“I know you better then anyone. You’re practically my son, and I think that it’s the fact that you don’t want to see her leave. You are afraid of change.” He paused; he was right. “You are afraid that she will change.”

“Don’t leave. I want you to be with me.”“You’ll have your family.”I swallow before I say the words that will change this relationship forever. “You’re the one I need.”“But that would mean meeting your family.”It does, and I’m okay with that if it means she’s by my side. “I don’t care. I need you to be with me.”She smiles and cradles my face with her hands. “Of course. I’ll come if it’s what you want, but this is going to change everything.”“I know, but it’s what I want.”

“Are you ever afraid to go to sleep? Afraid of what comes next?”He smiles a sad little smile and I swear it’s like he knows. “Sometimes I’m afraid of what I’m leaving behind,” he says.”

“I don't like you, Jack. You know that, right ?""Right. No more than I like you, Brigham.""And I'm not afraid of this thing. I'm not afraid of anything. You know that, too, right ?""I've never seen you scared. I can give you that."Till now, he thought, but he didn't say that part aloud, mostly because it would piss her off and he was dying to see where the hell she was going with it."Good, just so we're clear on it. I wouldn't want you to take it the wrong way when I ask you to spend the night with me.”

“Everyone is afraid of you and when folk are afraid of a person it usually means the person is cruel in some way, and I think you are cruel, Miss Marquess, but please don’t punish me for saying it. I think you know you’re cruel. I think you like being cruel. I think calling you cruel is the same as calling someone else kind. And I don’t want to run errands for someone cruel.”

“You’re strong enough to stand up to anyone. Smart enough to do anything you want. Don’t sell yourselfshort; don’t be afraid of what your new life is going to offer. Because I know—if there’s any justice in thisworld, good things are going to come to you. Better things than you ever dreamed.”