eyes search my face for a moment like he's trying to see if I'm telling the truth. Then, rising from his chair, he nods in agreement. Solomon pulls me into a hug and says, "It's going to work out, Nic. I've got your back, girl. Love you."

Sitting on my deck an hour later, with a glass of wine, my mind tosses around everything Solomon and Sydney have said to me. Maybe Devin was struggling with things in California, and he handled it the only way he knew how. He's used to dealing with everything on his own, so that's what he did. Looking up at the night sky, hundreds of stars seem to be shining brightly and they're all very still except for one. It's almost like it's winking at me, telling me everything will be ok, and it's time.

A deep husky voice answers the phone, sounding a little uncertain. "Nicole?"

"Hi, Devin." My nerves...ugh! Where's that damn Patron?