Until Then

Chapter 27

...Wow! It has been a while! Thanks for your patience! I have been working on the books that will be coming out with HarperTeen this year and next year. I'm so excited that Our Broken Pieces will be out August 8th! It's a brand new full-length novel!

Chapter 27

Kenneth

In the last year of my life I swear I left an awkward teen little sister behind when I went to boot camp and came home to a sophisticated, well-read woman. She always meant the world to me even when we were at each other's throats in our teen years. We were the best of friends and the worst of enemies and I wouldn't trade a minute of what we had for anything in the world. I miss her—through space and time and across all worlds apparently.

Maybe that's why Liam and I had gotten along so well. Like Juliet, he's funny, smart, and obnoxious at times, but would do anything for you just because you're family. From the moment I met him we were family. If I wanted to go for a run, I asked Liam. If I needed a midnight snack, I asked Liam to make a taco run with me. If I was going to rob a bank---ok, maybe it never went that far, but if it had, I would have asked Liam. He was my go-to-guy.

Liam was also a free spirit. I'd only ever seen that kind of joy and need to spread wings from one other person in my life and it bewildered me. He was restless. The Marines kept him in line and the longer I was able to sit back and watch him respect the rules the Marines had spelled out for him, the more I felt at ease with the possibility that one day his path might cross with the other free spirit in my life...my sister Juliet.

I had always been so sure I'd never want my sister with a Marine after what we'd survived when we'd lost our father. But the more time I spent with Liam, the more I found myself wanting to bring him around for her to meet. They shared the same sense of humor, loved the same TV shows, read the same books, and even gave me shit about the same things. Keeping them a secret from each other was the hardest thing I'd ever done, but in the end I believe it was for the best.

My plan was to introduce them when I could be around. Liam was going to come home with me for a few days after the deployment so he could see where I came from and then I was going to go home with him. I guess even the best made plans get changed. I wasn't going to let my patience go to waste. Like a good Marine, I had a back-up plan. And like most great plans, all it took was a nice set of wheels, a pretty girl that's off limits, and a sense of obligation to an old friend. 

**Don't forget to vote and comment! Can't wait to hear from everyone! It's been so long :) I'll be adding more when I get time. I still have some deadlines on other projects I have to meet. Hope everyone is doing well.