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"Who said I’ hauled off to before you killof! Why isn’t he in the car with us?"

"Did you really want him to be bored while I drove up and down the freeway for an hour? Besides, you heard hih, I h I loved my family for whatever they had planned for my twenty-­third birthday, I just wanted to be in ainstlately Each day seeetthat drove ht, I’d knoould be going out to celebrate, but Erica had taken one look atI had to at least look like I was excited to be celebrating Its not like I’d been in sweatsactually, yeah, I had

All I wanted was to ht so I could crawl into bed and finally give in to the ache of not having Coen there, not having his ar he wouldn’t be there in thehiotten stronger every day without hi without Coen After a , his calls had stopped a week and a half ago; and while a part of lad for it, the rest was terrified that I would never hear fro it worse That it wasParker to not have Coen there Or that I’d purposefully hurt Coen to the point where I’d hoped he would want to stay away

So, no, I didn’t want to be kidnapped I didn’t want to be separated fro like there wasn’t a huge piece of us htened when I heard the gears shift to park "Are we here?" I grabbed for the blindfold, and ain

"You have to keep it on until we’re inside," Erica chastised

"Is that necessary?"

"Yes!" they both hissed, and I jerked back

"Got it Sorry"

I let Erica help rabbed my hand to lead uy is waiting for you," she said patiently "There’s a tiny step up right in front of you"

I stepped up and ht behind the blindfold vanished I kneere inside But it was completely silent, and it sure as hell didn’t sht back, let ift Don’t move!"

"Erica!" I coa deep breath, oose bu I was in registered in my mind I knew this place I knew that sainst skin Perfectly placed ar down the zipper on e bed Slow movements as I fell in love with hioose bu a step back, my hands an playing throughout the space As I ripped the blindfold off, my mouth dropped open and I hurried to cover it within front ofwere large canvases Dozens of the directly in front of le

I walked past picture after picture of Coen Every one I’d seen the day I looked through the folder of hiripped atthat he was hiding his de each one was

My footsteps faltered when the pictures changed to the flashes I’d just been having The photo shoot Coen and I had done right here in this studio was now in front of ible In each picture the passion and love that kept pulling us together was breakingover as I came upon pictures froetherand last, the three of us

I stopped walking and looked straight ahead at the only canvas on an easel, which was situated at the end, in between the ts Coen was leaning in to kisson his chest while the other held Parker close toup at us with a large smile on his face--­and there, across our feet, were the words: My Peace

A jolt went through my body when Coen’s voice came from directly behind me, and I bit down on my lip to try to stop the fresh wave of tears

"Two and a half years ago, I was on a h a trap and was knocked unconscious, and when I woke up, the five of us were in a small room"