Page 141 of Before We Break

“And?”

“Are you going to let him see Auggie?”

“Of course. I’m not a monster.”

She bobs her head from side to side, her lips pulling into a lopsided grin. “Mmm… I know at least one person who would disagree with that assessment.”

I run my fingers through my hair and throw my head back against the couch cushions. “Where’s he staying?”

“With me, for now, but it isn’t a permanent solution. I only have one room, and my couch is dogshit.”

“What about Auggie?”

“Nothing changes, but you two need to talk. Work out your shit and figure out where to go from here. He’s hurting. I know you like to pretend you don’t care, but he’s still your brother.”

Something unpleasant gnaws at me, but I tamp it down. Whether I like it or not, I’m going to have to face my brother for Auggie’s sake, if for no other reason.

Emma glances at her phone. “I should go. I’m meeting Teddy at the Grove.”

“Tell Tedward I said hey.”

“You know he hates it when you call him that.”

“Exactly.”

She slips on her shoes and heads for the door. “You’re an asshole, Noah Weston.”

“So I’ve been told.”

FORTY

THE EXCEPTION

♫ The Only Exception - Paramore

CLIO

“It smells like hay and horse shit.” Quinn fans her nose as she steps inside the guest house at Whispering Oaks Ranch. “I don’t know how you can stand it.”

We’ve been living here for a week, and although we adjusted to our new surroundings fairly quickly, it doesn’t quite feel like home. I’m enjoying all the extra time I get to spend with my sister and the twins, but I always feel like I’m imposing when they invite us to family dinners, so I mostly keep to myself. Emmy Lou keeps asking me about Auggie coming to visit again, and I don’t have the heart to tell her it’s not up to me, so I keep distracting her with other things.

The hardest part about losing Noah wasn’t just watching him walk away; it was knowing I’d be losing Auggie. I’ll see him in August when school starts back up, and that has to be enough.

I recount the rows on my latest knitting project for the third time in as many minutes. “Have you seen him?”

“In passing, but we haven’t talked, and he hasn’t come into the coffee shop since you left. I think he’s avoiding it… There’s something you should know.”

I set aside the unfinished sweater and sit up straighter.

“His brother is getting out. Janet said they found new evidence or something.”

I cover my mouth, tamping down the urge to rush to Noah’s side. He must be all kinds of fucked up about it. My mind starts conjuring up a million different scenarios, but only one of them makes sense.

The phone call he got at the ice cream shop.

He must’ve known.

Did he think he was saving me from something?