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When I just gaped at her silently, she threw her hands in the air "How I’norance I surely don’t know! Heavens to Betsy, Bianca, sometimes you can be awful dense!"

My throat raith eht love was supposed to be weak knees and butterflies in your sto that could never be quenched"

Eeny shook her head, chuckled, ca my back "That’s romance Romance is built on doubt Love is solid Constant If you’re not careful, youbecause it’s so reliable Love is warht, so you float in it peacefully without ever being scalded or frozen, like a perfect, relaxing bubble bath

"But it’s also fierce and strong and de and honest and true Love makes you a better person It makes you want to be a better person You know it’s love when you feel comfortable just as you are, when you feel seen and understood, when you know you could tell all your darkest truths and they’d be accepted without judgeently smoothed a hand over my hair "Love isn’t butterflies, boo It isn’t weak knees It’s a pride of lions It’s a pack of wolves It’s ‘I’ve got your back even if it costs me my own life,’ because unlike roht to the death When it’s love, you’ll go to war to avenge even the slightest offense And you’ll be justified

"Because of all the s we can experience in this life, love is the only one that will last beyond it"

A car with a bad muffler rumbled by on the street outside I heard the distant hu somewhere far overhead And deep, deep down inside my soul, a cal wide "I love hihed deeply, tilted back her head, and beseeched the ceiling "Honestly, Jesus, how can you burden ot to call hiht now, oh Lord what is thewildly at the phone on the wall like it ht launch itself into outer space to escape my insane clutches

I punched in the nu motions I waited breathlessly for the line to connect, but his cell phone went straight to voice mail Panicked, I called the house

Rayford picked up with a san to holler incoherently "Rayford it’s Bianca I need to speak with Jackson please put hi "Mr Boudreaux isoccupied at the e, oe?"

My heart pounded so hard I was out of breath "Occupied? No, Rayford, you don’t understand, it’s very important that I speak with him--"

"I’m sorry, but that’s not possible," he said briskly "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Rayford had never been re like we’d never evenwas seriously wrong

"Rayford," I said, controlling the hysteria inon?"

Another pause, like he was considering whether or not to answer, then he uest I’ll be happy to tell hi"

The phone went dead in my hand I stared at it in aer into a power outlet, I knew

Eeny said, "Well?"

Cold with horror, I said, "What day is it, Eeny?"

She frowned atmy hands "What’s the date?"

"The sixteenth Why?"

The sixteenth Dear Lord Today is Jackson’s birthday