All I Need
Page 16
There’s no doubt in my mind that what I’m about to do next is the right thing.
“I want to give you something else,” I say. My heart is pounding. I wasn’t expecting to be this nervous. “Everything changed the second I first saw you. You were coming off the boardwalk to the beach . . . and you were the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. You came out of nowhere and changed my life forever. And the crazy thing is? I didn’t even know I was waiting for you.”
I reach into my pocket and take out the other box. This one is a lot smaller.
“You’re everything to me,” I tell her. “You showed me that true love is real. You make me a better person. You make me feel alive. When I’m with you, I feel like anything is possible. Like I can turn my life into whatever I want it to be.”
When I open the ring box, Skye’s mouth drops open.
“It’s a promise ring,” I say. “You’re the love of my life. You always will be.”
Skye puts her hands over her mouth. She’s smiling and crying and staring at the ring.
I reach for her left hand. The ring fits perfectly.
“This is really happening,” she says.
This love will last. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my entire life.
Whatever happens next, whatever happens in our future, Skye will always be the one I want to share my life with. She completes all I need to be happy. Our fate is to be together.
I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Acknowledgments
THIS BOOK would not have become the best version of itself without the editorial magnificence of Kendra Levin and Regina Hayes. When it comes to polishing a manuscript until it shines, you ladies rule.
The friendly neighbors at Penguin Young Readers Group deserve extra sparkly warm fuzzies. Special thanks to Gina Balsano, Scottie Bowditch, Susan Jeffers Casel, Lisa DeGroff, Felicia Frazier and her sales team, Kristin Gilson, Vanessa Han, Jim Hoover, Anna Jarzab, Eileen Kreit, Jennifer Loja, Draga Malesevic, Elyse Marshall, Linda McCarthy, Shanta Newlin, Janet Pascal, Emily Romero, Kim Ryan, Molly Sardella, Don Weisberg, and Courtney Wood.
Thanks to Elizabeth Eulberg for taking such good care of me, Paula Beisser for a super fun tour of Sea Bright, Kara Doyle and Mami Hasegawa for whipping my butt into shape, and Matt Czuchry for bringing the clarity. Thanks to Gillian MacKenzie and Kirsten Wolf for working it and owning it.
Neesa Peterson of Imperial Woodpecker Sno-Balls and artist Joe Mangrum inspired some of the quirky details I adore in this story. Thank you for sharing your creative energy.
Hugs for the teachers, librarians, booksellers, and other influential grownups who have spread the word to teens about my books. Your support is deeply appreciated.
Ultimate thanks go out to my readers. You motivate me on those days when I need to be pushed. You remind me why I write. And most of all, you inspire me to never give up. Thank you so much for making this life possible. xoxo
Chapter Title Songs
The Police, “Bring on the Night,” Reggatta de Blanc, A&M Records, 1979
Foreigner, “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” 4, Atlantic Records, 1981
Seals & Crofts, “Summer Breeze,” Summer Breeze, Warner Bros. Records, 1972
Scritti Politti, “Perfect Way,” Cupid & Psyche 85, Virgin, Warner Bros., 1985
Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer,” Building the Perfect Beast, Geffen, 1984
The Rolling Stones, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” Let It Bleed, Decca Records, 1969
R.E.M., “Get Up,” Green, Warner Bros. Records, 1988
John Mayer, “Something’s Missing,” Heavier Things, Columbia Records, 2003
Mat Kearney, “On and On,” City of Black and White, Aware, Columbia, 2009
Steve Winwood, “Higher Love,” Back in the High Life, Island Records, 1986
Richard Marx, “Endless Summer Nights,” Richard Marx, EMI Manhattan, 1987
Sheriff, “When I’m with You,” Sheriff, Capitol Records, 1982
REO Speedwagon, “Take It on the Run,” High Infidelity, Epic, 1980
Bruce Springsteen, “She’s the One,” Born to Run, Columbia Records, 1975
Paul Simon, “Crazy Love, Vol. II,” Graceland, Warner Bros. Records, 1986
Bonnie Tyler, “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” Faster Than the Speed of Night, Columbia Records, 1983
Mat Kearney, “Where Do We Go From Here,” Nothing Left to Lose, Aware, Columbia, 2006
The Cure, “Pictures of You,” Disintegration, Fiction Records, 1989
OMD, “If You Leave,” Pretty in Pink soundtrack, A&M Records, 1986
Led Zeppelin, “All My Love,” In Through the Out Door, Swan Song Records, 1979
The Cure, “Pictures of You,” Disintegration, Fiction Records, 1989
Journey, “Faithfully,” Frontiers, Columbia Records, 1983
Journey, “Separate Ways,” Frontiers, Columbia Records, 1983
The Police, “Can’t Stand Losing You,” Outlandos d’Amour, A&M, 1978
Foreigner, “Feels Like the First Time,” Foreigner, Atlantic Records, 1977
New Kids on the Block, “I’ll Be Loving You Forever,” Hangin’ Tough, Columbia Records, 1988