It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

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I blame Ryle for that. He took what little trust I had left in men thanks tomy father, and he stripped me of it.But I think this crush is a sign that Atlas might be able to give back whatmy father and Ryle took from me. My stomach moves from the flutters Atlasleft me with to what feels like a six-foot drop on that thought, because I knowhow that would make Ryle feel.The more joy I get from my interactions with Atlas, the more dread I feelabout having to break the news to Ryle.
Chapter FifteenAtlasWhen I was in the military, I was stationed with a friend who had familyfrom Boston. His aunt and uncle were getting ready to retire and wanted tosell their restaurant. It was called Milla’s, and when I visited it on leave oneyear, I absolutely fell in love with the place. I can say it was the food, or thefact that it was located in Boston, but the truth is, I fell in love with it becauseof the preserved tree growing in the center of the main dining room.The tree reminded me of Lily.If anything is going to remind someone of their first love, trees areprobably the last thing you want as a reminder. They’re everywhere. Whichis probably why I’ve thought about Lily every day since I was eighteen, butthat could also be because I still, to this day, feel like I owe her my life.I’m not sure if it was the tree, or the fact that the restaurant came almostfully stocked and staffed, but I felt a pull to buy it when it became available.It wasn’t my goal to own a restaurant right out of the military. I had plannedto work as a chef to gain experience, but when this opportunity presenteditself, I couldn’t walk away from the prospect. I used the money I saved upfrom my time as a Marine, and I secured a business loan, bought therestaurant, changed the name, and created a whole new menu.Sometimes I feel guilty for the success Bib’s has had—like I haven’t paidmy dues. I didn’t just inherit the staff, who already knew what they weredoing, but I inherited customers as well. I didn’t build it from the ground up,which is why I feel a heavy amount of imposter syndrome when peoplecongratulate me on the success of Bib’s.That’s why I opened Corrigan’s. I don’t know that I was trying to proveanything to anyone other than myself, but I wanted to know that I could do it.I wanted the challenge of creating something from nothing and watching itflourish and grow. Like what Lily wrote in her journal about why she likedgrowing things in her garden when we were teenagers.
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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
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 58 and 59: months ago, since it happens every
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 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
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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
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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
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Her response makes my heart stutter
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This is the only negative aspect to
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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
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He stares at me for a beat, then sa
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Darin hands me a wet rag. “You’
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Chapter Twenty-EightLilyAllysa has
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married to Ryle, no matter how much
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wants more time off. I guess now I
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“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
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Chapter Twenty-NineAtlasI can’t g
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“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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