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I wrote my government test and got a C. Everly helped a lot, and I don’t think I would have snagged my diploma without her. Without her I wouldn’t be in New York City. I wouldn’t be living my dream, writing music with Nathan, and living in this awesome loft that Monroe’s parents own. Our rent is doable, and well, the acoustics, man, they’re out of this world.
I still have things to work on. I still mess up my words, and sure, the whole epileptic thing sucks. But who needs to drive in New York City anyway? My meds are working, and I haven’t had an episode since the summer.
So yeah, life is good. It still has its challenges, but with a girl like Everly in my life, I can believe that things will only get better.
I miss her. She’s at college in another state, but we Skype and we’ll both be back in Twin Oaks for Thanksgiving. I’ll get to hold her, inhale that sweet scent that is all her. Everly Jenkins. The girl who knocked me on my ass.
And for now, that’s all I need.
After
Everly
If someone had told me at the beginning of the summer that (A) I would fall in love with Trevor Lewis, and (B) my family would be broken and fractured, I would have told them they were full of crap.
The Trevor Lewis thing came from nowhere, and sure, I’d known my family was hurting, but as it turns out, I just didn’t know how badly.
Funny how things work out.
My dad lost half of his parish, but the ones who stayed were amazing. They were supportive and nonjudgmental, and well, it was exactly what he needed.
I’m not going to lie. Things were tough at first. Hell, they still are. As much as I wanted to accept who he was, who he’d been all along, it’s hard getting past the broken family his truth had destroyed. I got it. I really did. But it still hurt. In a perfect world my family would be whole and intact.
We’re working things out, and for now that’s enough. I’m happy that he’s found some kind of happiness. He’s on his own. I think he’s seeing his first love, Kirk, but it’s not like he shares that stuff with me. And for what it’s worth? Not like I want to hear the details of my dad’s love life anyway.
I’ve learned to accept things and move on, because really, there’s no point in living in a past that was a lie. Mom moved to Maine with Isaac to live with her brother. I hate that Dad doesn’t get to see Isaac all that often, but I get why she did what she did. My dad hurt her, and in a way, he destroyed parts of her. I just hope one day she finds someone who can help put those pieces back together.
She deserves to be loved. Everyone does.
We talk all the time, and I Skype with Isaac, who I miss more than anything. But we’ll be together again, and for now, I know that his life is settled.
As for me? I’m loving college, although I miss Trevor so much sometimes that I ache. At first I wanted to come to New York City with him, but then I realized that was his dream and he needed to do it on his own. Prove to himself that he could.
But that doesn’t mean that I don’t still love him. I think about him every day. About the way his eyes get all dark when he’s about to kiss me. Or the way he holds me, touches me.
I miss every little bit of him, even the imperfect parts.
But that’s okay. I’ll see him in a few weeks when I go home for the holidays. And in the meantime? I’m working on me. Working on happy.
Working on some kind of normal.
And right now, in this moment, it feels pretty awesome.
Acknowledgments
This book was partially inspired by a true event and partially inspired by my daughter and her big heart. Her mantra, that love is love, is one we should all aspire to live by. Our world would be a much kinder, gentler place if we did so.
I’d like to thank Kristen and her friends Hailey, Mariah, Maggie, Abbey, and Danielle for being bright, compassionate, funny individuals. I so enjoyed all the “BAE” conversations I overheard while you were all gathered around the kitchen table. I wish all of you much success and hope that no one ever breaks your heart. Ever.
I also need to give a shout-out to my wonderful agent, Sara Megibow, my editor Aubrey Poole, the team at Sourcebooks, and all my author buddies who are in this crazy world of publishing with me. It’s a crazy ride,
but hey, I wouldn’t want any other job in the world!
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Juliana Stone fell in love with her first book boyfriend when she was twelve. The boy was Ned, Nancy Drew’s boyfriend, and it began a lifelong obsession with books and romance. A tomboy at heart, she split her time between baseball, books, and music—three things that carried over into adulthood. She’s thrilled to be writing young adult as well as adult contemporary romance and does so from her home somewhere in Canada.
Two shattered hearts are about to collide in small-town Louisiana.
