Learning to Breathe

"Two months isn't fair," she began quietly. "It sucks. But it's reality. There's nothing anyone can do to change it. And I'm not here to pretend like I can make it go away. I just need to know if you're going to use your two months to die. Or to live."

When 18-year-old Ryann Evans learns that her favorite former teacher is living in a hospice, she decides to volunteer. Working there won't be easy-all the patients are terminally ill-but after losing her mother to cancer when she was five, she understands what she's getting into. And with her bright smile and vibrant energy, she's the perfect person to help the patients feel less alone. But not everyone wants her around.

19-year-old Kade Alexander just wants to die in peace. It won't be long before his heart gives out, and he doesn't need anything to complicate what's left of his life. So when the cheerful new volunteer arrives and upends his peaceful existence, he's not shy about letting her know that she's not welcome. The more he tries to push her away, though, the closer she seems to get... and the more he begins to realize that maybe he wasn't as ready to die as he'd thought.

Because until he met her, he'd never truly lived.