It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

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I pause gathering my things and walk closer to the door so I can hearJosh’s response.“You did?” There’s a new excitement in Josh’s voice. “Does he knowwe’re coming?”“No, I only got his address. I don’t know how to get in touch with him.But you were right: He’s in Vermont.” I can hear the dread Atlas isattempting to cover up in his voice all the way from his bedroom. God, I hatethis for him.I hear Josh running toward his room. “He is going to be so shocked!”I finish packing with a heavier heart. When I walk back into the kitchen,Atlas is standing in front of the sink, staring out the window into hisbackyard. He doesn’t hear me, so I put my hand on his shoulder.He immediately pulls me in and kisses me on the side of my head. “I’llwalk you to your car.”He carries my bag to the car and places it in the backseat. I open my door,but we hug again before I climb inside.This is the kind of hug Atlas gave me when he showed up at my apartmentneeding a hug that night. It’s long and sad, and I don’t want to let go of him.“What do you think is going to happen when you get there?” I ask.Atlas finally releases me, but keeps his hand on my hip while he leansagainst my car. He sighs, threading his finger through a belt loop on myjeans. “I don’t know. Why do I feel so worried for him?”“Because you love him.”Atlas’s eyes scroll over my face. “Is that why I always feel worried foryou? Because I love you?”My breath hitches at his question. “I don’t know. Do you?”Atlas digs his fingers into my waist, and he pulls me to him. He lifts hishand and traces a finger down my neck, until it meets my tattoo. “I’ve lovedyou for years and years and years, Lily. You know that.” He moves his fingerand then kisses me there, and that move coupled with his words takeseverything in me to keep my composure.“I’ve loved you for just as long.”Atlas nods. “I know you have. No one on this earth loves me like you do.”He cradles my head in both of his hands, and he tilts my face up to his and hekisses me. When he pulls back, he looks at me longingly, like I’ve alreadyleft and he’s already sad about it. Or maybe that’s just what I’m imagining hefeels, since that’s what I feel.
“I’ll call you tonight. I love you.”“I love you, too. Good luck today.”I drive home with such conflicted feelings. Every moment with him overthis last day was more than I could have hoped for, but knowing what he’sabout to face makes my heart feel like a piece of it broke off and stayed withhim.I’m going to be thinking about him all day. I’m hoping they don’t findTim, but if they do, I hope Josh makes the right decision.
Page 3:
Thank you for downloadingthis Simon
Page 6 and 7:
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
Page 66 and 67:
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
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I blame Ryle for that. He took what
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Maybe that’s why I feel more prot
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years being a teenager and then it
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My father said I’d shamed our who
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There’s still a youthfulness to t
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“My house. I have a room for you
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life. You have to either figure out
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I close the door and go find my pho
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“That’s why my mother tried cal
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Chapter SeventeenAtlasJosh doesn’
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Josh doesn’t look at me. He scoot
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The Risemore Inn is clear on the ot
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I urge him forward. “Go to the ca
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“We’re not going.”“What?”
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“He’s not, really. Not to me.
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I immediately blush, and that makes
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Chapter NineteenAtlasI have no idea
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About an hour later, the kitchen is
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Chapter TwentyLilyIt’s challengin
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fingers through it. He opens his mo
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Atlas is so angry, but this is an a
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Chapter Twenty-OneAtlasThere have b
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“It’s fine!” I hear Theo yell
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my head, and of course it snags in
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Every part of my body feels like it
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so completely and wholly in the mom
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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
Page 198 and 199: Lily does it for me.She starts to w
Page 200 and 201: “Where’s Emerson?” he asks.
Page 204 and 205: Chapter Thirty-OneAtlasIt’s a thr
Page 206 and 207: “Did Tim do that to you?”I clen
Page 208 and 209: them. I only ever want to be honest
Page 210 and 211: Chapter Thirty-TwoLilyAre you at ho
Page 212 and 213: She’s giggling as soon as he make
Page 214 and 215: Ryle’s jaw is twitching. His expr
Page 216 and 217: “I did. It’s coconut shrimp.”
Page 218 and 219: depressed. I don’t know why you c
Page 220 and 221: I unfold the note and trace the lit
Page 222 and 223: but I had to get out of your bedroo
Page 224 and 225: I’ve never taken care of a sick p
Page 226 and 227: Chapter Thirty-FiveAtlas“Aren’t
Page 228 and 229: Marshall glances over at the car th
Page 230 and 231: Chapter Thirty-SixLilyI’m curled
Page 232 and 233: But his question about leaving with
Page 234 and 235: from work early and the two of you
Page 236 and 237: I pull the page out of my pocket an
Page 238 and 239: Optimistically speaking, we could l
Page 240 and 241: more than words can say, and every
Page 242 and 243: About the AuthorCOLLEEN HOOVER is t
Page 244 and 245: LaylaVerityReminders of HimAlso by
Page 246: First published in the USA by Atria
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It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

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