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Chapters (77)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Also by Silas House
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. Contents
  7. Part One
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. Part Two
  27. 1
  28. 2
  29. 3
  30. 4
  31. 5
  32. 6
  33. 7
  34. 8
  35. 9
  36. 10
  37. Part Three
  38. 1
  39. 2
  40. 3
  41. 4
  42. 5
  43. 6
  44. 7
  45. 8
  46. 9
  47. 10
  48. 11
  49. 12
  50. 13
  51. 14
  52. 15
  53. 16
  54. 17
  55. 18
  56. 19
  57. 20
  58. 21
  59. 22
  60. 23
  61. 24
  62. 25
  63. 26
  64. 27
  65. 28
  66. 29
  67. 30
  68. 31
  69. Part Four
  70. 1
  71. 2
  72. 3
  73. Epilogue: The Everything
  74. Acknowledgments
  75. About the Author
  76. About Algonquin
  77. Copyright

“They don’t all act alike, Asher,” she says, impatient with him. Then: “And for the longest time, it was just me, and Bell. We worked hard every day. We ate supper together in the evenings. We learned how to talk to each other, and how to be quiet. The best part is we accepted each other for who we were, no questions asked. And even though every morning when I woke up and realized all over again that this was real, that my little perfect boy was dead and buried in the cold ground—” Her voice breaks but she does not cry. “—I did the best I could. Despite everything, I thought, I’ll live, for him. See what each day had to offer since he couldn’t. I don’t know if I believe in God, Asher. I don’t. Which scares the hell out of me. But I believe in something. I don’t know what. Music. Something.”

Asher doesn’t know what to say. All this time he has been feeling sorry for himself, thinking about the mess he’s in, and not even thinking about the grief that Evona or Bell might be carrying around.

“When you and Justin came, at first I thought there was no way I could bear having a little boy around here. I thought: I can’t do it; it’ll remind me too much. But Bell knew what she was doing. It was time. You all saved me.” She takes his hand again, gingerly. “Does that make sense?”

“Yes.” He breathes the word against her face as he draws her to him. He puts his arms around her, holding her tight, her lips so soft, the smell of her, her cool ears beneath his palms, her breasts small and firm against his chest. He kisses her mouth, her chin, her forehead. When he kisses her cheeks he finds she is crying. So he kisses her eyes, too, the salt tangy on his lips.

21

21

The room is lit with white morning light and Justin squints as Asher shakes him awake.

“Justin, come on—” His voice is trembling. “—we have to go, we have to leave.”

Evona is hollering from the living room. “Go, Asher, go. You have to go.”

Asher wants to take the time to explain, but there is no time. And if he stays here with Evona he will most likely lose Justin forever.

“Come on, buddy, hurry. We have to hide.”

“I’m tired of hiding,” Justin mutters, sleep in his throat. He is staring up at Asher with a furrowed brow that might as well be stamped with the words Enough is enough.

“We have to, Justin,” he says, trying to sound calm, but his whole body is thrumming with fear and sadness. “Please, little man. Come on.”