“And for a moment there, despite the bruising, despite the snarled dirty hair, despite her sunburned skin and the suffering in her eyes that she refused to let defeat her, she was one of the prettiest things he'd ever seen.~Dallas and Amy~”

“She flew into his arms. Held on tight as he swung her off her feet and hugged her so hard it hurt. She didn't care. She didn't want him to ever let go.”

“Very slowly, she peeked around the tree trunk. Saw a slim, petite figure, flanked by two very large, very dangerous-looking soldier of fortune types picking their way through the bodies and the rubble."Amy?"Oh, God. It was Amy."Get away from her," Jenna ordered, stepping out from behind the conifer, wielding the iron pan like a club.Both men stopped. Glanced at her. Glanced at each other over Amy's head."What?" The biggest one grunted out a surly laugh. "Or you'll souffle us?"Okay. She was definitely going after him first.”

“She dug around in her bag, found what she was looking for, and brought the little stuffed dog back to bed with her. Childish, yeah. She didn't care. He was soft and cuddly-unlike Jones-and she had a need for soft and cuddly right now. She'd like to meet a woman who could breeze through a shotgun blast and not need something to hold on to. Even if it was just an old stuffed pup.(...)She swallowed hard,then caught her breath when he opened his eyes, turned his head on the pillow toward her. He searched her face in the dark."Come here," he whispered.When she hesitated, he reached for her. "The dog can come, too.”

“Amy, listen to me. What I do. The choices I make. They're mine. Only mine. The consequences of those decisions—mine."Mine," he repeated when she sighed heavily. "No one else's."Silence. Only the warm wetness of her tears dampening his shirt.It broke his heart.”

“Hey, Tink," Reed called to his wife. He'd given up on the poker game and was cradling the little pink handle that was Mariah Savage in his arms. "Look how cute she is. I think I want one. S'pose we can stop by Walmart and pick up one just like her.?" Chrystal glanced up from her cards and gave her husband a look. "Three o'clock feedings. Smelly diapers. Responsability." "Oh. Right. I'd have to grow up.”

“With only those soft, secret night sounds as witness, he moved over her, kissed her deeply, then slid home.And news sounds filled the dark.Sharp breaths of stunning urgency.Long sighs of immeasurable pleasure.Humming beats of awareness of an unbreakable bond being forged.¸In the heat of the night, without a single word spoken, she felt everything change between them. Until this moment, they'd only played at love, danced cautiously around the prospect of commitment. But as he sank in and out of her body, immersing them in sensation and a profound stream of consciousness, he sough her gaze in the dark. What she saw in his eyes brought tears to hers as it became achingly, wonderfully clear. The biggest player of them all wasn't playing anymore.”