“There is so little time. We need to make every moment count.”

“Time was short, as Pietr so frequently reminded me. Maybe we all needed to live fiercely.And love courageously.”

“Just because you're damaged doesn't mean you must damage others. You have choices. We all make them every day.”

“Max,' I said, looking up at him, 'I love the Russian heritage you guys are so willing to share, but I'm not so thrilled with the French.''What?' His brows lowered. 'We're not French.''Great. So the next time you feel the need to kiss me, keep your tongue out of my mouth!”

“Great party, Max!' Amy congratulated. Marvin hung back, watching their exchange.'Anything for Jessie,' Max muttered, but his eyes were completely on Amy.Amy dressed as...'Little Red Riding Hood?' I gulped. Uh-oh.'The same.' She laughed, doing a little spin so her head fell back, her short cape ruffled and her brilliant red hair whipped loose. A low cut blouse did double duty, exposing the thinnest hint of both cleavage and midriff. Max gaped. 'You even have'—he stuttered—'a—an amazingly well-packed basket of goodies.' Ohhh...I looked. Thank God. Amy was actually carrying a basket.”

“Some moments I believed Max could've easily been Red Riding Hood's wolf. But she probably would have liked it.”

“What makes a man a man are his deeds, his responsibilities, and his reactions... These things are also what makes a man a monster.”