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CHAPTER 22

“Home?”

She nodded, nervousness expanding exponentially in her stoood about, but one that came with risks to her heart, too

He reached for her hand and squeezed “What do you mean, home?”

She let out a breath “I mean, Tom, that I’ve er for sale”

“You’re staying?”

So and awesome expanded in her chest at the hope she heard in his words It was now or never “Yes, I’ood”

“You’re saying that you’re going to live in that house”

She s her certain that this was absolutely the right decision “I’ to keep it alive and have friends and arden in the su to put down roots, Tom It’s time”

His dark eyes softened “I’ers “Disappointed for me, but happy for you”

Toazed into her face God, how she’d fallen for him Now that she’d made the decision to st

ay, the next part was even harder She didn’t want this to be the end of theh to know that for that to happen, they had to talk about everything that had been unsaid since that day at the hospital She knew there was still a chance that this wouldn’t work out between the of celebration

She looked away for athey could see sailboats bobbing on the water below and a white line thatwake of a speedboat in the bay Puffy white clouds slid across the sky as the sun mellowed into peach and periwinkle The toas quiet now, but in a few hours everyone would gather at the ball diamond for fireworks Home, she confir

“You’re really sure about staying, Abby? You were so determined to leave this place behind”

“It’s ti,” she answered simply “I’ve been too afraid to settle anywhere, tobonds, because I knohat it feels like to lose everything But knohat? I found ood and the bad” For a brief second she thought about Edith and Kristian “I think I understand nohy Marian wanted it to stay in Foster hands, you know? Even though she knew I technically wasn’t a Foster, but a Prescott The house needs to be with family”