Joe didn't move when Roxie kissed him on the cheek. It would have been very easy to make that small sign of affection into something more, but he couldn't do that. Even so, Joe's arms wrapped around Roxie's waist and held her close to him for a moment after she kissed him.

There were a million things he could have asked in that moment, so many of them able to change the dynamic between them forever. But before he could move forward, Joe had to know that his past was behind him.

It was the only way to be fair to her.

"Roxanne...will you be here when I get back?" he asked, looking down at her.