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A single tear slips fro

Whatever happens, please know that I airl, you You two are going to make some damn fine babies one day And thatand her na with a heart That’s it The whole letter I read it twicethe sa it into

My ain Her face is open and expectant "Well? What did it say?"

I take "

She nods "Good"

Crossing the rooain, my mom reaches for my hand "What are your plans after the funeral to a luncheon at the house after the funeral, but I know that’s not what she– hoe go on living in a world where ured I’d stick around here for as long as you needed et back to work, but…"

She shakes her head, stopping me "Your dad and I will be okay We’ve known this is a possibility for a long time"

Was I the only one so blind that I didn’t see as going on, didn’t understand the risks? Becca continued wasting ahile everyone fed me lines that the experi That word resonates far deeper than I’d like Nothing It’d all been for nothing The auction, sellingColton

No As soon as I think that last part, I know it’s not true I’d be lost without hiht now

My mom continues, "Dad and I have each other You don’t need to stay here, Soph You should go home with Colton Becca was so happy you found him"

I pull in a deep breath and nod

When we leave Northern California it feels so wrong driving away and knowing that my sister is in that cemetery Part of my heart has been buried in the cold, hard earth She doesn’t belong there But then I remember her letter She isn’t there She is in every ray of sunshine that shines too bright, in the whisper of the wind against my skin as we board the plane I know for certain that she is still with me I see her in my mirrored reflection of the plane’s , in the stray thoughts that are too feisty to be entirely my own I feel her presence in the squeeze of ain Colton pulls me close and tells me he loves th to do this

Chapter Fourteen

Colton

Against ment, I returned to work Sophie assured me that it was important that we both resume our normal schedules But as one week turns into two and Sophie continues her descent into a wonize, I know I need to call in reinforceave , had stopped by Kylie’s to see the baby once, and had actually talked to the grief counselor I sent to the house But as I arrive hoht,on the balcony that extends fro her hair wildly around her face and goosebu, but she seems oblivious to that fact