rasa. There is a time in all our lives that we need to clear the slate, trusting that the truth will set us free. For many, freedom is terrifying. I understand. It’s not always easy and it never feels safe, but truth is always worth the risk. Always.
Interestingly enough, I’ve even learned something about butterflies. In some cultures, butterflies are believed to be visitations from a deceased loved one. They are also a sign to leave our pasts behind.
Every now and then I’ll be reading a book and I’ll look up and there will be a butterfly. Maybe it’s magical thinking. Maybe it’s just selective attention. Then again, maybe it isn’t. Just in case, I always smile and say, “I miss you too, Dad.”
I really do.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to acknowledge the life and impact of Carolyn Reidy. In 1995, Carolyn brought me into the Simon & Schuster family and has, until this book, been with me for the entire ride. I’m grateful for her faith in me, her professionalism, and her wisdom. I will miss you, Carolyn.
I’m grateful for Jonathan Karp, who has stepped into Carolyn’s large shoes. He, too, has been a solid companion and welcome sojourner in my literary career. Thank you, Jon.
Thanks to my new Gallery family: Jennifer Bergstrom, Aimée Bell, Jennifer Long, and the rest of the Gallery crew. Thank you for the home and the attention to my books. With this book I welcome a new editor, Hannah Braaten. Thank you for your help, Hannah. Thank you for enduring the slings and arrows of outrageous deadlines so I could focus on writing. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Laurie Liss. Dear agent, we have yet again dodged a bullet.
My assistant, Diane Glad. Thanks for the lemonade. Eleven years and counting.
My wife, Keri. Thank you for being you. I love you and I always will.
More from this Series
Noel Street
The Noel Stranger
The Noel Diary
More from the Author
The Road Home
The Forgotten Road
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Paul Evans is the #1 bestselling author of The Christmas Box and the Michael Vey series. Each of his more than thirty-five novels has been a New York Times bestseller. There are more than thirty-five million copies of his books in print worldwide, translated into more than twenty-four languages. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Mothers Book Award, the Romantic Times Best Women’s Novel of the Year Award, the German Audience Gold Award for Romance, five Religion Communicators Council Wilbur Awards, the Washington Times Humanitarian of the Century Award, and the Volunteers of America Empathy Award. He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife, Keri, not far from their five children and two grandchildren. You can learn more about Richard on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RPEfans or read his blog at www.richardpaulevans.com.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR:
SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Richard-Paul-Evans
SimonandSchuster.com
@GalleryBooks
ALSO BY RICHARD PAUL EVANS
The Mistletoe Collection
The Mistletoe Promise
The Mistletoe Inn
The Mistletoe Secret
The Noel Collection
The Noel Diary
The Noel Stranger
Noel Street
The Walk Series
The Walk
Miles to Go
The Road to Grace
A Step of Faith
Walking on Water
The Broken Road Trilogy
The Broken Road
The Forgotten Road
The Road Home
The Four Doors
A Winter Dream
Lost December
Promise Me
The Christmas List
Grace
The Gift
Finding Noel
The Sunflower
A Perfect Day
The Last Promise
The Christmas Box Miracle
The Carousel
The Looking Glass
The Locket
The Letter
Timepiece
The Christmas Box
For Children and Young Adults
The Dance
The Christmas Candle
The Spyglass
The Tower
The Light of Christmas
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25
Michael Vey 2: Rise of the Elgen
Michael Vey 3: Battle of the Ampere
Michael Vey 4: Hunt for Jade Dragon
Michael Vey 5: Storm of Lightning
Michael Vey 6: Fall of Hades
Michael Vey 7: The Final Spark
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Gallery Books
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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 © 2020 by Richard Paul Evans
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Gallery Books hardcover edition October 2020
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Interior design by Erika R. Genova
Jacket design by Min Choi
Jacket photographs by 123rf
Author photograph © Emily Drew
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020942029
ISBN 978-1-9821-2960-6
ISBN 978-1-9821-2961-3 (ebook)
Text of “The Dance” on pp. 311–14 is from The Dance by Richard Paul Evans with illustrations by Jonathan Linton. Text copyright © 1999 by Richard Paul Evans. Illustrations copyright © 1999 by Jonathan Linton. Reprinted with the permission of Aladdin Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division. All rights reserved.