Shelly Crane

“you may never remember the way you used to be with them, I have no doubt that you'll figure out a way that works with them one day. And when you do, when you figure everything out and decide with no regrets who you want to be, if you still want me, I'll be right here waiting for you.”

“My momma used to say that a girl had to find her prince after wading through the frogs.”

“I took out the book once more. Snails can sleep for three years without eating. Snail comas. Welcome to my world.”

“It's not that I think it was supposed to happen; you just can't dwell and regret the things that do happen. You've got to keep moving forward, keep pushing through everything that's thrown at you. If you don't, you'll be standing in the same spot forever while the world keeps living around you.”

“I lowered onto the sweetest mouth I'd ever tasted and I never wanted to taste another for, God, thank you, she was the only thing that kept me from falling over the edge to the end of me.”

“I'd more than missed him, I needed him. It wasn't a dependency, it wasn't a weakness or a failure, he was an addition to my very soul. And I laughed into our kiss as I realized that this was what love was. I could live without him, of course I could, and I could function and get on with my days if he wasn't here, but I didn't want to. I wanted him right where he was, in my space and in my life.”

“Sometimes, knowing when to let go is just as important as knowing when to hold tight.”

“The things we should focus on in any life shouldn’t be what we’ve lost, but what we’ve gained”

“I'm going to take you somewhere and kiss you until you can't think or move or breathe.”

“You're the girl that I'm falling madly in love with." I felt all the breath leave me. My mouth fell open, but no words escaped. He chuckled. "A speechless Emma. That's really cute.”

“It doesn't matter who you were or what you've done in the past. The only thing that matters is who you are right now.”

“I turned my face to let his nose rub my cheek. "Mason, let's just stay here," I told him breathlessly.He chuckled, huskily and dangerously. "Oh, no, absolutely not. I'm not to be trusted with you alone right now.”

“Kyle, open up. What kind of weirdo locks his bedroom door anyway?""The kind that has jerks staying over who steal girlfriends."I pressed my fingers into my eyes and took a deep breath as the pain in back and legs got a little worse. "She wasn't your girlfriend.""Irrelevant!" he yelled.”

“Of course I am, Gran," I said quietly. I blew out a breath and leaned my elbows on my knees. "I will admit that the withdrawals suck, though.""That they do," she agreed and came to sit on the bed with me. "The sooner you get to her, the better you'll feel.""Yeah, but I don't want to scare her. If I run over there before a decent hour, she'll probably freak and kick me out.""I highly doubt that, boy." She lifted a piece of hair from next to my ear with her fingers. "Girls usually invite cute boys in, not throw them out.”

“Gran swatted his butt and shooed him away out the door. "Now, we can get down to business." She rubbed her hands together like a villain.”

“Was he laughing at me? Was I so pathetic that the thought that not only getting caught, but being humiliated with laughter was appropriate punishment for my lameness?”

“This was a revolution, whether the enemy knew it or not.”

“Oh, Lillian. Trying to make order of the chaos that is love is like trying to figure out why chocolate ice cream makes your toes curl.”

“This boy at school taught me. But then he pulled my ponytail on the playground the next day, so I'm not really friends with him anymore.""Why did he pull your ponytail?""Momma says boys are mean when they like you," she whispered in a disgusted voice. "But I think Momma's been misinformed.”

“His eyes lit up. "Oh, it's the Vanderbilts! They make these pumpkin and banana pancakes that are so good, they will make you want to slap your momma.""I already want to," I muttered under my breath."What's that?""Nothing. Let's go.”

“Is that cowboy logic?”

“I winced and Caleb stuck his head inside the door. "Everything alright in here?""Yes, prince," my guard said sarcastically as he crossed his arms in the corner. "A needle stick isn't supposed to feel like cherries in springtime."I snorted a laugh. Caleb raised his eyebrow at me with a twist of his lips.”

“Very well, Priscilla. Maggie, I hope you enjoy this exercise and take it to heart," he said with a hard voice.I smiled a genuine smile. "I plan to. Thank you."He bristled at my kindness and walked over to the coffee bar."Kill 'em with kindness, sister!" Lynne said triumphantly.”

“Whatever happens today, Maggie," Rachel started and I saw her tearing up. I had to look away. "We're here. You will always be our family.""Even if we have to kidnap you and be a rogue clan," Gran muttered under her breath.”

“So, you used to come up here, too, and escape all the girl drama?" I said and chuckled when his cheeks turned a little red."Nah," he refuted. "It was always these two the girls wanted. The Jacobsons are hot commodities around here.""Bull crap! You had them eating up those stupid 'I'm a cowboy' stories and you know it," Kyle yelled. "The one about you saving your sister from the bull was classic. Classic!""Eat me," Rodney said, embarrassed.”

