“It slammed into me so hard it nearly knocked me from my feet. At the same time, it felt completely natural. Inevitable. Simple. I loved her. My eyes dropped closed, savoring the truth soaking my body, my nerves thrilling in excitement while my heat beat with a steady content. I loved her.”

“Seeing her was like seeing a reflection of myself, a mirror of my pain, my loss, my regret. A mirror of what stirred within me now – this love that had refused to die. She had found me. I had always felt her heart calling to mine just as mine called to hers, this power bringing us together once again.”

“My body trembled as all the regrets of my life washed through me, my heart feeling as if it were on the verge of failing. My sould cried out for her. It had never stopped its search for her in nine years, and I could still feel her calling for me.”

“I stood to take a few minutes to clear my head when a strangled sob grounded me to the floor. My head jerked up, my eyes desperate to find what I so longed to see. My knees went weak, and I grasped the table for support when my eyes met with the emerald that owned my soul.”

“Baby, I wish I could tell you how much I love you, how much you mean to me."He nuzzled my cheek and continued down my neck, setting a fire across my skin, churning coals that burst into flames deep within my soul. "Show me.”

“I still couldn't believe Melanie was here. It was all I could do to keep myself from jumping over the table to get to her, to fall to my knees, to plead for forgiveness, to beg her to take me back.”

“Never would I take what I’d been given for granted. I’d never look at her through indifferent eyes, listen to her fears and worries with distant ears, or touch her with impassive hands. Elizabeth was a gift and Lizzie was my treasure. I would adore my family until the day I died.”