“No. In my eyes, she was most beautiful because at a time when she had every right to be terrified, she managed to show comfort to another person who needed it.”

“Because I don’t believe that you are a slave to what you’ve become. I don’t believe that you simply can’t.”

“I know an excuse when I hear one. Don't you dare deceive yourself into believing that you're the victim, Derek Novak.”

“You're not a pawn, Sofia. You're the queen.”

“All he knew was that she was beautiful...and that, somehow, despite everything he’d done to try to stop it from happening, she’d managed to steal his heart one sassy smile at a time.”

“I fell in love with you when you crashed into my fence post and chased after my chickens and fell down in the mud with the pigs. I fell in love with you when you taught everyone in town to line dance. I fell in love with you when you put Mo’s feelings before your own and stayed with her for as long as she needed you.” One fat tear slid down her cheek as he said, “And, most of all, I fell in love with you when you showed me that it was safe to love again. I keep falling in love with you again and again. Just like I’m falling right this second.”

“What the hell do you have on?”Emily looked down at her ensemble. “I have done something wrong, haven't I?”“Did Tinker put you up to this?”“Well, she said it was my manager uniform.”“You...you look like an oversexed librarian.”She blinked. “Is that a bad thing?”