It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

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so completely and wholly in the moment, nothing else matters to me otherthan the fact that we’re together again, and it’s right. Everything about this isso right.I’m exactly where I belong, being loved by Atlas Corrigan.
Chapter Twenty-ThreeAtlasI should definitely go home, but it is so hard to crawl out of this bed after thelast couple of hours with her. Once the couch happened, then the showerhappened. Now we’re both too tired to do anything other than talk.She’s lying on her back, her arms folded beneath her head. She’s staring atme, listening intently as I tell her about my meeting with a lawyer yesterday.“He says I did the right thing by taking him to the hospital. They were legallyobligated to notify Child Protective Services. I’m not sure how I feel aboutthat, though. It puts the power in the hands of the state, and what if they don’tthink I’m the best place for him?”“Why wouldn’t they?”“I work a lot. I’m not married, so Josh will be alone some of the time. AndI have no experience raising kids. They might think Tim is a better fit sincehe’s the biological father. They could even give him back to my mother; I’mnot even sure what she did is enough to have him removed from hercustody.”Lily leans toward me and presses a kiss against my forearm. “I’m going totell you what you told me the first time you FaceTimed me. You said,‘You’re stressing over things that haven’t even happened yet.’ ”I fold my lips together momentarily. “I did say that.”“You did,” she says. She tucks herself against me, wrapping a leg over mythigh. “It’ll work out, Atlas. You’re the best thing for him, and anyone whohas vested interest will see that. I promise.”I fold myself around her, fitting her head under my chin. It’s incrediblehow much we’ve both changed physically since we were teens, but wesomehow still fit together just as perfectly as we did back then.“I’ve been wanting to ask you something,” she says, pulling back farenough to look at me. “Remember our first time? What happened after thatnight? After my father hurt you.”
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Thank you for downloadingthis Simon
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Dear reader,This book is a sequel t
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anything that came back to the kitc
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question I’m answering.” I focu
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The order is for a bouquet of roses
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I haven’t felt this conflicted in
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domestic violence, my lawyer said i
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daughter. And if Atlas Corrigan is
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It surprises me that he doesn’t h
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Chapter FourLilyMine and Ryle’s s
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I’m about to take another bite of
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I know the answers to these questio
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hard to make out facial features, b
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“Who doesn’t?”Every ounce of
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What is he doing here?And why does
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“Keys. I accidentally brought the
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“I want to help you uncomplicate
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In Allysa’s idea of a perfect wor
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He shrugs. “Kinda.”The discussi
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Chapter EightLilyIt’s almost 9:30
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“You don’t look exhausted.”I
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won’t embarrass me too much. “W
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bedroom window back then, because a
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Chapter NineAtlas“Let me see a pi
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My phone begins to buzz in my pocke
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“Yeah. Both restaurants are close
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restaurant overnight was contained
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months ago, since it happens every
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Chapter ElevenAtlasI wanted the day
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“I have a present for you,” she
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myself. “Up until last week, it w
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uses bottled water to brush his tee
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mean to write as much as I do, but
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Chapter TwelveLily“I can’t beli
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one day, that one meal, that part o
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She left the door open for me while
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All I did was ask to move home. I d
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city and ordering burgers has been
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“A redo of what?”“This date.
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Ryle is still staring at the televi
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stairwell. I take a nervous step ba
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“Everything would be so much easi
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“Oh.” His eyes dart around, as
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Chapter ThirteenAtlasIt’s amazing
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She leans back against her seat, re
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“Go back there in case he shows u
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Chapter FourteenLilyI’ve been out
Page 98 and 99: I blame Ryle for that. He took what
Page 100 and 101: Maybe that’s why I feel more prot
Page 102 and 103: years being a teenager and then it
Page 104 and 105: My father said I’d shamed our who
Page 106 and 107: There’s still a youthfulness to t
Page 108 and 109: “My house. I have a room for you
Page 110 and 111: life. You have to either figure out
Page 112 and 113: I close the door and go find my pho
Page 114 and 115: “That’s why my mother tried cal
Page 116 and 117: Chapter SeventeenAtlasJosh doesn’
Page 118 and 119: Josh doesn’t look at me. He scoot
Page 120 and 121: The Risemore Inn is clear on the ot
Page 122 and 123: I urge him forward. “Go to the ca
Page 124 and 125: “We’re not going.”“What?”
Page 126 and 127: “He’s not, really. Not to me.
Page 128 and 129: I immediately blush, and that makes
Page 130 and 131: Chapter NineteenAtlasI have no idea
Page 132 and 133: About an hour later, the kitchen is
Page 134 and 135: Chapter TwentyLilyIt’s challengin
Page 136 and 137: fingers through it. He opens his mo
Page 138 and 139: Atlas is so angry, but this is an a
Page 140 and 141: Chapter Twenty-OneAtlasThere have b
Page 142 and 143: “It’s fine!” I hear Theo yell
Page 144 and 145: my head, and of course it snags in
Page 146 and 147: Every part of my body feels like it
Page 150 and 151: I’m not surprised she’s thinkin
Page 152 and 153: note on the pillow next to her. The
Page 154 and 155: “Let me call my mother and let he
Page 156 and 157: gripping my neck, and there’s a s
Page 158 and 159: Love,AtlasI flinch so hard, I almos
Page 160 and 161: I climb into my car right when the
Page 162 and 163: I shake my head. “Not really. I m
Page 164 and 165: “No. But he’s really upset, and
Page 166 and 167: worry about me forming an attachmen
Page 168 and 169: Her response makes my heart stutter
Page 170 and 171: This is the only negative aspect to
Page 172 and 173: By the time I drop her off with my
Page 174 and 175: Lucy appears in the doorway of my o
Page 176 and 177: “My biggest fan.” I nudge my he
Page 178 and 179: He stares at me for a beat, then sa
Page 180 and 181: Darin hands me a wet rag. “You’
Page 182 and 183: Chapter Twenty-EightLilyAllysa has
Page 184 and 185: married to Ryle, no matter how much
Page 186 and 187: wants more time off. I guess now I
Page 188 and 189: “Nine five nine five,” I repeat
Page 190 and 191: I feel his hands slide to my should
Page 192 and 193: “Hopefully.” I do hope things b
Page 194 and 195: Chapter Twenty-NineAtlasI can’t g
Page 196 and 197: “At a friend’s house.” I pull
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Lily does it for me.She starts to w
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“Where’s Emerson?” he asks.
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I pause gathering my things and wal
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Chapter Thirty-OneAtlasIt’s a thr
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“Did Tim do that to you?”I clen
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them. I only ever want to be honest
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Chapter Thirty-TwoLilyAre you at ho
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She’s giggling as soon as he make
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Ryle’s jaw is twitching. His expr
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“I did. It’s coconut shrimp.”
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depressed. I don’t know why you c
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I unfold the note and trace the lit
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but I had to get out of your bedroo
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I’ve never taken care of a sick p
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Chapter Thirty-FiveAtlas“Aren’t
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Marshall glances over at the car th
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Chapter Thirty-SixLilyI’m curled
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But his question about leaving with
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from work early and the two of you
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I pull the page out of my pocket an
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Optimistically speaking, we could l
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more than words can say, and every
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About the AuthorCOLLEEN HOOVER is t
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LaylaVerityReminders of HimAlso by
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First published in the USA by Atria
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It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

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