“I’m okay. I’ve finally made a few new friends.” “I know,” she sighed. “It makes me miss you more,...”

“Are you okay?"I sighed,my sodden coat chilling me to the bone. "Peachy.Made a new friend."He pulled me up by the hand,unzipping my coat and yanking it off me. "Shirt,too,please.""No!""It's only fair. I seem to recall you making me strip the first time we met.”

“No, but it’s what I need to know the answer to. (Sin)Yes, Sin. I missed you. I’ve mourned for you. I’ve hated you. I’ve wanted to sic Simi on you with barbecue sauce and I’ve done nothing but think about how much I just want to hold you…and yes, I’ve missed every part of you, from that annoying little sound you make when you’re irritated to the way you hold me when we sleep. Now are you happy? (Kat)I’m delirious. (Sin)”

“Charlie ... have you ever kissed a girl?" I shook my head no. It was so quiet. "Not even when you were little?" I shook my head no again. And she looked very sad. She told me about the first time she was kissed. She told me that it was with one of her dad's friends. She was seven. And she told nobody about it except for Mary Elizabeth and then Patrick a year ago. And she started to cry. And she said something that I won't forget. Ever. "I know that you know that I like Craig. And I know that I told you not to think of me that way. And I know that we can't be together like that. But I want to forget all those things for a minute. Okay?" "Okay." "I want to make sure that the first person you kiss loves you. Okay?" "Okay." She was crying harder now. And I was, too, because when I hear something like that I just can't help it. "I just want to make sure of that. Okay?" "Okay." And she kissed me. It was the kind of kiss that I could never tell my friends about out loud. It was the kind of kiss that made me know that I was never so happy in my whole life.”

“Well, I guess it’s all in God’s hands anyway. He has a way of making things turn out,” Mattie asserted.“Yes, He does. Doesn’t He? Thank you for reminding me of that, Mattie.” She gave her friend a hug. “Sometimes it’s hard not to second guess the choices I’ve made.”“I know what you mean. When life brings changes, I think we tend to do that more.” Mattie wiped away a tear. “I miss the old life sometimes, but I know this is God’s will for me. And God’s will is always best, whether we realize it at the time or not.”

“I’ve got to get you home before I lose all my sanity and give in to the urge to imprison you here as a sex slave for my evil desires.”Jesse sighed heavily. “That does sound tempting, but I’m pretty sure that Aunt Will would miss me.”“She probably would,” Piney agreed. “And how could I explain to my son why I’ve got a woman locked up in my bedroom?”