And now he was trying to let her go, and she owed it to him to not make it harder than it had to be. “I get it. I really do. I still care about you. You know that, right?”

“Stop it. You’re giving me déjà vu.”

“Déjà vu?”

“You said the exact same thing when we broke up.”

Zadie fought the urge to explain to him what déjà vu really meant. “I still mean it.”

“Do you want to know the real reason I’m leaving?” Based on the hard look on his face, Zadie wasn’t sure she did. “It’s because I think you’re making a huge mistake.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Finn.” Joel’s mouth was a tightrope. “She could have died in those woods. Now you’re dragging her out here?”

“I didn’t drag her anywhere. This is what she wants.”

“Do you think she’s really in a position to be deciding anything? Have you seen her lately? She’s a zombie, Zadie.”

“She’s just tired.”

“Those echoes are messing with her head.”

“She promised me she has it under control.”

“Oh, yeah,” Joel scoffed. “She can barely walk or speak, but everything is cool, I guess.”

Zadie’s temper was a pilot light and Joel had just struck a match. “Who are you to tell me what’s best for my own sister?”

“What about Finn’s foster parents?”

“What about them?”

“Shouldn’t they have a say in what’s going on here?”

“They have nothing to do with this.”

“What are you talking about? They’re her family, Zadie!”

“I’m her family! I’m not going to let you or anyone else take her from me.”

“Is that what you think I’m trying to do?” Joel said in disbelief.

“It’s what everyone’s trying to do! Five years we’ve been kept apart because of people like you who thought they knew better. Mom leaving ruined everything. Everything was broken. Now I finally have a chance to fix it, and you think I should just go home?”

Joel looked stunned and hurt. “Are you listening to yourself right now? I know you think the world is plotting against you, Zadie, but it isn’t. You got dealt a shitty hand, but you’re not the only victim here. Finn lost her mom, too.”

“You think I don’t know that?” she snapped. “I’m doing this for her. I drove across the country for her.”

“Finn needs help.”

“She has me!” Zadie was trembling with anger. She barely noticed the frigid wave that broke around her ankles. “I’m the one who found her in those woods. I can keep her safe.”