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Acknowledgments

For this novel in particular, I have to thank my wife, Cathy Not only was she the inspiration for Lexie's character, but she showed a the novel I wake every day knowing that I'm lucky to have married her

My kids--Miles, Ryan, Landon, Lexie, and Savannah--who never let h I'm an author, I'm first and foremost a father

Theresa Park,me bend her ear whenever the mood strikes But more than that, she always knows exactly what to say when the going gets tough I'm fortunate to ith her

Jaratitude She's not only insightful, but char, and I couldn't have written this book without her

Larry Kirshbau to different pastures, but I can't let hih decision, but I'm sure you knohat's best for you It's been e to ith you, and I'd like to wish you the best of luck in whatever future awaits

Maureen Egen, another "biggie" at Tiht She's as sharp as they coether

Denise Di Novi, my patron saint in the world of Hollywood, is, and always has been, a blessing in my life

Howie Sanders and Dave Park, ents at UTA, always look out for me, and I'm thankful to ith them

Jennifer Romanello and Edna Farley, ifted They are treasures, and it's because of theet out and meet my readers

Lynn Harris and Mark Johnson, responsible for The Notebook, are, and alill be, my friends

Scott Schwimer, my attorney, has not only a kind heart, but an extraordinary ability to make sure every contract is just as it should be

Flag, who does ; and Shannon O'Keefe, Sharon Krassney, and Julie Barer also deserve ratitude

I'd like to thank a few more people First, Dr Rob Patterson, who talked to ht, it's because of hied this novel from the hard drive when rateful that he was around

Finally, I'd like to thank Dave Simpson, Philemon Gray, Slade Trabucco, and the track athletes at New Bern High School and TRACK EC (the Junior Olyraiving me your best

Prologue

February 2005

Is love at first sight truly possible?

Sitting in his living room, he turned the question over in his mind for what see since set A grayish sheen of fog was visible through the , and aside frolass, all was quiet Yet he wasn't alone, and he pulled himself up from his spot on the couch and walked down the hall to peek in on her As he stared, he thought about lying beside her, if only to have an excuse to shut his eyes He could use the rest, but he didn't want to risk falling asleep just yet Instead he watched as she shifted slightly, his ain about the path that had brought theether Who was he then? And as he now? On the surface, those questions seemed easy His name was Jeremy; he was forty-two years old, the son of an Irish father and ItalianThose were answers he would offer when asked Though they were true, he so more Should he mention, for instance, that he'd traveled to North Carolina five years ago to investigate a mystery? That he fell in love there, not once but twice that year? Or that the beauty of those memories was intertwined with sadness and that even now he questioned which memories would endure?

He turned away froh he didn't dwell on those events fro about them, either He could no e his birthday While there were times when he wished he could roll back the clock and erase all the sadness, he had a hunch that if he did so, the joy would be di he couldn't contemplate

It was in the darkest hours of the night that he ht with Lexie in the cehts that he'd coate It was then, however, that he'd realized for the first time how much Lexie meant to him As they had waited in the blackness of the cemetery, Lexie had told hi child, she explained Jeremy had already known that, but what he didn't knoas that she'd begun having nightmares a few years after the deaths of her parents Terrible, recurring nightrandht her to the cehts were nized thehosts of her parents It was, sohtain

Jeremy had been touched by her story, moved by her loss and the power of innocent beliefs But later that night, after he too had seen the lights, he'd asked Lexie what she thought they really were She'd leaned forward then and whispered, "It was my parents They probably wanted to meet you"

It was then that he kneanted to take her in his ar since pinpointed that as the moment he first fell in love with her, and he'd never stopped loving her

Outside, the February wind picked up again Beyond the , and he lay down on the couch with a weary sigh, feeling the pull of that year draw hies away, but as he stared at the ceiling, he let them come He always let them come

This, he remembered, is what happened next

One

Five Years Earlier

New York City, 2000

See, it's siirl, and then you date for a while to make sure you share the sa, 'this is our life and we're in it together' decisions You know, talk about which fa to visit on the holidays, whether you want to live in a house or an apartets to use the shower first in the , while there's still plenty of hot water If you two are still prettyme here?"

"I' you," Jeremy said

Jere in Jeremy's Upper West Side apartment on a cool Saturday afternoon in February They'd been packing for hours, and boxes were strewn everywhere Some of the boxes were already filled and had been stacked near the door, ready for the mo

ving van; others were in various stages of completion All in all, it looked as if a Tash the door, had hi else to be destroyed Jeremy couldn't believe how much junk he'd accumulated over the years, a fact that his fiancee, Lexie Darnell, had been pointing out allup her hands in frustration, Lexie had gone to have lunch with Jere Jeremy and Alvin alone for the first time

"So what on earth do you think you're doing?" Alvin prodded

"Just what you said"

"No, you're not You're'I do' before you even figured out whether you two are right for each other You barely know Lexie"

Jere into a box, wishing Alvin would change the subject "I know her"

Alvin began shuffling through a few papers on Jeremy's desk, then shoved the stack into the sa As Jeremy's best friend, he felt free to speak his mind

"I' to be honest here, and you should know that I' in the past feeeks The point is, you don't know her well enough to move down there, let alone marry her You only spent a ith her This isn't like you and Maria," he added, referring to Jeremy's ex "Remember, I knew Maria, too, a whole lot better than you know Lexie, but I still never felt as if I knew her well enough to marry her"

Jere that Alvin had known Maria even before he had and still remained friends with her "So?"

"So? What if I was doing this? What if I ca updown south so I can al what's her name Rachel?"

Rachel worked at Lexie's grand his short visit to Boone Creek, going so far as to invite her to New York

"I'd say that I was happy for you"

"Puh-lease Don't you re Eva?"

"I remember But this is different"

"Oh yeah, I get it Because you're more mature than me"

"That and the fact that Eva wasn't exactly thetype"

This was true, Alvin admitted While Lexie was a s to settle down, Eva was a tattoo artist in Jersey City She was the woman who'd done most of the tattoos on Alvin's ars in Alvin's ears,Alvin look as if he'd just been released from prison None of which had bothered Alvin; it was the live-in boyfriend that she'd neglected to tell him about that finally doomed their relationship

"Even Maria thinks this is crazy"

"You told her?"