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She loved him so much It wasn’t only in her blood, the way she loved hiht and her love for hiraph; how could she know that? She only knew that her love for him was the very best of her and without it her heart would be empty

Heuncertain

She was glad her daughter was in her arms, because she would have touched him She wouldn’t have been able to stop herself

Up close, she saw the scar along his jawline; the wrinkled skin was the saone altogether or become too fine to see, but it was there now, a visible reminder of her crime

“Hi, Zach,” she said, hearing the tremble in her voice

He drew in a breath, saying her name quietly, and there finally was the heartache His voice rehts on the beach, of kisses that went on all night Of dreams and futures

“She looks just like Mia,” he said, and, with that, the past was here with theside this bundled-up bit of the future

Lexi wanted to apologize, but she held back There was no point any else So her eyes “If it was up to me ”

“You’re her mother,” Zach said

Her mother Lexi didn’t knohat to say to that, so she said nothing

“I thought you wanted to naht you liked Katya ”

She drew in a breath at that: so, he reo, that conversation of hope between two kids who thought that love was easy They’d been on their beach, spinning diaphanous dreams of the future “My friend … Tarants you grace ” She looked down at her daughter “Gracie? Is that you?”

The babysound, and Lexi started to cry “Don’t cry, baby,” she said, kissing the tiny pink lips

Then she looked up at Zach “Tell her I loved her enough to do as best for her ”

“I’ll bring her to visit—”