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Libby

Da at the door as I settle onto the sofa I hope he remembers to pick me up a root beer I’m not about to be the one to call Patrick and remind him, especially when he’s probably already halfway back by now My boyfriend is going out of his way to grab us an evening junk food fix, and as strong as the soda craving is, I re this at all

Soed to snag such an attentive boyfriend How nificant others are willing to go on a snack run just for them? Not to mention that Patrick’s handso I could have ever asked for All that, of course, is secondary to the biggest draw of theh: Patrick is a man of God He takes our faith seriously

I glance over at the coffee table, where our Bible study workbooks are lying in a haphazard heap We got back about half an hour ago, and I know I should be reviewing the lessons Pastor Ed taught us today, but there will be tiht now, I have s to do

With that in aze toover the keyboard as I type in his password I found it on a sticky note in his wallet, and although it’s probably not good form to snoop, this will be worth it At least, that’s what I’ myself

Quickly, I navigate to his hard drive, half-picturing myself as a badass movie hacker The mission? To track down baby pictures of Patrick that I can use in a birthday collage It’ll be so awesoether a really cute spread of him that we can view at his birthday party All of our church friends will ooh and ah when they see his chubby cheeks and curly locks It’s definitely a gift froive the intrusion of privacy

Jackpot! Patrick’s family photo album is clearly marked, and full to the brim with exactly the kind of wholesoton Faara Falls, first Christmases, and play dates are all documented, and Patrick is in almost all of them Unable to stop raduation Even as a little kid, he had the same black hair and blue eyes, not toto either side of hi parents, as well as his older brother, Frisco Wow, Frisco was already a looker While Patrick was only a boy in this photo, his older brotherexpression and a build that rivals an Olympic athlete

But I’rab pictures of Patrick himself As a result, I e every so often at the door to make sure my boyfriend isn’t about to walk in Ah ha! Here’s one frorade swim tournament, and one of his school science fairs One by one, I copy the the last in the series, which is more recent It’s a picture from my twenty-first birthday dinner, which was a surprise event with both our families in attendance Patrick has his arm around me in the booth, and I can’t help but take a minute to assess my appearance: curly brown hair that stays unkehten it Brown eyes Curvy, with a big goofy grin and stars inforward, a faraway expression on his face On the other side of the booth, his parents are talking animatedly with his brother

Oh, there he is again Frisco’s ten years older than Patrick, and I’ve never really been able to get a read on hie difference between us is part of it, but it’s also soer on it There’s a dominance in the way he carries himself that Patrick doesn’t have

The sound ofpulls my attention away from the photo albu She probably just got home from her shift at the Blue Bean, the coffee shop that she owns I can’t not answer, and not just because she’s my boss; Dakota Straithmore also happens to be h Patrick’s baby pictures is enough to get irl”