“Plus it's just embarrassing when someone - oops.'She pressed a hand to her side, and had the blood draining out of Harper's face.'What? What?''Nothing. baby's moving around. Sometimes it gives me a jolt is all.''You should stand up. You should sit down.”

“The thing is, I can't love her, not in the real world. Because this would be degrading to me. To love someone who despises you, and she just might. You should see her eyes on me sometimes. Plus she's not even a mother anymore, she's just a planet with a face. Da at least has hands.”

“Dad always says, 'If you can't stand out, then you should just sit down.”

“Sometimes I did wonder though why Ashling was with me. On that one occasion when I asked her what she saw in me, she wouldn't give me a straight answer. When I pressed her on it, she said that if someone loves you then all you have to do is let them.”

“Don't you think it's strange that life, described as so rich and full, a camel-trail of adventure, should shrink to this coin-sized world? A head on one side, a story on the other. Someone you loved and what happened. That's all there is when you dig in your pockets. The most significant thing is someone else's face. What else is embossed on your hands but her?”

“She stood, moved to stand in front of him, and held out her hand. “Thanks so much for fixing my hip and helping me.”He lifted a brow as he glanced from her hand to her face. “Sit down. You’re not going anywhere.”