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But beautiful He would always look beautiful to me, the bastard

“Where’s my mom?” I asked

“She helped me set up the flowers and left,” he said I stepped as far into the rooe of the vases of roses

‘How many roses are here?”

“Hundreds Just like you wanted”

And the song…just like I wanted I felt tears I could have sworn I didn’t have left in my body burn in my eyes

“What are you doing here?”

“Groveling Trying…trying to convince you to let me back into your life Because you aretiain but I will never try and change you Not ever I swear”

He said all of this in the kitchen, which felt like miles away from me

“Why are you all the way over there?” I whispered

“I’o, in case she knocks over the vases I didn’t want to ruin the surprise”

Carefully, on my tiptoes I picked my way between the vases until I was in my kitchen too “You look beautiful,” he said

“You’re such a liar”

“No way It’s fact” His sone “I can’t tell you how sorry I am”

“I believe you But I still…I still don’t understand hoork”

“I’ll reen light, or if you want to do soet a job here I can work for the city or get a job at a law office”

“But what about Salt Springs and being mayor?”

“It’s not as i is When I said ht weto be theinto stay in your orbit”

Oh That was good That was better than his offer to as

“What about your family?”

“Well, Kristen isback to the far about his father because I knew even standing here right now, Ethan missed his dad And I missed his dad

I s Kristen and Jasmine The kids The front desk Iin a real way In a way I’d never expected