“After that, Lily was recuperating and thendealing with significant financial hardships. Thebirth was described to me by Lily and also byher obstetrician, who I spoke to myself yesterday.The doctor, in his own words, remembers whathe describes as that ‘hideous day’ like it was yesterday.The labour, intense and excruciating, lastedfor days. In the end, in extreme distress atthe length of the labour, the baby nearly died.Lily did die. She was flatline for two minutes andthirty-eight –”Alistair didn’t get the opportunity to finish hisgrand statement because Nate surged out of hischair so fast, it flew on its wheels and shot acrossthe room, slamming into the wall.“Mr. McAllister…” Alistair said warninglybut Nate was coming swiftly around the table,coming at her.At this sight, Lily, too, jumped out of her chairin a panic, her numbness not that complete, andbacked away in self-defence as Nate came at her,came at her with purposeful, long strides. Shebacked up jerkily, one hand behind her, one handin front, retreating until she hit the wall. Beforeshe knew what he was about, his hard chest cameup against her hand, pushing it back and his bodypressed against hers.Terrified and confused at this sudden change,she looked to the right and to the left, anywherefor escape, anywhere but at Nate.And to her shock, his hands caught her face,resting one on either side, gently trying to forceher to look into his impossibly dark eyes.“I didn’t know,” he whispered and the absoluteache dripping from his first words said to hersince she found out he was alive cut through herthin shield of numbness like a razor.She attempted to pull her face free but hishands tightened.“Lily, I didn’t know,” he repeated, and shecaught his eyes and they were glittering dark withsomething that she couldn’t read, somethinghideously painful and she had to get away fromit. Was desperate to get away from it. She neededto flee.She tried to look over his shoulder but he wastoo tall, too close. Things were happening in theroom, there was urgent talk, maybe even a tussle.But all she could see was Nate.”

“Kavita looks peaceful when she's sleeping, when the Morphine finally brings her some comfort. Jasu sits in a chair next to the bed and reaches for her frail hand. With his touch, her eyes flutter open and she licks her dried lips. She sees him and smiles. “Jani, you’re back,” she says softly.“I went there, chakli.” He tries to begin slowly, but the words come tumbling out. “I went to Shanti, the orphanage. The man there knows her, he’s met her, Kavi. Her name is Asha now. She grew up in America, her parents are doctors, and she writes stories for newspapers—look, this is hers, she wrote this.” He waves the article in front of her.“America.” Kavita’s voice is barely a whisper. She closes her eyes and a tear drips down the side of her face and into her ear. “So far from home. All this time, she’s been so far from us.”“Such a good thing you did, chakli.” He strokes her hair, pulled back into a loose bun, and wipes her tears away with his rough fingers. “Just imagine if…” He looks down, shakes his head, and clasps her hand between his. He rests his head against their hands and begins to cry. “Such a good thing.”He looks up at her again. “She came looking for us, Kavi. She left this.”Jasu hands her the letter. A small smile breaks through on Kavita’s face. She peers at the page while he recites from memory.“My name is Asha…”

“She got to her knees, running her nails lightly along his chest, loving the way he groaned, loving how his breath wheezed out when she took him into her hands, loving him, even when he reared up and said, “Now,” and took her waist in his hands and pushed her onto her back. She didn’t object or take offense. Words were beyond her, too, as he surged into her, hard and fast, and she forgot how to breathe and how to think.”

“She didn’t know Matt had followed her until he grabbed her shoulder, halting her headlong rush to nowhere. He turned her into his arms, pulled her against his chest, crushed her mouth in a searing kiss.“Shane,” he said when he raised his head from hers. “I love you. I love you.”Her heart opened and the wall inside her trembled as she clung to him. “Burn me up, Matt,” she said, her voice a ragged whisper. “Burn it away. Please, please, burn it all away.”She heard him growl deep in his throat and he lifted her into his arms in one swift movement. As he carried her back across the parking lot and through the door of her room, she rained kisses on his neck and the hard line of his jaw. His skin was warm and damp and tasted of salt and desire.”

“I love you," he said.She looked up at him, her eyes shiny and black, then looked away. "I know," she said.He pulled one of his arms out from under her and traced her outline against the couch. He could spend all day like this, running his hand down her ribs, into her waist, out to her hips and back again.... If he had all day, he would. If she weren't made of so many other miracles."You know?" he repeated. She smiled, so he kissed her. "You're not the Han Solo in this relationship, you know.""I'm totally the Han Solo," she whispered. It was good to hear her. It was good to remember it was Eleanor under all this new flesh."Well, I'm not the Princess Leia," he said."Don't get so hung up on gender roles," Eleanor said.”

“Lora…” Her name was a tormented whisper as he kissed her harder, fiercer than before, as if he was starving for the taste of her mouth. She twisted in his arms, not trying to get away but to work her arms free… She managed to push them up through his crushing hold and lock them around his neck. He groaned deep in his throat, and she groaned too in protest as his mouth suddenly left hers. He was looking down at her, his breathing heavy, a wild glitter in his eyes. Lora lifted one hand from the corded nape of his neck and lightly stroked the rough, wet edges of his hair.”