But here's the thing: With each of them, I was a different person. I was a brother and a father and a suitor, and I think to myself that these distinctions reflect one of life's universal truths. At any given time, I am not the whole me; I am but a partial version of myself and each version is slightly different from the others. But each of these versions of me, I now believe, has always had someone by his side. I'd survived the year because I'd been able to march two by two with those I loved the most, and though I've never admitted it to anyone, there are moments, even now, when I feel Marge walking beside me. I'll hear her whisper the answer when I'm confronted with a decision; I'll hear her urging me to lighten up when the world is weighing heavily on me. This is my secret. Or rather, it is our secret, and I think to myself that I've been lucky, for no one should ever be forced to march through life alone.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There are always so many to thank in the aftermath of completing any novel.
My children, Miles, Ryan, Landon, Lexie and Savannah, who continue to inspire me.
Theresa Park, my agent, and Jamie Raab, my editor, have been by my side for twenty years, and I'm always grateful for their insights and efforts when it comes to making my novels as good as they can be.
At Park Literary + Media, the brilliant, resourceful and supremely capable team of Emily Sweet, Abby Koons, Alex Greene, Andrea Mai, Vanessa Martinez and Blair Wilson. They do for authors what no one else in the industry can, and I owe much of my success to their far-reaching efforts.
At United Talent Agency, Howie Sanders and Keya Khayatian have been my essential advisers, tireless advocates and creative brain trust for almost twenty years. They've seen me through many dramatic ups and downs, and their strategic brilliance and unflagging loyalty are unparalleled. I'll never be able to repay Larry Salz for all of his strenuous efforts on behalf of NSP TV, but I'm deeply grateful nonetheless. David Herrin will always be my guru and oracle when it comes to the business of data and social sentiment, a genius in his own right. Danny Hertz was indispensable to my team, and I wish him all best in his exciting new career.
Scott Schwimer, my indefatigable entertainment lawyer and friend, has been my sword and my shield for twenty years now. His personal loyalty and keen business sense go far beyond what anyone could expect from his lawyer; he's also been a patient, reassuring sounding board for me through all kinds of challenging situations.
My publicists Catherine Olim, Jill Fritzo and Michael Geiser have gone above and beyond the call of duty these past few years. No one could ask for more vigilant and talented representation in the world of PR--their personal commitment and professional effectiveness have always amazed me.
LaQuishe "Q" Wright is the undisputed leader in her field of entertainment-related social media, and she never fails to wow me with her savvy and professionalism. Mollie Smith has also been a hugely valued member of my social media team, whose reliability, responsiveness and design sense continue to enhance everything I do.
At Hachette USA and UK, the team of people I have to thank is too numerous for me to cite in full, but I hope they know how much I appreciate the specific efforts of each of them. To name just a few: Arnaud Nourry
Michael Pietsch
Amanda Pritzker
Beth DeGuzman
Brian McLendon
Anne Twomey
Flamur "Flag" Tonuzi
Claire Brown
Chris Murphy
Dave Epstein
Tracy Dowd
Caitlin Mulrooney-Lyski
Matthew Ballast
Maddie Caldwell
Bob Castillo
Kallie Shimek
Ursula Mackenzie
David Shelley
Catherine Burke
At Warner Bros. TV, I'd like to thank Peter Roth, Susan Rovner and Clancy Collins-White for their support and gracious professionalism. Likewise Stacey Levin, Erika McGrath and Corey Hanley for their efforts at NSP TV.
My appreciation also extends to Denise DiNovi and Marty Bowen, fabulous producers who've brought many of my novels to life on screen.
To Peter Safran, his lovely wife Natalia, Dan Clifton and the talented Ross Katz, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for their work on The Choice.
Others who also deserve my gratitude include Jeannie Armentrout and Tia Scott, who keep things my life running smoothly for me on the homefront.
Andy Sommers, Mike McAden, Jim Hicks, Andy Bayliss, Theresa Sprain, Dr. Eric Collins are all consistently helpful in various areas of my life, and I can't thank them enough.
My gratitude also extends to Pam Pope and Oscara Stevick, who do great things with numbers.
There are also some special friends who deserve my appreciation, including Michael Smith, Victoria Vodar, David Geffen, Dr. Todd Lanman, Jeff Van Wie, Jim Tyler, Chris Matteo, Paul DuVair, Rick Muench, Robert Jacob, Tracey Lorentzen, Missy Blackerby, Ken Gray, Dr. Dwight Carlbloom, David Wang and Catherine Sparks.
Given space constraints, I am necessarily omitting countless other people deserving of gratitude, but I hope they know how much their efforts have meant to me. The creative business is a group enterprise, and I've had the privilege of working with an extraordinary team almost every step of the way.
ALSO BY NICHOLAS SPARKS
See Me
The Longest Ride
The Best of Me
Safe Haven
The Last Song
The Lucky One
The Choice
Dear John
At First Sight
True Believer
Three Weeks with My Brother
The Wedding
The Guardian
Nights in Rodanthe
A Bend in the Road
The Rescue
A Walk to Remember
Message in a Bottle
The Notebook
CELEBRATE 20 YEARS OF UNFORGETTABLE NOVELS
BY NICHOLAS SPARKS
Listen to the music from TWO BY TWO.
#20YearsofSparks
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Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Chapter 1: And Baby Makes Three
Chapter 2: In the Beginning
Chapter 3: And Then What?
Chapter 4: The Summer of My Discontent
Chapter 5: Changes
Chapter 6: Mr. Mom
Chapter 7: Two by Two
Chapter 8: New Experiences
Chapter 9: The Past Is Never Quite Past
Chapter 10: Moving Forward
Chapter 11: And Then There Was One
Chapter 12: Bad Weather on the Horizon
Chapter 13: Crime and Punishment
Chapter 14: Shock
Chapter 15: One Day at a Time
Chapter 16: The Sun Also Rises
Chapter 17: Moving Forward and Backward
Chapter 18: It's Not a Date
Chapter 19: Finding My Own Way
Chapter 20: Autumn
Chapter 21: Clicking on All Cylinders
Chapter 22: The Eye of the Storm
Chapter 23: No
Chapter 24: December
Chapter 25: For Auld Lang Syne
Chapter 26: Saying Goodbye
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by Nicholas Sparks
Celebrate 20 Years of Unforgettable Novels
Newsletters
Copyright
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
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right (c) 2016 by Willow Holdings, Inc.
Cover design by Claire Brown
Photography by Pete Thompson/Gallery Stock Cover copyright (c) 2016 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
ISBNs: 978-1-4555-2069-5 (hardcover), 978-1-4555-2070-1 (ebook),
978-1-4555-4158-4 (large type), 978-1-4555-9835-9 (international),
978-1-4789-4465-2 (Target edition), 978-14789-7118-4 (autographed B&N edition),
978-1-4789-1864-6 (B&N edition) E3-20160902-JV-PC