“I missed you after my house burned down. I missed you after we came back from the beach and you stopped talking to me. And I’ll miss you when you go to school. But I know that one day I won’t need to miss you anymore because you’ll come back and find me again.”

“I will?” I asked, laying my cheek on his chest and hearing the rhythmic thump of his heart beneath me. It was sure and steady, just like him. And it loved me completely.

“You will. Because you’ll miss me too.” Flynn kissed the top of my head and then we were quiet. And just like always the silence said everything that words couldn’t.

I was determined that my fate would bring me back to him.

There was no other option.

As Flynn held me, my tears dried up, my grief subsided and I was left with only joy.

And when the time came for me to leave, I was no longer broken.

I was whole.

-Ellie-

Many years later…

I left Wellsburg, West Virginia. My car loaded with the few worldly items I possessed. It wasn’t much. A few clothes. My old tattered suitcase.

And Flynn’s sculptures.

I drove to Maryland and started school. My future dawning bright and full.

I was scared.

I was nervous.

I doubted myself every day.

But Flynn never let me give up.

He gave me the strength to keep on going.

So I stayed in Maryland.

And he stayed in West Virginia.

We were separated by miles but had never been closer.

People who shared a connection like ours were never that far apart.

We missed each other every second.

Until the day came and we didn’t have to miss each other any more.

Because I went back to Wellsburg and found him again, just as he knew I would.

And then our story truly began…

THE BEGINNING…

Read other books by A. Meredith Walters

For me, these should always start the same way…thanking the people whose very presence in my life makes all of this possible.

To Ian and Gwyn, you give me the strength to take the steps. Without you, this journey would have ended before it ever started.

To all of my friends and family…I never say thank you enough, but I feel it in my heart every single day.

To Kristy Louise, my fantastic friend and fabulous PA, you keep me from pulling my hair out. How have I survived so long without you???

To my Bad Ass CP ladies-you know who you are…thanks for making me laugh and talking me off the ledge many, many times. You guys rock!

To Tanya, my editor, who has been with me almost since the beginning. Thank you for your flexibility and continued support!

To Michelle, my fabulous agent. You believed in this story from the very beginning.

To all of the bloggers who have pimped, supported, and otherwise made this crazy dream a reality. There are so many of you and I don’t want to leave anyone out. But thank you from the bottom of my heart!

To my super, awesome, fantabulous street team! You’re the best cheerleaders a gal could have.

To my amazing readers!!! How do I even begin to thank the people who have brought me here? How can I put into words what your support has meant to me? I can’t…so just know that I am grateful for every single one of you!!!

And to all of the Ellie and Flynns out there who find the beauty inside, who aren’t afraid to take risks , and who love unconditionally no matter the obstacles…you are the ones that make this world a better place.

“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you,

pales in comparison to what lies inside you.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

A.Meredith Walters is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Bad Rep, Perfect Regret, the Find You in the Dark Series, and the upcoming New Adult book, Lead Me Not, to be released by Gallery Books in August, 2014.

Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked as a counselor for troubled and abused children and teens. She currently lives in England with her husband and daughter.

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