“Who did she know in Raleigh who took the time off to fix a house? Or read Whitman or Eliot, finding images in the mind, thoughts of the spirit? Or hunted dawn from the bow of a canoe? These weren't the things that drove society, but she felt they shouldn't be treated as unimportant. They made living worthwhile.”

“She was getting used to his rhythms and his moods, recognizing the quiet signals that telegraphed who he was. Good and bad, strengths and faults, he was hers forever.As she pulled into the driveway, she spotted Logan coming down the steps from the house, and she waved.She was his forever, too—imperfect as she was. Take it or leave it, she thought. She was who she was.As Logan walked toward her, he smiled as if reading her mind and opened his arms.”

“In another place, in another time, she would have felt the majesty of the beauty around her, but as she stood on the beach, she realized that she didn't feel anything at all. In a way, she felt as if she weren't really here, as if the whole thing was nothing but a dream.”

“Deep in her heart, she wasn't sure she deserved to be happy, nor did she believe that she was worthy of someone who seemed...normal.”

“They're beautiful. How did you know I loved roses?""I didn't, but I've never heard of a woman who didn't, so I took a chance."She smiled. "So you send lots of women roses?""Millions. I have a lot of fans. Dive instructors are almost like movie stars, you know.""They are, huh?""You mean you didn't know? And here I thought you were just another groupie.”

“Admittedly, there was a lot she still didn't know about him, but she did know this: He completed her in a way that she'd never thought possible. Knowledge isn't everything, she told herself, and she knew then that, in Nana's words, he was the toast to her butter.”

“Allie noticed it all, every sound, every thought. Her senses had come alive, invigorating her, and she felt her mind drifting through the last few weeks.”