It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

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months ago, since it happens every other week. Emmy probably got the feverfrom Rylee to begin with.I knock on Allysa’s door, and when she opens it, she’s immediatelygrabbing for Emerson. “Come here,” she says. She pulls Emerson to her andsqueezes her. “She smells so good. Rylee doesn’t smell like a baby anymore.Makes me sad.” She pushes the door open to invite me in, and when I walkinside holding the diaper bag, Allysa finally registers my outfit. “Hold up,”she says. She points a finger up and down my body. “What’s this? Why am Ibabysitting?”I really don’t want to tell her where I’m going, but it’s Allysa. She readsme better than anyone. She can see the hesitation on my face and takes it forexactly what it is. “Is this a date outfit?” She whispers it and then closes thefront door. “Is it the Greek god?”“Atlas. Yes. Please don’t tell your brother.”Right when I say that, I notice Marshall standing close by in the livingroom. He immediately covers his ears and says, “I heard nothing. I seenothing. Lalalalalala.” He walks through the foyer and disappears into thekitchen.Allysa brushes his presence off with a wave. “He’s so good at beingneutral; don’t worry about him.” She motions for me to follow her into theliving room. Rylee is in a playpen, so Allysa walks Emmy over to her.“Rylee, look who’s here!”Rylee smiles when she sees Emmy. The girls are starting to showexcitement in each other’s presence. I love that they’re not too far apart inage. The six-month gap feels smaller and smaller the older Emmy gets.“Where is he taking you?”I smooth my hands down my outfit, and then flick off a piece of lint. “Todinner, but I’ve never been to this place. I hope I’m not overdressed.”“Is this your first date with him? You seem nervous.”“It is our first date, and I am nervous. But it’s a different kind of nervous.A good nervous. I know him so well already, so I don’t feel like I’m about tohave to spend an evening with a stranger.”Allysa studies me for a moment with gentle eyes. “You seem excited. I’vemissed this side of you.”“Yeah. Me too.” I bend to give both Emmy and Rylee kisses. “I won’t beout too late. I have to get back to the shop and close up for Lucy, so he’s
picking me up there. I should be back around nine thirty, so try to keep her upuntil then if you don’t mind.”“Why are you coming back so early? That’s lame.”“I didn’t sleep last night. I’m exhausted. But I don’t want to cancel thedate, so I’m going to power through.”“Ugh. Motherhood,” Allysa says, rolling her eyes. “I’ll keep her awake—go have fun. Drink a coffee or a five-hour or something.”I’ve lost count of the number of coffees I’ve had today. “Love you.Thanks for saving the day,” I say on my way out the door.“That’s what I’m here for,” she singsongs.
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Thank you for downloadingthis Simon
Page 6 and 7:
Dear reader,This book is a sequel t
Page 8 and 9: anything that came back to the kitc
Page 10 and 11: question I’m answering.” I focu
Page 12 and 13: The order is for a bouquet of roses
Page 14 and 15: I haven’t felt this conflicted in
Page 16 and 17: domestic violence, my lawyer said i
Page 18 and 19: daughter. And if Atlas Corrigan is
Page 20 and 21: It surprises me that he doesn’t h
Page 22 and 23: Chapter FourLilyMine and Ryle’s s
Page 24 and 25: I’m about to take another bite of
Page 26 and 27: I know the answers to these questio
Page 28 and 29: hard to make out facial features, b
Page 30 and 31: “Who doesn’t?”Every ounce of
Page 32 and 33: What is he doing here?And why does
Page 34 and 35: “Keys. I accidentally brought the
Page 36 and 37: “I want to help you uncomplicate
Page 38 and 39: In Allysa’s idea of a perfect wor
Page 40 and 41: He shrugs. “Kinda.”The discussi
Page 42 and 43: Chapter EightLilyIt’s almost 9:30
Page 44 and 45: “You don’t look exhausted.”I
Page 46 and 47: won’t embarrass me too much. “W
Page 48 and 49: bedroom window back then, because a
Page 50 and 51: Chapter NineAtlas“Let me see a pi
Page 52 and 53: My phone begins to buzz in my pocke
Page 54 and 55: “Yeah. Both restaurants are close
Page 56 and 57: restaurant overnight was contained
Page 60 and 61: Chapter ElevenAtlasI wanted the day
Page 62 and 63: “I have a present for you,” she
Page 64 and 65: myself. “Up until last week, it w
Page 66 and 67: uses bottled water to brush his tee
Page 68 and 69: mean to write as much as I do, but
Page 70 and 71: Chapter TwelveLily“I can’t beli
Page 72 and 73: one day, that one meal, that part o
Page 74 and 75: She left the door open for me while
Page 76 and 77: All I did was ask to move home. I d
Page 78 and 79: city and ordering burgers has been
Page 80 and 81: “A redo of what?”“This date.
Page 82 and 83: Ryle is still staring at the televi
Page 84 and 85: stairwell. I take a nervous step ba
Page 86 and 87: “Everything would be so much easi
Page 88 and 89: “Oh.” His eyes dart around, as
Page 90 and 91: Chapter ThirteenAtlasIt’s amazing
Page 92 and 93: She leans back against her seat, re
Page 94 and 95: “Go back there in case he shows u
Page 96 and 97: 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
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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
Page 116 and 117:
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
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note on the pillow next to her. The
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“Let me call my mother and let he
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gripping my neck, and there’s a s
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Love,AtlasI flinch so hard, I almos
Page 160 and 161:
I climb into my car right when the
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I shake my head. “Not really. I m
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“No. But he’s really upset, and
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worry about me forming an attachmen
Page 168 and 169:
Her response makes my heart stutter
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This is the only negative aspect to
Page 172 and 173:
By the time I drop her off with my
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Lucy appears in the doorway of my o
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“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
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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
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I feel his hands slide to my should
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“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
Page 200 and 201:
“Where’s Emerson?” he asks.
Page 202 and 203:
I pause gathering my things and wal
Page 204 and 205:
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
Page 214 and 215:
Ryle’s jaw is twitching. His expr
Page 216 and 217:
“I did. It’s coconut shrimp.”
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depressed. I don’t know why you c
Page 220 and 221:
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
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
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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
Page 238 and 239:
Optimistically speaking, we could l
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more than words can say, and every
Page 242 and 243:
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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