“The feeling of relinquishing responsibility to someone else, letting him take control, was a relief beyond words.”

“I had to let go of him. But I knew that as long as I lived, I would feel the phantompain of his absence.”

“The worst part about loving someone, Merripen, is that there will al­ways be things you can't protect her from. Things be­yond your control. You finally realize there is something worse than dying... and that is having something hap­pen to her. You have to live with that fear always. But you have to take the bad part, if you want the good part."Kev looked at him bleakly. "What's the good part?"A smile touched Cam's lips. "All the rest of it is the good part," he said, and went.”

“And you're not the kind of girl I want."Surely he couldn't mean the fact that I was Mexican. From what I knew of Hardy, there wasn't a bit of prejudice in him. He never used racist words, never looked down on someone for things they couldn't help."What kind do you want?" I asked with difficulty."Someone I can leave without looking back.”

“I had to wait for someone special. Someone who would make my heart feel as if it's been trampled by elephants, thrown into the amazon, and eaten by piranhas.”

“We're all creatures of complex needsand desires. The only certain thing in a romantic relationship is that you will both change, and one morning you will wake up, go the mirror, and see a stranger. Youwill have what you wanted, and discoveryou want something different. You thinkyou know who you are, and then you'llsurprise yourself. In all the choices in front of you, Restless, one thing is clear: love is notsomething to be thrown away lightly.There was something about this man, beyondcoincidences of timing and opportunity,that drew you to him. Before you giveup on the marriage . . . give him a chance.Be honest with him about the needs thataren't being met, the dreams you want topursue. Let him find out who you reallyare. Let him help you in the work of openingthat door, so the two of you can finallymeet after all these years.How do you know he can't satisfy youremotional needs? How can you be sure hedoesn't long for magic and passion just asyou do? Can you state with absolute certaintythat you know everything there is toknow about him?There are rewards to be gained from theeffort, even if it fails. And it will take courageas well as patience, Restless. Tryeverything you can . . . fight to stay with aman who loves you. Just for now, putaside the question of what you might havehad with someone else, and focus on whatyou can have, what you do have, at thisvery moment. I hope you'll find new questions,and that your husband might be theanswer.”

“Do you think I should stay away from him?"I asked in a scratchy voice.Todd took a long time to answer. "My advice is, if you're inclined in that direction, go with your eyes open. It's okay to let someone play you, Haven, as long as you know what's going on.”