Next of Kin

Chloe visits Emily and Lane at their new apartment. The night is full of laughter and teasing, including about how Chloe and Warren have had sex 12 times in a week. For the first time, Chloe feels like part of the group, not an onlooker. When she leaves, she can’t wait until their next hangout, realizing, “[T]here is no loneliness left inside me” (239).

At home, Chloe climbs into her bed with Warren, finding him naked. When Warren realizes she’s also naked, he wakes up fast, and they make love, both trying to keep quiet so they don’t wake Willow as they “finish [their] incredibly lucky number thirteen” (244).

After sex, Warren gets quiet. Chloe asks what’s wrong, and Warren admits he’s afraid to be so happy because whenever he is, it’s “as if [his] brain tries to tell [him] to expect the worst” (246). They promise to be there for each other before the conversation shifts to Luke and their shared concern about his moodiness. Warren proposes changing his last name so it isn’t linked to his dad, and he asks Chloe if she’d share his new name. Chloe agrees, and they fall asleep.

On Luke’s birthday, Chloe and Warren make waffles and celebrate with presents—a smartwatch with text-to-speech technology and, from Chloe, camping equipment, because she remembers Luke’s never gone. When she suggests that just Luke and Warren go, Luke argues it should be all of them “as a family” (251). Later, Warren learns Luke has been talking to their dad, who asked Luke to move in with him. Luke wants to, and Warren feels betrayed because he doesn’t feel his dad has the right to be in their lives. Warren punches a wall, leaving a hole and making Willow cry. When he approaches to apologize, Chloe takes a reflexive step away and yells for him to leave. Warren does, and guilt slams over Chloe.

Luke tells Chloe he’s been seeing his dad for two months. Though Luke wants to stay with her and Warren, Luke’s dad said he’d lose his apartment without financial help from CPS, which he could get if Luke moved in, and Luke feels guilty his dad would be homeless without his help. Chloe recognizes the explanation for the lying abuse it is and carefully convinces Luke that it isn’t his job to take care of his dad. Chloe calls Warren to fill him in, but Warren hasn’t responded after a few hours of calls and texts. Luke told Warren where their dad’s apartment is, and Chloe suddenly fears Warren will do something rash. She calls Emily to borrow her car and rushes to get ready, thinking, “Please let me find you, Warren” (259).

Chloe goes to Warren’s dad’s apartment and finds a cold man who resembles his sons. Warren left a few hours ago after apparently blaming his dad for his temper and for losing Chloe—the one good thing in his life. Warren’s dad rambles on about how Warren and Luke are worthless good-for-nothings, and hearing a parent talk about his children that way makes Chloe angry and “see why Warren wants a name change” (263).

Next, Chloe visits Warren’s work. He isn’t there, but his boss tells Chloe to keep looking because it’s obvious Warren “has wanted someone to care about him this much for a very long time” (265). Chloe calls one of Warren’s friends, who said he was there earlier and left to find a motel for the night. Chloe checks a nearby motel. Warren isn’t there, but as she prepares to leave, he pulls into the parking lot.

Chloe follows Warren into the motel, getting his attention with a similar conversation to the day they met. The two go to a room, where Chloe tells him everything’s sorted with Luke, and Warren apologizes for scaring her and Willow. As Chloe is peace to Warren, Chloe confesses he is her home, and Warren ends the chapter saying, “Let’s go home” (274).

The Epilogue takes place a year later at Willow’s first birthday party, which includes friends and family, including Chloe’s adoptive parents. The day before, Willow’s adoption became official, meaning Chloe and Warren are her guardians now. Warren proposes to Chloe, who joyfully accepts. The room erupts with joyful celebrations, and Chloe is so grateful for “all these people, our people, in one room—on our team” (279). Warren suggests they change their family’s last name to Dove after the wedding, and Chloe agrees because it’s perfect.

The Bonus Epilogue takes place four years after the Epilogue and is told from Warren’s perspective. The morning of Willow’s first day of kindergarten, Warren finds Chloe asleep in Willow’s bed, where she drifted off while reading Willow a story the night before. Warren is unspeakably grateful for Chloe’s impact on his life and for helping him see his worth. Watching Willow grow up has been the best experience of his life, and after how much he and Chloe have grown in the last four years, it’s “as if [they] were never those two broken kids who had to grow up too fast” (282).

Luke is in college in Barcelona and runs a highly successful blog about traveling as a deaf person. Chloe’s birth mom has stayed clean and is now residing in a nudist colony. Chloe is working as a design consultant for CPS, which has helped bring more clarity and purpose to their programs. Warren now runs the auto shop where he used to work, and once the place is stable enough with more employees, he and Chloe will start thinking about having a baby. Warren wakes Willow after snuggling with Chloe for a bit, and the three prepare for the day ahead, content in the knowledge they love each other.