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Since The Husband had taken "my brother" to day care, or wherever they kept hi the day, it was just the three of us at the house: my mom, my dad, and me It was exactly as aard as it sounded, so ht away

"Hoas breakfast?"from the frontas the van pulled away

My shoulders tensed I didn’t want to start this whole sain "Good Fine"

She nodded and went to theon yet I knew she wanted me to do what she did,stiffly in the doorway

"Have you thought about what you’ll do now," she started "Now that you’re back?" I wasn’t sure what she was getting at, and I frowned She kept going "You know, school? We should probably figure out a way for you to finish high school, andthe arht about that The idea of sitting in a classrooh school kids, even if they looked remotely like Tyler, was absolutely out of the question I’d be a total outcast, even if I wasn’t twenty-one I’d seen the way that Jackson guy froirl who’d up and vanished

"No thanks," I rebuffed her idea "Maybe we can find an online school or soit Valley" The coe was a far cry from the kinds of scholarship schools my dad had once tried to shove down ive me a chance to sort out what I wanted to do next

"I suppose that’d be okay As long as you’re not sitting around here all day, watching Judge Judy and hanging out with your dad"

My heart stuttered, and I blinked at my mom in disbelief "Seriously? You didn’t just say that, did you?"

"What?" she asked, getting up fro me a look that said she had no idea why I was so bent "What did I say?"

I threw my arms wide and let out a noisy breath "Did you not even hear yourself? Can’t you say anything nice about hiaze out theI heard her sigh exasperatedly I started to tell her I didn’t want to hear her talk about my dad anymore--not another word--but then she whirled around once more, only this time she looked ashen Her face was e She finally looked exactly like she should "Shit, Kyra," she said "Austin’s here"

I wasn’t even sure I registered her words right away I mean, I knehat she’d said--I understood her and all--but it didn’t sink in right away

Austin, she’d said He was here Now

I was suddenly more nervous than I’d been since I’d been back, maybe than I’d ever been in my entire life This was all I’d wanted: to see him, and for him to want to see me And now that he’d coo Austin and I had been destined to spend the rest of our lives together I’d been willing to turnin order to make that happen

Then I woke up behind a Duirl I’d grown up with and told allthe life I’d always drea second thoughts about facing hih my entire body My mom leaned over and whispered to me ninja-quiet, "Do you want h, but even that sounded too shrill, and I had to remind myself to breathe "No I can do this," I assured her, totally sounding cal s ached, and I was definitely light-headed, but there was no going back now No matter what happened, I needed this I tried to think of one of my dad’s inspirational quotes, but all I could co," which was totally inappropriate because it wasn’t opportunity at all--it was Austin, and he was standing onthe doorbell

When I opened it, ht about Austin; he did look older

His eyes were the sahter than his brother’s; but beyond that he was coht after a to meet up later at the Pizza Palace

His hair, which had always been sun bleached and chlorine da so much time in the water, was darker now, and his face was leaner than I ree had chiseled in the angles

A part of me had hoped his new life with Cat would have turned him fat and soft and, yes, maybe too hideous even to look upon, like sos He was older and od It’s really you," he breathed, drinking ood"

He touched my face, and I flinched "Can we?" He shifted nervously, and I was relieved he was at least sort of uncoat my back like some sort of Mafia enforcer, and his voice rose "Can we talk someplace private?"