“Bad divorce?" Hardy asked, his gaze falling to my hands. I realized I was clutching my purse in a death grip.“No, the divorce was great,” I said. “It was the marriage that sucked.”

“Sam was waiting for her,his gaze sweeping over her. "Looks great." "I look like a geek," Lucy said. "I smell like a brewery. And I need a bra.""My dream date.”

“I never talked about you much." I said to Hardy. My voice sounded odd to my own ears.Hardy stared into my eyes and nodded, understanding that some things mean toomuch to be expressed easily.”

“Hardy Cates," I said, coming into the room, "you behave, or I'll step on your tube."The nurse seemed taken aback by my unsympathetic bedside manner. But Hardy's gaze met mine in a moment of bright, hot voltage, and he relaxed, reassured in a way that cooing sympathy could never have done. "That only works if it's a breathing tube," he told me.”

“Rebound guys are the best." "They are?""They never even think of getting serious, because everyone knows you don't jump into a relationship right after a divorce. They just want to be your welcome wagon when you start having sex again. It's your time to experiment, girl!""The world is my petri dish," I said, raising my drink.”

“I feel the curve of his smile against my skin. But as he lifts his head and looks into my eyes, his grin fades. "Haven . . . I don't know if I'm going to be a good father. What if I don't do it right?"I am touched by Hardy's concern, his constant desire to be the man he thinks I deserve. Even when we disagree, I have no doubt that I am cherished. And respected. And I know that neither of us takes the other one for granted.I have come to realize you can never be truly happy unless you've known some sorrow. All the terrible things Hardy and I have gone through in our lives have created the spaces inside where happiness can live. Not to mention love. So much love that there doesn't seem to be room for bitterness in either of us."I think the fact that you're worrying about it at all," I say, "means you'll probably be great at it.”

“Just you,' Hardy said when he got his breath back. 'All I want is you.”