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He didn’t seeie "I love you, little girl I loved your ed all our lives, but it especially changed yours We want to help you heal If you’ll let us"

A tear rolled down Maggie’s face, and I had to fight rab her and comfort her She needed this with them I couldn’t step in now

"Thank you Ilike it here I like this house and all of you I feel safe, and it’s been a long ti lad you caet hed, and I fought the little bit of jealousy that tugged at h, but it see possessive of it

She had a faie wouldn’t be silent anyrocery shopping after lunch I needed to get hoood-bye today I had e the woman most of the time she’d been there The only tiht

Walking inside I stopped when I saw several suitcases by the front door One of those beingon the sofa, her back straight and her hands in her lap as if she were posing for a photo It was creepy as hell

"Mo to that wo on her arm She looked nervous and uncertain My sto We hadn’t talked about this yet, but I sure as hell wasn’t leaving Lawton

"What’s going on?" I asked, afraid to step any farther into the roo down on top of her suitcase "I wanted to talk to you about this before you left this , but you just took off Which is okay You have a life I don’t want your life to change I just" She glanced at herin this house is hard onto walk in the door anyhere makes that so o with ieI don’t expect you to I won’t be gone but a couple of weeks Please understand I can’t be here all day alone with his an to roll down her face

"You want to go to Louisiana?" I’d been there, and I couldn’t understand why anyone would choose to visittrip She’d be in hell with that woman and in that house

She nodded and wiped at her face "It was my home once I know you don’t have fondto take my mind off the pain The sadness"

This was her choice toof her in pain and suffering here alone while I went to school and practice and spent ti Lawton

"You’re eighteen You’re a one You have your friends and Maggie The et away, West I have to"

I did the only thing I could do I walked over and hugged her We had both lost Dad I’d had Maggie to help me deal with the pain She had no one "I love you, Mohtly around the waist "I love you too, and I’Attention in Her Silent Wonderland

CHAPTER 41

MAGGIE

Shopping for groceries with Aunt Coralee was interesting She chatted a lot and asked all kinds of questions I didn’t realize how much she hadn’t found out about ot ho basketball with Asa, Gunner, Ryker, and Nash Aunt Coralee stopped and tossed thes before she went on inside They each grabbed a couple of bags too, and the car was quickly unloaded

I helped her put things away and had just started heading up to onna talk to us now too?"

I hadn’t told Brady not to say anything to his friends They were West’s friends too But now that they kneas speaking, I wasn’t sure how to handle them I didn’t want a million questions froot li out down here with us," Ryker called out as he sank onto the sofa, a bag of chips in his hand

I turned around and walked back down the steps If I wanted to fit into West’s world, I would have to do this

"You’ve been whispering to West for weeks I’ve seen it," Nash said froet you to talk to er, and you start chatting hied, then smirked at me "It’s okay You can come talk to me now"

"I asked her to stay down here and talk to us She can coued