Redeeming 6

— По-моему, вас с головой захлестнула первая любовь. Люди часто совершают ошибки, когда руководствуются чувствами, а не доводами рассудка.

I wasn’t sure about soul mates, but if they existed, then my nephew’s parents were a prime example. Joey Lynch and Aoife Molloy: both full of flaws and humanly imperfect and yet so undeniably perfect for each other.

“Thanks for my baby, queen. You still take the air clean out of my lungs.”

“Please,” I bit out. “I will do whatever the fuck you want. I’ll talk about all the shit. I’ll deal with Darren. Just let me have one phone call with my girl. Please, Doc. I don’t do begging, but I’ll do it for her.”

I spent so long trying to push her away that when I stopped, it was so easy. Being with her was like breathing. I didn’t know I needed the air, but I knew that I would die without it.

The drugs? The fighting? All of it. It was never about me replacing you. It was about me replacing me.

“You’re never too old to be loved, Joey.”

“I don’t want a life without you in it.”

Because I was in love with him. The boy he used to be. The man he had become. All of his versions. I loved them all.

Every day I walked into class, right before my will buckled and I freewheeled into hell, and I sought her out. Still chasing after the girl from the wall. Still wanting her more than I wanted to live.