Page 284 - It Ends with Us

When I look back at hi m, hi s blue ey es are squint ing agains t the

sun. He lifts a ha nd to shi el d it and he grins . “Hey.”
“Hi,” I say, my frenz ied brain trying to slow down and allow me to
play catch- up.
He glanc es at the stroller and point s at it. “Is tha t . . . is thi s your
baby?”
I nod and he walks around to the front of the stroller. He kneel s

down and smiles widel y at her. “Wow. She’s gorgeo us, Lily,” he says.
“Wha t’s her na me?”
“Emers on. We call her Emmy somet imes .”
He puts hi s fing er in her ha nd and she starts kicking , sha king hi s
fing er back and forth. He stares at her apprec iativel y for a moment
and then stand s back up again.
“You look grea t,” he says.

I try no t to give hi m an obvious onc e- over, but it’s ha rd. He looks as
good as ev er, but thi s is the fir st time seei ng hi m tha t I’m not trying to
deny ho w gorgeo us he turned out to be. A far cry from tha t ho mel es s
boy in my bed room. Yet . . . someho w still ex actly the same.
I can feel the buzz of my text mes sage going off in my pocket
again. R yle.

I point down the street . “We’re rea lly late, ” I say. “R yle ha s been
waiting for ha lf an ho ur.”
When I say R yle’s na me, there’ s a sadnes s tha t rea ches Atlas’s ey es ,
but he tries to disguise it. He no ds and slowly step s aside for us to
pass.
“It’s hi s day to ha ve her,” I clarify, saying more in tho se six words
tha n I could in most full conv ers ations .

I see the rel ief flash in hi s ey es . He no ds and point s behi nd hi m.
“Yea h, I’m runni ng late, too. Opened a new res taurant on Boylston
last mont h. ”
“Wow. Cong ratulations . I’ll ha ve to take Mom there to chec k it out
soon. ”
He smiles . “You sho uld. Let me kno w and I’ll make sure and cook

for you mysel f.”
There’ s an awkward pause, and then I point down the street . “We
ha ve to . . .”
“Go,” he says with a smile.