“My family stood right in front of me, talking and smiling. I felt like I was viewing one of those cheesy ad shots for camera companies. The ones I looked at and thought, fake, because no one's family ever looked that happy. Yet, the perfect family moment bloomed right before my eyes, and I wasn't a part of it.”

“I’ve been ‘like part of the family’ before, Robyn… it never lasts. People say the dog is like part of the family, right before they get rid of it because one of the real kids gets allergies.”

“Sarah, honey, I cannot undo what was done. None of it. But I can promise you that your life with me will not be one of pain. I will put your happiness before my own. I will share my world with you. I will make amends with my family so that you have a family. I live for the day that I see joy in your eyes.”

“I thought about the cameras following me in the terminal and pictured my family watching my entrance on TV. I hoped they’d be proud.”

“Death by family silver, I thought, before I could turn off that part of my mind.”

“I used to belong to a family unit, with a foster mom and dad and my little sister, Bean, but that's over and I don't want to talk about what happened , or how unfair it was. Not yet. The less said about that the better, because if there's one thing I learned from Ryter it's that you can't always be looking backward or something will hit you from the front.”