“You can't do this. You have to give me a chance to fix whatever it is I've done. What have I done?”

“The right thing to do is so easy to see when you're seventeen years old and don't have to make any big decisions. When you know that no matter what you do, someone will take care of you and fix everything. But when you're grown up, the world is not that black and white, and the right thing doesn't a tidy little arrow pointing to it.”

“We get to the front door and I lean back against it. "Thank you," I repeat."You'd have done the same for me." Jase puts his thumb under my chin and tips it up. "It's nothing.""Well, except that I can't drive, and you never would have gotten yourself into that situation and---""Shhh." He pulls on my lower lip gently with his teeth, then fits his mouth to mine. First so careful, and then so deep and deliberate, that I can't think of anything at all but his smooth back under my hands. My fingers travel to the springy-soft texture of his hair, and I lose myself in the movement of his lips and his tongue. I'm so glad I'm still alive to feel all those things.”

“You have to kiss me," I find myself saying. "Yeah." He leans closer. "I do.”

“Do you know how many times I've read "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" to this kid? That is one fucked-up story. How is that a book for babies?”

“I don't know. I didn't have that choice. But I know what's happening now. And I'm choosing to stay with you.”

“It'd be good if you'd stop apologizing right about now." "It's about all I've got to fix things.”