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“Okay How about you?” She lifted her gaze to mine

“Honestly?”

“Always”

“I feel like someone’s run overup in theout theat your roo you and rubbing that spot on your nose with the freckle cluster that kind of looks like a tiny strawberry”

She lifted her hand and rubbed it along the bridge of her nose

“And I want to call you, or even write you letters, because I miss you, Frenchie I miss you so much that even with all the people I’ve lost in ht because you’re part of h the words, pushing past the tightness in my throat and the tears in my eyes

“I proive you space and notup here like this, but fuck it I love you so much that my future that was once so crystal clear is a wasteland stretching on as far as I can see when I try to picture it noithout you”

“You’ve got a great future ahead of you You’ve already h so much”

“It doesn’t et another private dance lesson, if I can’t sit at our kitchen table and watch you work your ic, if I can’t hold you in my arms and tell you how much I love you”

She opened her

“People fuck up and who knohat the future holds And before you say anything, I want you to know, Alexis is family, but you’re my forever I can’t promise she won’t fuck up, same as I can’t promise I won’t fuck up But I can promise that I’ll always believe you and love you The blinders are off when it co to be part ofto keep her out of trouble, but she’s my sister” Theunder control This could be a deal breaker, but I had to be honest with Jules

“I never wanted to come between you”

“I know that I know”

“These past few days…” She hugged the book box tighter to her chest “I’ve missed you so much too” Her watery smile was the first ray of sunshine after a turbulent storm A ray of hope “And the future I’d never been able to picture for myself was clear after I walked out your door It was bleak, lonely, and not filled with even half the love I feel for you”

I rushed forward