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She should’ve felt good Her editor was happy Her agent was happy Her staff, her familyall happy

But she wasn’t Because her brothers and Jackson had been right She needed to find it for herself And she had She’d just left it three thousand miles behind

God, she missed San Francisco SheShein front of it, listening to the water falling to the copper base She missed sex She missed Spence

She missed sex with Spence

She really had fallen in love with hiht about love before--the heart-pounding, can’t-live-without-you kind of love that grows in the pit of the stomach and spreads outward until you’re warot not one single teeny, tiny doubt that he’d be there for you, no ht to love for herself because she’d never seen her mom in that kind of relationship Or maybe it was because she wasn’t really sure she believed in that kind of relationship

But soed, shifted inside her, because suddenly she did believe in love And more than that, she wanted it for herself She wanted what she’d had with Spence Only she didn’t want it just for a vacation from her life

She wanted it for her life

"I shouldn’t have run," she said

"You can’t help it," herinto the room "It’s in your blood"

Colbie looked up "Hey, Moht I was drearip and Colbie patted her on the back, trying to drag air into her lungs "Can’t Breathe"

"I know" Her htly "But you ca back froe tears

"Oh, Mom It’s okay, don’t cry"

Her mom cupped Colbie’s face "Thank you Really Thank you for co e called You didn’t have to, and we shouldn’t have asked, but it’s really great to see you--no matter why you’re really here"

"What does that mean?"

"I had my cards read and was told that you’ve fallen deeply in love but that you ran from it"

"Mo your money on that stuff You don’t need to have your cards read to live your life"

"Maybe not, but how else will I hear about your life? You don’t talk to me So is it true, then? Did you run away froiven that you’re here so quickly without any fuss"

Colbie sighed

"Oh no, Colbie Really? I didn’t want to be right on this one, although I ad away fro home to deal with us, who don’t deserve you"

"Mom, I don’t want to talk about it"

"Huh Shock But maybe you’ll listen instead Followroo before Colbie had co at old photo albums, like she did every Christht after The old leather one on top was opened to a page that held an eight-by-ten picture taken on her parents’ wedding day

They were sently "Why are you doing this to yourself? He left us He doesn’t deserve your regrets and sadness"