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“Hi.” I say, smiling back.

He must sense something because he cocks his head. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just got another stupid package from Roger.”

He scowls. “What was it this time?”

“A black satin heart. I guess he’s trying to tell me I have a black heart for breaking his?”

He rolls his eyes. “He had his chance. Do I need to have a conversation with him?”

I hesitate. “You know what, let’s see if it keeps happening or if he gives up. It’s stupid stuff, really. Unless he escalates, I’d rather it just go away.”

“As long as you’re sure.”

“I am.”

He pulls me inside and takes my bag. “I’m going to put this in the bedroom. I already ordered Thai food, which should be here any minute. Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

“All right. Let me put this inside.” He disappears into the bedroom and I take a moment to look around. This is definitely a bachelor pad, but it’s also very much his personality. Big TV on one wall, large sectional, and a bunch of what look like trophies and award on a small bookshelf.

Is that a silver star medal? I stare in disbelief.

How did I not know about this?

He must have been some kind of hero in the military, and I want to hear all about it.

By the time he takes care of the delivery guy and puts the bags of food in the kitchen, I have so many questions about his life—but tonight has to be about me coming clean. It’s only fair that he knows exactly what he’s getting into, and who I really am.

We fill our plates and settle at the small table in his kitchen.

“You won a Silver Star,” I say quietly.

“I did.” He meets my gaze curiously. “Does it matter?”

“No. There are just so many things I don’t know about you. And by the same token, you don’t know a lot of things about me.”

“You mean, who you were before you became Luna Gallagher.”

I nod.

“Okay.” He seems perfectly calm, simply waiting for me to tell him.

So, I take a deep breath and go back to the beginning. “I was born Shawna Hunter. I grew up in Georgia. My life was pretty normal other than the fact that I started gaining weight when I was about fourteen. I got self-conscious about it, so I threw myself into my studies. Then I got into MIT and moved away to go to school. I was kind of sheltered and college was a completely different world. I started making friends who were smart like me, and most of them were guys.

“I think that’s why I got serious about hacking. That was something I could do by myself, and it turned out I was good at it.”

“You still are.”

“Yeah, well, I was kind of full of myself in those days. And not only was I becoming a world-renowned hacker, I also felt like I had a moral obligation to right the wrongs of the world. All of them, if you know what I mean.”

“I’m familiar with that sentiment,” he murmurs softly. “You know, running off to the Middle East to fight battles that didn’t really have anything to do with me.”

I never thought about that with regard to his military service, but now that he’s vocalized it, it makes sense. “Yeah, so you get it.”

“I do.”