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Those feelings had bubbled up more and more lately, and that wasn’t fair I was sure I’d have been having those sa 100 hours a week It hy my trips to Ford’s mom’s had become more frequent over the last year

Sinking into her hugs, I could pretend for an instant she was e Everyone would be there with their proud parents for pictures and parties High school graduation had been an unexpected blow, aabout dressing up and posing for photographs I’d have given anything for Moe off er

The father-daughter dance at Mak’s wedding had started the highlight reel of everything I’din the middle of the sidewalk, I stared up at the sky and blinked back the ether, Liv This is ancient history Nothing you can do about it Just keep swi

Heath and Kara’s brick town house was tucked in alongside all the other red brick historical hoh school—well, ould have beento Boston with Colm just before my freshman year

Being thrown in the deep end with boarding school girls at the peak of puberty had been the gift that kept on giving My photo album from the first fewaround the school and the library Learning to ed brother who picked me up for weekly dinners had saved

I stood at the bottoloved hands down the front of hter filtered out froet folded into a group of friends as the little tagalong sister than I ith the Kings Lifting my hand to knock on the door, I froze, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up

“Hey, Liv”

My back went raht I spun on my heel “Ford” The as almost sed up by the sharp winter air

His hands were shoved into his pockets as he took two hesitant steps closer to ht bolt at any second

He had on a double-breasted black pea coat and jeans that hugged his thighs, powerful muscles honed over years on the ice and daily workouts Our breath hung between us in sood in winter clothing?

“Why are you here?”

“You look good”

We spoke at the same time He looked back atyou’ve been telling yourself not to say or focus on Like one day in class,and the teacher called on me and I just yelled out “Bread!”—exactly like that Ford was probably hoping I wouldn’t take it the wrong way and atteht there on the sidewalk

“Thanks”

“Why are you here?” I repeated, hoping o for a walk and happened to be in the neighborhood and wasn’t, in fact, going inside where I’d have to be around him for the next few hours