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“Are you okay?” Andy frowns.
“No.” shake my head. “I’ve got to go. We’ve got to
go. Now.”
“What?”
“We shouldn’t be here!”
cry. “We should never
have come—we have to go—”
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“Rosie.” Andy catches my arms. “What’s going on?
What’s wrong?”
“Didn’t you see?” stare at him, trembling. “Didn’t
you see her?”
“Who?”
“Jack’s daughter!” stare at him incredulously.
“What? Yeah, briefly, but
was more concerned
about you when you conked out.”
“It’s her Andy,” say meaningfully. “She’s Trudie’s daughter.”
Andy stares at me.
“Rosie
Trudie’s daughter died.”
“Well, obviously not!”
stare at him wildly.
“Obviously not, Andy—that’s just one more mistake to add
to the list!”
“But wait, mean—are you sure?”
“Andy, she’s Holly Woods.”
“What?” His eyes widen. “She’s called Holl—”
“Holly.” nod grimly. “Holly Woods. And she’s the
same age as me, she’s got the same birthday she’s living with my father and she’s the bleeding spitting image of Trudie—look!” thrust the photograph at him.
“Knock, knock!”
freeze as the bedroom door creaks open. Holly
peers round with friendly smile.
“Hi there! How’re you doing? Did you sleep okay?”
nod helplessly, the blood draining from my head.
“I’m not surprised after that fall!” she says
sympathetically. “Anyway, know Megan’s washing your
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clothes, so here’s
pair of my jeans and
T-shirt and
hoodie. We’re about the same size, huh?” She holds them
up.
nod again, staring at her hair as it gleams in the
sunshine—the exact same shade
“Is there anything else you need?” She smiles, her
hazel eyes shining.
shake my head numbly. She even has the same
kink at the top of her ear
“Okay.” She beams, looking from me to Andy. “See
ya later!”
She closes the door behind her and sink onto the
bed.
“Oh, my God.” Andy sits down next to me. “Oh. My.
God.”
stare at the door. “Do you—do you think she heard
us?” whisper, my voice cracking.
“No.” He shakes his head. “No, don’t think so.”
“I just can’t believe it, Andy. She survived. She’s
alive. She’s here How did this happen?”
He looks at me. “I don’t know. really don’t know,
Rosie. There must have been
mistake. The baby
must’ve recovered.”
“But how? My voice comes out high and shrill as
hot tears spring into my eyes. “And how did Sarah not
know?”
Andy squeezes my hand. “I don’t know.” He shakes
his head. “I suppose she was too concerned about Trudie
and
and you.”
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“Me?”
stare at him. “Me? She’s me Andy! She’s
Rosie Ke
stare at him
miserably. “Don’t you see, there was no need for Sarah to switch us—no need for any of this— because Trudie’s baby
didn’t die!
Andy pulls me to him tightly, my heart thumping
against his.
“She— she should have stayed with Trudie, she
should’ve
and I should’ve …”
“Shhh …” He strokes my hair.
“This is my family, Andy,”
whisper against his
chest. “My dad, my brother …”
“Then you have to tell them.”
sigh heavily. “I can’t. Andy, they’re
family.
happy family.”
“They’re your family.”
“No.”
shake my head, the word scratching my
throat and stinging my eyes. “No, they can’t ever be. Not
now. It’s impossible. They’re hers.” bite my nail. “Sarah
switched us, so they’re Holly’s. They’re her family, they
love each other. They deserve to be together.”
“But Rose—”
“I can’t—I can’t break them up, Andy,
can’t tell
them—can’t be that selfish.” sigh again, rubbing my eyes
with my sleeve. “I’ve lasted this long without them,
haven’t I?” swallow hard. “I’ll survive.”
“Rosie …”
“No, Andy.” stand up. “We have to go.”
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“Rose, just listen to me for
sec. If you’re right, if
she is Trudie’s daughter—”
“She is!”
“Then Rosie, you have to tell them.”
“Andy! You’re not listening to me—”
“You have to tell them,” he interrupts, “because
Holly could have inherited Huntington’s.”
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Holly
The wind tugs wildly at my hair, the salty breeze
filling my lungs as head along the harbor. love this time
of year. The chill in the air, the winter sunshine glistening
on the waves, the old year gone and done with and the
promise of whole fresh new one to come.
new year,
new start, new name
grin, suddenly warm despite the frosty air.
“Mrs. Holly Samuels.” The name tingles on my
tongue, and giggle like an idiot. can’t wait. The first time
ever laid eyes on Josh knew he was The One. smile,
remembering how serious and sexy he looked, studying in
the school library—till Melissa flicked
spitball right at
him!
can still see his face as he turned around—
outraged—and flicked one straight back! And then he
gri
goner.
wonder what he sees in me
It’s hardly my brain—not compared to Mr. Ivy
League Samuels. Not that I’m dumb, but it beats me how
anyone can study that hard; can use all that power and
strength in those huge sexy arms just to carry
schoolbooks; can enjoy being stuck in
dusty library for
hours on end when the sun’s shining so bright you just
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have to be outside, when the pool sparkles so invitingly, or the sky’s so blue you have to go sail around the point to see if the sea matches—when there’s
whole world out
there just waiting to be explored!
Safe to say, it’s not our common interests that
attracted him either
So
my glittering personality? My hilarious sense
of humor? Ha-ha.
Looks? glance briefly at my reflection in window.
Hardly.
So
what? What do we have in common?
My pace slows, and shiver suddenly, slipping back
into the shadowy doubts that have plagued me ever since
Josh started Harvard, remembering how frightened was
every time he called, always expecting him to tell me it
wasn’t working out, that he’d realized we’re total
opposites, that he’d met someone else
But instead he took me to New York for my
birthday—and proposed!
All my doubts fade with the sparkling memory of
my ring, my gleaming proof of his feelings.
Who cares why? Opposites attract, after all. We love
each other—that’s all that matters. We’re engaged!
The grin splits my face as race the last few blocks
to his house, unable to wait any longer, to suppress the
buzzing, fizzing thrill of this incredible secret longing to
burst right out of me, desperate to shout it from the
rooftops.
We’re getting married!
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Rosie
The clothes are almost perfect fit. look at myself
in the full-length mirror in Holly’s faded jeans and green
Gap hoodie, and shiver suddenly. It’s like I’m looking into
another life—the life
would’ve had: the clothes