“He backed off, the way he always does, but it won't happen a second time. If he ever sees her again he's going to go right up to her and ask her to marry him, that's what he'll do. He's sick of letting fate roll right past him.”

“He's finding out, he's doing all right, he'll go to school but nobody's going to teach him anything.”

“It's best to let her go," he says.No, no, that's wrong. It's never right to give up on someone.”

“He kissed her like he was going off to war. And she kissed him back like it was true.”

“I thought he would calm down from whatever made him mad and see reason by now, but I actually think he is going to marry your nit-wit sister and she is going to let him!""She only agreed because that's what she thought everyone wanted her to do!""Well,Lily picked a perfect time to start thinking of others.”

“Daddy looked at her hard, and right before my eyes, he changed. I watched him inflate again, shake off his own emotions and puff himself up for her. Become her man. Her rock. I smiled. I loved him so much. He'd dragged mom kicking and screaming from grief once before and I knew I could rest easy that he would never let grief steal her from him again. No matter what happened to me.”