Nicole Williams

“Has anyone seen a raving bitch with nice hair?” Holly shouted at the bottom of the stairs. Everyone who heard her pointed in a different direction.”

“My dad had once told me, crimson-red deep in “the talk,” that with sons, all he had to worry about was one penis, but with a daughter, he had to worry about everyone else’s.”

“Everyone was going crazy, like they’d just witnessed the birth of Jesus and the invention of electricity at the same time. Jude was a rock star, their savior, and they were paying him homage.”

“Still trying to save the world?” “Always,” I said, “and in case you haven’t noticed, it’s working. The world is still here.”

“I don’t want a girl, or a woman, or a supermodel. I want you.”

“When a child dies, a parent loses a part of themselves,” he said. “Your whole world ceases to exist and you’re nothing but a shell of the person you once were. Your mom has dealt with it in her way, me in mine, and you in yours.” He lifted his hand off John’s gravestone and rose. “Your mom hates the world, I avoid it, and you try to save it.”

“Jude wasn’t just my first love. He was my forever love.”

“I could hold you prisoner here for the rest of the day and list everything I love about you, but that’s only half of it,” he explained, turning toward me. “The other half is something I can’t put into words. Something I don’t think I’ll ever be able to. It’s something that ties me to you, and you to me. Call it chemistry, call it fate, call it whatever you want. All I know is that I’m yours just as much as you’re mine, Luce. That’s the surest thing I’ve ever known.”

“See? That’s it,” he said, waving his hand. “That’s part of what makes us so great, Luce. I’m crazy. You’re crazy. Together, we make our own brand of crazy.”

“When are you going to stop looking at all the reasons you shouldn’t be together and start focusing on the reasons you should be?”

“I don't really care what it is," he said, "because after everything that's happened in my life, I get to crawl into bed with you every night.”

“So you planned this? The whole time we were together, you were scheming some way to screw up royally so I'd leave you alone?" "No, Luce," he said, grabbing my hand back. "So I'd leave you alone.”

“His eyes blazed, meeting mine. "You can't be friends with the person you were meant to spend your life with," he said his eyes darkening.”

“Damn it all to hell," he muttered, banging his socket wrench on the metal cart behind him. "Because," he began, shifting his eyes over at me, "because you took his word over mine.”

“Don't worry about me babe. I've seen so many backs walking away from me that this is old hat," he said, shrugging like this wasn't killing him like it was me. "Say it," he said, his voice shaking.”

“I'll try," he said, stretching his neck. "She's beautiful girl, Ryder. You're a lucky man." "Don't tell me what I have like I don't know it," Jude said, his arms stiffening.”

“We live our lives afraid of change and if we were to just embrace it instead, it wouldn’t seem like such a big deal when it hits us.”

“You might belong to someone else, but you kind of belong to me, too.”

“Don’t be scared of making mistakes,” she said, waiting for me to look at her before continuing. “Be scared of making none. Because if you’re not making a healthy number of mistakes along the way, you’re not really living life to its fullest.”

“If mouths cold commit the act, his made very hot, passionate love to mine last night.”

“Like sex, seduction, and sin had decided to get it on and Cole Carson was the result.”

“But, Luce, I need you to promise me something," he said, his face wrinkling. "If I ever mess things up again, whether it's a misunderstanding, or shit luck, or I just do what I was created to do and screw everything up," he paused, exhaling, "I want you to promise me you'll leave. Drop me like a bad habit and don't look back because god knows, it can't be me that walks away since I'm incapable of it.”

“Damn it, kiss me, Luce.”

“His eyes stayed trained on me, unblinking. "Fine." Convince me you don't want me like I want you.”

“I can't," I whispered. "Why? Because you can't or you won't?”

“Jude," I said, biting my lip. "I just can't. I can't do this." His expression darkened. "I know I don't deserve a second, or third, or whatever the hell this is chance, but you and I have something special, Luce, and you know it. Give me another chance, one more chance, and I'll walk a line so straight people will think I've been possessed." God I wanted to look away from those eyes, but I just couldn't. They were impossible to ignore. "One more chance. Not because I deserve it, but because we deserve one.”

