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"Yeah," she says with a minor eye roll as she unfurls her arer into the ht back then It's easy in hindsight to see it Too immatureimpetuous Too focused on each other to the detriment of all else It wasn't your time then"

"But it is now?" I ask skeptically, because she al for us?

"Yes, it is now"

We stare at each other a moment and I shaketo say Clearly, ns supreme across my face, because she elucidates

"It's like this, Hawke You had your career set You were a great hockey player and you were going places The only place Vale was going was for a ride in your hip pocket She had no direction, motivation, or ambition Look at what she's become now and tell ether"

My one to school, even if she followed ht?

"Vale's heart was broken when you two split, but she grew up She grew up fast and she was focused She becaes, if the way you look at her is any indication You may not see it, and she may never admit it, but the way in which your relationship failed was the best thing to ever happen to the two of you"

That siht?

Or do the facts speak for themselves and whisper a truth I haven't considered before? That perhaps neither one of us had the maturity to appreciate the other What we had wasn't really the one, great true love we thought it to be

That's another thought I quickly push out of my head I don't let it take up residence because if I lend any validity to this claio completely I need to chalk it up to the wisdorown

And this is so I don't know that I can do

While I love being around Vale, and I appreciateher back in my life, there's still a small part of me that remains firain Hell, she's talking about going back to Sydney with her dad It's like I' for the other shoe to drop

For her to abandon e have again

Chapter 24

r /> Vale

We're cruising down I-540, listening to S, the stars are hanging loith a bright, full moon, and endorphins coh me

Balling my hands into tiny fists, I lean forward and ha with near-jubilant hysteria "The tumor shrank!"

"The tuh and a fist punch to the air in victory

My dad's MRI was this et the results, Dave Campbell does enjoy rock star status at Duke Dr Furhists and three other oncologists aited breathlessly while sections of raphed By the ti, round druing, Dr Furhrin a mile wide

Ten percent shrinkage

Beyond miraculous

The virus had done its job and now ainst the glioblastoma

I had taken the day off to go with ed and ju, I iht workout as the Cold Fury was playing an evening gas He had

We have shrinkage, I had quickly sent to him

His response was i for ood word to use with a man except in these circumstances YES!!!!