“I should do this right,” Matt said. He got down on one knee and took my hand in his.
“Grace, I love you and you love me. Now, will you marry me forever this time?”
“Yes. Forever.”
FOURTH MOVEMENT:
EVIDENCE OF A LIFE BURNING WELL
ASH
My parents got married by the justice of the peace with me as their witness. In fifteen years, I never saw my mom look so full of life and love and happiness as she did on that day. I can’t imagine what would have happened if they never saw each other on the subway. Would they have carried on with their lonely lives, living like two halves of one heart, just out of reach of each other? Who knows? All I know is that I’m glad they found each other again.
That summer, we all ended up going to Europe with the New York Philharmonic and then to California. It was like a grand honeymoon/family vacation. After we got back, Dad moved in with us. My parents were like teenagers in puppy love, with their faces attached to each other all the time. When I would roll my eyes at them, my dad would laugh and my mom would whine that they deserved it, that they were just making up for lost time. I liked giving them a hard time. It was actually really cool to know my mom and dad liked each other so much.
Dad kept his loft a few blocks away and we converted it into an art studio/office. We called it the Louvre. Mom loved to watch us at work in the studio, and she would play music or bring us food when she wasn’t teaching.
I became a big sister a year after they got married. Finally, someone else to shoulder the burden. Actually, I really kind of adore my little brother. Leo. He’s just a baby, so how bad can he be?
I know my mom and dad made mistakes and that connections were missed, but somehow I feel lucky because of it. Who knows what might have been if everything went perfectly for them? I know I got two awesome dads who loved me like crazy, and I got to see my own parents fall in love. How many people can say that?
Acknowledgments
To the readers: thank you for believing in this magic and allowing Matt and Grace into your hearts.
To family and friends who support me, encourage me and make me feel like what I’m doing matters in some small way: thank you.
Hey, Ya Ya’s! Thanks for being proud, solid friends.
There is a big place in my heart for some special teachers and professors I’ve had who inspired me. For this book, I thought back to the many hours I spent in a darkroom in high school and college and how hard I tried to tell a story with one image alone. Now I get to use thousands of words. I’m still not sure what’s easier; I just know I love both mediums, and I’m grateful to the people who opened my eyes to these art forms.
To the roomies, who have been waiting patiently: your enthusiasm has kept me going all these months.
Melissa, thank you for assisting me in New York and for the great music recs.
Thank you, Angie, for your undying support and enthusiasm.
Heather, you know your part in all of this and how important it is. You have a gift, truly.
To the author friends out there who continue being awesome sounding boards and support systems, you are so appreciated.
To Christina, my agent, thank you for always bringing me back to the work and to the writing. It helps me feel inspired when I find myself distracted by other aspects of the business.
Jhanteigh, I feel like this is our baby together. You brought so much to Matt and Grace’s journey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for believing in this story and allowing me to have at it.
Anthony, look at all of our evidence. How lucky, how blessed I am to have you in my life.
And finally, to Sam and Tony: my poetry. I can’t wait to see you grow. I can’t wait to know you more.
© JACK AND LOLA PHOTOGRAPHY, 2013
RENÉE CARLINO lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog, June. When she’s not at the beach with her boys or working on her next book, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate. To learn more, visit ReneeCarlino.com.
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ALSO BY RENÉE CARLINO
Sweet Thing
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Renée Carlino
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Cover Design by Rodrigo Corral Design
Cover Art © Alex Robertston www.Alexrphotography.com/Gettyimages
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Carlino, Renée
Before we were strangers : a love story / by Renée Carlino.—First Atria paperback edition.
pages ; cm (trade pbk. : alk. paper)
I. Title.
PS3603.A75255B44 2015
813'.6—dc23 2015017238
ISBN 978-1-5011-0577-7
ISBN 978-1-5011-0578-4 (ebook)
Contents
Epigraph
First Movement: Recently
Chapter 1: Do You Still Think of Me?
Chapter 2: Five Days After I Saw You
Chapter 3: Five Weeks After I Saw You
Second Movement: Fifteen Years Ago
Chapter 4: When I Met You
Chapter 5: You Were Like a Light
Chapter 6: I Needed to Know You
Chapter 7: You Were My Muse
Chapter 8: You Changed Me
Chapter 9: Why Didn’t We Tell Each Other?
Chapter 10: That’s When You Had Me
Chapter 11: We Made Unspoken Promises
Chapter 12: Everything Seemed Right
Chapter 13: Did Things Change?
Chapter 14: Did You Have Doubts?
Chapter 15: Gracie . . .
Chapter 16: I Should Have Told You
Chapter 17: We Belong Together
Chapter 18: We Were in Love
Chapter 19: What Happened to Us?
Third Movement: Now, Fifteen Years Later
Chapter 20: You Remembered . . .
Chapter 21: I Looked for You Inside of Everyone Else
Chapter 22: Why Not Now?
Chapter 23: Who Did You Think I Was?
Chapter 24: Once, We Were Lovers
Ch
apter 25: Come Back to Me
Chapter 26: Our Time
Fourth Movement: Evidence of a Life Burning Well
Chapter 27
Acknowledgments
About Renée Carlino