“The most beautiful clothes that can dress a woman are the arms of the man she loves,” [Yves Saint Laurent] once said. “But for those who haven’t had the good fortune of finding this happiness, I am there.”

"Before you answer that, Drew, think about it. Think about it really carefully. You know what I'm like. You know how I can get selfish when I'm tired. You know how I get needy when I'm on my period. You know that I get jealous and insecure when I see my boyfriend with other women, even if they're just friends. And if you can't handle that, then we shouldn't even be considering this."

I chuckled and planted a kiss on her temple. "Yeah, I do know. But I also know that when your boyfriends are tired and exhausted, you make them hot chocolate and rub their heads until they feel better. You're always there to reassure them when they're feeling stressed out and inadequate. You make them breakfast on their birthdays. You text them cheerful messages right before tests or important events."

Laney shook her head in embarrassment.

"So when I weigh the costs versus benefits, it seems to me that I'd much rather have you as my girlfriend than have to watch you be someone else's girlfriend for some asshole who doesn't deserve you."

She brought her head up to look at me. Her expression was shy and her eyes were wide and shiny, almost like she was storing tears in them and trying desperately to stop them from falling. "So what you're saying is, you deserve me?"

I shook my head. "No. But honestly, I'm the closest to deserving than anyone else is going to get."