Chapters (97)
- Cover
- Back Cover Text
- Praise
- Booklist
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Eighty-Eight
- Eighty-Nine
- Acknowledgments & A Personal Note
- Excerpt
In the moments after the school had alerted them to her absence, Ben and Emma launched a flurry of texts and calls. Kayla didn’t respond. Ben then tried using an app to locate her phone but it appeared that Kayla had disabled the tracking feature. The last known location of her phone was their house. They’d searched it in vain. Then they contacted the parents of Kayla’s friends, along with their neighbors. No one had seen her.
“I’m worried,” Emma said. “She seemed so distant, so detached this morning. Where could she be?”
Ben racked his brains for the answer and came to one possibility.
“The park,” he said. “You stay here in case she comes home and I’ll search with Tug.”
Suntrail Sky Park had miles of trails connecting Cielo Valle’s neighborhoods, necklacing the surrounding communities of Lake Forest and Mission Viejo on a ridge. It had lush woodland, streams and rock formations along rising slopes that offered unbroken views of the region. Ben and Kayla loved living in Cielo Valle, which translated to Sky Valley. They liked the park for its serenity, a place to think. After Brooke died, Kayla came here to be alone, usually on Brooke’s birthday. Or the day she died.
Ben prayed this is where she was.
But today wasn’t her birthday or any other important date, he thought, just as they crested a hill. Tug’s leash tensed and Ben saw Kayla in the spot where she often came to contemplate the mountains and canyons. Sitting on a flat, sun-warmed rock, she turned at Tug’s bark, and Ben let him run to her.
She opened her arms welcoming Tug, then embraced Ben.
“We’ve been worried. The school called. We tried to reach you.”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. It’s just that—don’t be mad, Dad.”
“What is it?”
“It’s like…”
Seeing that she had been crying, Ben sat on the rock and took her hand. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”
Kayla brushed at her tears. “It’s like you’ve forgotten Mom.”
“What are you talking about?”
“After Mom died it was just you and me, you know? Then when you met Emma, she just… I wanted you to be happy, but it’s just that, it’s like you let Emma take Mom’s place and you’ve forgotten all about Mom and it made me sad, confused and then angry.”
Ben listened as she continued.