“The muscles in his neck clenched and unclenched. "So you've finally decided to take my advice and keep the hell away from me?”

“You've got your arm on something of mine," Jude said, his eyes flashing when he looked at Sawyer.”

“How about," he said, rendering me witless with the look in his eyes, "I'll be here, each day and every day on, as long as you want me to be?”

“Is that one of your go to lines when a girl asks for something more than a twenty-four hour Jude furlough?" Tapping the back of the wall with his heel, he looked down the hall. "No, that's what I answer when a girl I'm falling hard for, the only girl I've fallen hard for, wants to be in a relationship with someone like me.”

“Luce," Jude said, stopping me, "I get what a piece of shit I am, and it's not awful or unfair or incorrect for people to call me out on what I am. But I'd like to think a person can change, and I swear to you I'm going to try to leave me piece of shitedness behind.”

“Was that you just inadvertently telling me to stay away from you?" "No," he answered, meeting my eyes. "That was me telling you directly to listen to your gut and what it's screaming at you right now.”

“trust was as painful as love”

“Mom told me that love is like a seed. You've got to plant it to grow. But that's not all. You need to water it. The sun needs to shine enough, but not too much. The roots have to take hold," he continued, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "And from there, if it pops its head above the surface, there are about a million things that could kill it, so it takes a whole lot of luck too.”

“For me, coffee was kind of like pizza-even when you got a bad piece, it was still pretty good.”

“And even though I’d cried in my bed every night since, feeling his phantom arms around me, it had been worth eight hours Saturday night. The pleasure then was worth the pain now.”

“Lucy, you’re a passionate, emotional person. Jude isn’t so much different. What do you expect to be the result when you two come together? You two don’t multiply the peaks and the valleys together; you exponentially affect them.”

“My sense of teasing is completely lost on you.", Patrick said, hoisting himself back up. "It's a shame too. Most people tell me my sense of humor is my best quality, only outdone by my otherworldly good looks.”

“Tell him my girl comes before football. Tell him my girl's breakfast comes before football.”

“Something was fighting back, telling my gut to take a hike. Something wanted Jude Ryder in my life, no matter the consequences or the outcome. And whatever that something was, I liked it.”

“The name's Jude Ryder since you're going to be my wife soon. And I didn't used to do girlfriends, flowers, or dates. And then I met you, and that didn't work for you. So I changed for you and you changed for me too,”

“That man made me feel things I never imagined could be felt. He made me want things I wasn't sure I could have. He made me need things I didn't know existed.”

“Love is what brings you together, Lucy. But it’s the blood, sweat, and tears of hard work that keeps you together”

“Wealth can be created. Wit and intelligence can't.”

“Love isn’t easy. Especially the really good kind. It’s difficult, and you’ll want to rip your hair out just as many days as you’ll feel the wind at your back. But it’s worth it. It’s worth fighting for. Don’t let what isn’t real blind you from what is. Life isn’t perfect, we sure as shit aren’t perfect, so why should we expect love to be?”

“I don't know. I never heard anything about her again after I landed her man," she said, peering back at me. "She was drowned in my wake. You better hope you can swim if you go up against me." This bitch was lucky I was letting her leave in one piece. "Like a damn fish.”

“I know I’m one royal screw up, and god knows there’s nothing I could ever do to deserve you,” he began, taking my hand in his after sliding the ring free from the chain. “But I want you, Lucy Larson. Bad. I want you forever. The kind of bad I have for you isn’t the kind that goes away.” His forehead lined, his eyes washing silver. “Ease my suffering. Make me the happiest, most tortured man in the world. Marry me?”

“How did you find me?” I said, keeping my head ducked. “It was easy,” he said, taking a seat beside me. “All I did was follow the cursing.”

“Love isn’t only love, sweetheart. It’s hard work, and trust, and tears, with even a few glimpses of devastation. But at the end of each day, if you can still look at the person at your side and can’t imagine anyone else you’d rather have there, the pain and heartache and the ups and downs of love are worth it.”

“I’ll always be here, Luce. I’m yours,” he breathed, squeezing my hands, “forever.”