Carry You Home (Carry Your Heart #2) (72 page)

Sooner or later, I'd have to get over this lingering feeling that my past would blow up in my face again and something would happen to them because of it.

The past would always stay right where it was—in the past.

Everything I'd ever wanted was here in this kitchen. I had the love of my life, a beautiful, healthy son, and a daughter on the way. What more could a man like me possibly hope for?

Nothing,
I thought as I pushed off the wall to join my family.
Absolutely nothing.

About the Author

   
K. Ryan is a former English teacher, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 2009. When not writing, she's either binge-watching something on Netflix, running, reading, or cheering on the Packers. She lives in the Green Bay area with her crazy-supportive boyfriend and the best decision of her adult life, a not-so-stray cat named Oliver.
 

   
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Check out the bonus materials section on
her website
for two short prequels about Caleb and Isabelle in high school.

Also by K. Ryan

Finding Emma

The Carry Your Heart Duo

Carry Your Heart
 

Carry You Home

Acknowledgements

First of all, I think a book is really only as good as its cover, so I owe a huge thank you to Christa at Paper and Sage. Not only did you create something that was vibrant, full of life, and beautifully eye-catching, but you also managed to improve on the original. Thank you so much for your patience and your diligence.

I know I mentioned my first readers in my dedication, but I'm going to do it again here. Without your constant support through these last few years, Caleb and Isabelle really wouldn't be here. I don't really want to think about where I'd be either.

To all the bloggers who read and reviewed
Carry Your Heart—
thank you so much for taking a chance on a rookie author and helping my book find its audience.

To Missy—thank you so much for your patience. I went back recently and re-read that four-in-the-morning, rambling mess of an email I sent you and I thought to myself, 'Wow, I can't believe she even replied to me'. You gave me the kick in the butt I needed to finish this and finish it right. I'll always be grateful to you for that.

To Morgan—thank you for your ever-present enthusiasm. You've always been one of my loudest supporters and I've appreciated it every day since. Your love for Caleb and Isabelle (and the way you rooted for them all this time) lets me know I might have done something right.

To Ally—thank you for your willingness to work around your schedule for me. Your constant feedback really made a huge difference in the way I looked at my own writing. I don't know how long we've been exchanging documents—a few years, maybe??—but I think this is a good habit. Thank you so much for being my writing buddy.

To my mom—I know this genre isn't exactly your thing and I know you'd probably prefer if I wrote different 'types' of books, but thank you for never telling me not to and for analyzing and discussing this with me like we were in a book club ;) Thank you for supporting this crazy undertaking of turning two books into one.

To Michael—I know this one was really stressful for both of us. December buried us alive and it sort of felt like it was never going to be over, didn't it? Thank you for wanting me to do this just as much I've wanted to and pushing me to continue. Thank you for working so I could write.

Playlist for
Carry You Home

1. "Knocked Up" by Kings of Leon
   
2. "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" by Wyclef Jean
   
3. "Small Bump" by Ed Sheeran
   
4. "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" by John Mayer
   
5. "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash
   
6. "You Were Meant For Me" by Jewel feat. The Pistol Annies
   
7. "Let Her Go" by Passenger
   
8. "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran
   
9. "Welcome to New York" by Ryan Adams
   
10. "Girl from the North Country" by Johnny Cash with Bob Dylan
    
11. "Pyro" by Kings of Leon
    
12. "When You Were Young" by The Killers
    
13. "15 Step" by Radiohead
    
14. "Creepers (Young Love)" by Jessie Baylin
    
15. "One" by U2
    
16. "Lovesong" by Adele
    
17. "Style" by Ryan Adams
    
18. "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper
    
19. "Yuma" by Jessie Baylin
    
20. "How You Get The Girl" by Ryan Adams
    
21. "Everlong (Acoustic Version)" by Foo Fighters
    
22. "Use Somebody" by The Vitamin String Quartet
    
23. "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
    
24. "Theme From New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra
    
25. "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by Sleeping At Last