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"Too much?" Tully asked

"Perhaps just a bit "

Tully gave her a bright snized the pretense "Whats wrong?"

Before Tully could answer, Marah ca with joy "We all want a picture with you, Aunt Tully "

Kate stood there, watching her daughter practically swoon over her godh she hated to admit it, she felt a pinch of jealousy This was supposed to have been their night; hers and Marahs

Tully sat in the lihters silky black hair

Across froainst Johnny, who also had his eyes closed A sside each of them They looked like the Hallmark version of family perfection

The limousine turned onto the beach road

Tully kissed Marahs soft pink cheek "Were almost home, princess "

Marah blinked sloake "I love you, Aunt Tully "

Tullys heart closed like a fist around those words, and she felt a swell of almost painful eold, worth sifting throughso She couldnt iround She ought to have recognized loves scarcity early on If success were gold, lying in rivers, love was a diamond, buried hundreds of feet beneath the surface of the earth and unrecognizable in its natural form No wonder it touched her so deeply to hear those words from Marah Theyd been so rare in her life "I love you, too, Marah Rose "

The liravel, and parked It took forever for the faet out of the car, walk into the house They all immediately headed upstairs

Tully stood in the e room, unsure of what to do The floorboards creaked Shed tried to etting in the way, so finally she gave up

Kate ca a pile of afghans in her ar on?"

"What do you mean?"