Sure you know his middle name, which drawer he keep his socks in, and how he takes his coffee – all pluses, of course – but after 8 years with the same guy, I’m finding that the more you love, the more you learn about “the other things” that make up a man. You know, the stuff he couldn’t ever tell you – it’s what you observe and what his heart ultimately reveals when he’s often not even paying attention. My husband and I call them The Tell-Tell Things. When you figure ‘em out about your partner you feel something shift and change within your relationship. You feel things getting deeper and the love growing to new heights. Your bond strengthens right before your eyes. It’s a beautiful feeling.

I want to say that you’ll know it when it hits you, but in case you missed it, I believe that if you can answer some (or all) of the below questions about your man, you’ve hit these relationship milestone, and more. Take a look and see what you come up with.

1. Can you tell the difference between when he’s telling a little white lie to protect you or just telling a little white lie? What are his “tells”?

2. What is he truly afraid of, but doesn’t even realize he fears?

3. If he wakes up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back to sleep, what is he sitting in the dark thinking about?

4. What will he most want to teach his son about being a man? Why?

5. What damage was done by the woman who broke his heart before you came along to fix it?

6. Is he more afraid of losing you or losing himself?

They’re deep, I know. But I promise you, there’s a love lesson buried within the words of any answer you have for these questions. That lesson could be a cautionary tale, inspiration for why your love works as well as it does, or possibly even a building block in the strong foundation you’ve built for your relationship, together.

Feel free to share your answers/inspiration below.