“We're going on the roof?" I asked."Yep," Caleb answered, "and while we're on the roof, with great cell service-""The only cell service!" Kyle yelled.”

“I could have died... or cried...or sighed. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do more.”

“it felt like home. He felt like home.”

“We may live forever, but what's the point if you don't actually live?”

“I was just walking out of school from cheer practice and she walks right up to me and says "Come with me if you want to live." I laughed so hard at her I almost peed my pants. I mean who says that? It was pretty clear she wasn't from this planet. Everyone knows who the Terminator is.”

“The women are okay with the husband's picking out a house for them, without them even seeing it?" Dad said with a questioningly raised eyebrow."Yes, sir, it's like an engagement ring. The woman doesn't pick that out either," Caleb countered."True...but she's not going to live in her engagement ring.”

“What makes you think he won't freak? He is my father and I'm his only little girl.""Betcha five bucks.""Deal," I said with a laugh. "He is gonna freak and I'll take your money and buy a honey bun with a diet cream soda and I won't share with you," I sang.”

“Alright, well, we're going to go tell Maggie's father." Kyle came forward to inspect Caleb's face closely. "Dude, what are you doing?""Just memorising your pretty face before it gets all mangled."Caleb laughed and shoved Kyle who laughed too. "Shut up, man.”

“You proposed over a plate of burned bacon?”

“Maggie." He chuckled. "I can't really be mad at you in case you haven't noticed.""I know, I know. The imprint," I said begrudgingly."No, not the imprint. It's you. You're so sweet and you care about everybody. You hate when people are upset with you. You love cream soda. It's kind of hard to be mad at someone who's like that.”

“He looked like he always did. Jeans and a black Foo Fighters t-shirt, his hair lay over his forehead and around his ears. I pushed my hand through it."It's perfect. It's you."He grinned, shaking his head."Zeke told me to wear leather, lots of it.""And you're rebelling?" I said through a laugh."I'm telling him to subtly screw himself.”

“So what was your favourite song?""Um...the one about the sun sizzling into the ocean." He laughed hard. "What?""Zeke wrote that song about his cat.""His cat," I repeated blandly."Yep, Peaches, she ran away.""I'd run away too," I muttered under my breath, making him laugh harder.”

“It's not just jealousy because the Jacobson's are imprinting. There's a prophecy.""A prophecy," I scoffed. "What is this, Harry Potter?”

“What are you doing here, Bish?" I asked as Caleb asked Kyle the same question but with much more edge to his tone."I'm your chaperone," Kyle said grinning in clear enjoyment of the situation and Caleb's reaction."And I'm his," Bish muttered and glared at us. "They couldn't spare anyone else so I volunteered to come. Kyle insisted on coming too. So here we are. What are you doing?""We were just about to go to the beach," I answered."Great. I'll go put on my suit," Kyle said chipperly and flung his duffel bag on the club chair before running upstairs.”

“Dad, he's different. He's not going to take advantage of me.""I hope not, 'cause I'd hate to go to prison for murder."I laughed and went to hug him but he wasn't amused."Dad, I'll be ok. Caleb is a nice guy and very responsible. I promise you I won't do anything stupid and neither will he. I'm sure he wants to stay alive and keep his limbs intact. Ok?""Ok," he conceded with a sigh.”

“Sweetheart. Are you trying to kill me?”

“I like your room," I said truthfully."Yeah? I like it too. Mom tried to guy it all up when I left for school but...""Guy it all up?" I asked, cocking a questioning brow at him."Yeah. When I came back my first break from college, she had decorated everything in swimming. Water waves bedspread. Michael Phelps posters, my old trophies and medals on my shelf. She even had a poster over my bed that said 'Swimmers Do It Right'." I laughed and then covered it with my hand. "Yeah, so I fixed it. I like things plain, not loud.”

“You almost got hit by a truck because you were checking me out?" I joked and he laughed loudly."Yeah. Good thing you saved me. It would have been your fault if I didn't make it," he said through a grin.”

“Alright. Have fun. I'm out. Text me if you need me." She leaned to whisper in my ear. "Do you remember the code for a 911 emergency date exit?"She pulled back to look at me seriously."Uh, 911?""Good girl." She smiled at me and then at Caleb. Have fun you two!" She waved over her shoulder.”

“I'm not a baker so I'm not about to sugar coat it for you.”

“Older is better with wine and men”

“It's fate, but fate just gives us a nudge in the right direction onthe fast lane, I guarantee she doesn't have her hands in your pockets while she's doing it”

“Oookay, but for the record, I’m not really thrilled about punching some Lighter’s junk.”

“Jeez. I was a feelings prostitute!”

“After all, I got you in the end, didn’t I?”“Nuhuh, I got you,” Merrick whispered in my ear.”