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Her petite hand reaches out and covers mine. “Are you sure about her, Ash?”

“As sure as I am that the sun rises from the east.”

She sighs and rests her chin on her knee. “She’s so opposite of you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You haven’t gotten to see the real her.”

Her foot taps against mine. “Tell me what you see.”

The wind blows through the trees. Both Willow and I tilt our heads, sniffing the clean air. God, I do love it here. Her gaze falls to mine, and she smiles. We’re home.

“After dad died, I felt like we lost our roots,” I admit quietly.

“Me too.”

My heart hurts with the pain I carry over the lost years that Willow and I were apart. I allow myself to feel it, and then I let it pass through me. “I feel rooted here.”

Her sniffles tell me she agrees. I also sense her relief. She’s been worried I would eventually move away from here. “I’ll never leave you again,” I promise.

She nods. The happiness she feels from my affirmation pools at the bottom of her eyes.

“Lexie isn’t grounded, Willow. She needs someone who can do that for her. I want to do that for her. My entire being vibrates with the need to protect her. I can’t explain why, but it feels natural. Like something that was imprinted on my heart from a time I don’t remember.”

Willow stares at me as I look at my phone again. My heart sinks with each minute that passes and I don’t hear from her. I thought we were moving ahead.

“She gave me permission to open one of her letters,” I tell my sister, tapping my phone on my knee. “I need to talk to her about it. Are you sure you can’t convince Jackson to let her come to the party?”

Her shoulders pull up to her ears. “He won’t agree, but no one said you have to stay very long. Maybe you could just make an appearance and then dip out.”

“Yeah,” I agree on a sigh.

“Jesse and Dirk are coming to the party,” she says, nibbling on her bottom lip.

This makes my ears perk up. “They’re leaving her alone?” My heart jumps with worry.

Willow dips her head to catch my eyes.Oh, maybe she’s trying to tell me something without saying it out loud.

“I don’t think they’d leave her alone. Do you?”

“No. I suppose not. Maybe someone else is going to be there.”

Her lips curl between her teeth. She can’t say more.

“Brody did say he can’t make my party. Maybe it’s him.”

She shrugs. “I hear he headed to Reno to meet up with a girl.” Her eyebrows wag up and down.

“Reno is pretty close to Dirk’s cabin.”

“I wouldn’t know.” She plucks a pile of grass, then holds the blades above her top lip, giving herself a green mustache.

I laugh. “You’re the best little sister I’ve ever had.”

“I’m your only sister.”

My phone rings. “It’s Jess.”

“I’ll talk to you later. I’ve got to get started on planning your party!”