Grayson gets out his guitar and sings “Your Touch,” and everyone sings along except Ember, who watches him like he’s the greatest guy to ever set foot on Earth. After that, he sings an old rock song, and I know it’s for Jesse, and I hold Jasper’s hand so that he knows he’s not alone with his memories tonight.
A few hours later, Adalyn and Maya appear, and the bourbon and marshmallows are passed around again, and Grayson repeats his repertoire of five songs.
A little past one in the morning, everyone is starting to fall asleep in piles of quilts and afghans, the fire burning down to a quiet glow.
“I suppose we ought to be heading home,” I whisper to Jasper.
“Soon,” he says, tugging me toward him by my hand. I crawl out from under my afghans and curl up in his lap as he adjusts his own blanket to fit me under it. I tuck my head in the crook between his chin and shoulder. “Let’s just watch the stars a little longer,” he says.
“Which is your favorite constellation?” I ask, looking up at the sky.
I know he’s smiling, the kind that tugs on his scar, even though I don’t look up. “That’s easy,” Jasper says. “The Big Dipper. You’ll never lose your way if you can find it.”
“That’s what I’ve heard.”
Acknowledgments
I HAVE TO START BY giving so much gratitude to my agent, Kristin Nelson, of Nelson Literary Agency, who made all this possible. Thank you for believing in me and my stories, and for being such a great source for advice and expertise. Another huge thank-you goes to Angie Hodapp in Literary Development at NLA, whose feedback and direction helped shape Trix’s story as it was just beginning.
Thank you to the HarperTeen family, especially my marvelously clever editor, Alice Jerman, who warmed my heart when she said she found comfort in this story. Alice carved out Trix’s tale with an expert touch, and it was so exciting to find what was hiding in that manuscript. Thank you to Emilia Rhodes, who first saw the potential in A Constellation of Roses, and who laughed along with Auntie like I hoped she might. More gratitude goes to Clare Vaughn, who makes sure I’m always on track, and who loves Jasper as much as I do. Alexandra Rakaczki and Maya Myers did a lovely job polishing all my words and helping me untangle what shall henceforth be named “The Shane Timeline.” Thank you, ladies! I must’ve gotten an extra helping of Lucky Lime to have gotten to share the making of this book with all of you.
To my husband, who is a limitless well of support, thank you. I can spend my time daydreaming new stories and not watching where I’m going because I know I’ll never get lost with you by my side. To my gorgeous, brilliant, and fierce daughters, I love you always. Thank you for being my biggest fans and my best supporters.
Thank you to Rhonda and Alexis, who read early drafts and helped me find the good stuff. More gratitude goes to my ever-brilliant critique partner and friend, Katie. You are awesome, and thank you for spending so much of your time thinking about pie with me. This is where I make a white wine joke, and nobody gets it but you.
Thanks to the Electrics, my IG Skulls and Debut Ladies, and the wonderful crew of YA and MG writers I’ve met since I started this publishing journey. I love sharing it with all of you!
Finally, thank you to those who will read this story and find little bits of themselves in the McCabe women, in Allison and Connor, Shane and Charly, Jasper and Jesse, and the rest of the Rocksaw crew.
May your darkest chapters be short, and your story long.
About the Author
Photo credit Alexis Pultz
MIRANDA ASEBEDO was born and raised in rural Kansas with a love of fast cars, open skies, and books. She still lives on the prairie today with her husband, two kids, and two majestic bulldogs named Princess Jellybean and Captain Jack. Miranda’s first book is The Deepest Roots.
She can be found online at www.mirandaasebedo.com.
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Books by Miranda Asebedo
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A Constellation of Roses
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Copyright
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
A CONSTELLATION OF ROSES. Copyright © 2019 by Miranda Asebedo. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Cover art © 2019 by La Scarlatte
Cover design by Jenna Stempel-Lobell
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019944426
Digital Edition NOVEMBER 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-274713-6
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-274710-5
1920212223PC/LSCH10987654321
FIRST EDITION
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A Constellation of Roses Page 27