Oh, Nitty, at least the temperature is changing. I can only imagine that this is just as hard, though.
So I will echo the best part of this post. Hang on to your hard-fought independence. Your confidence will attract Gritty, even when HE panics. He knows he needs both mercy (you refraining from deserved punishment), and is relying on grace (rewards for no reason). That's scary for him, too.
Start using your sense of humor - it will defuse many of these tense moments. Hey, you get to start rehearsing POSITIVE interactions - R talks that Gritty WANTS to have.
Pretty cool. I will reiterate; piecing is a very mundane word for such a blessed thing.
Me: 43 XW: 43 T15 M14 D21, SS15, S11, D8 BD: 8/6 EA / possible PA discovered 9/29 D final 10/20