“Reading was my only escape from reality. Through books, I could be whoever I wanted. I could fall in love with the handsome prince, travel to exotic places, and take the leap that almost always had a happy ending.”

“Tears, happy tears, fell from my eyes as I held on to the only person in the world that could take away all of my hurting with a simple smile.”

“If I was going to make her cry, I wanted it to be in person so I could watch.”

“I forced myself to keep my eyes open so I could memorize every curve of her face. I wanted the image burned so deeply in my memory that when I closed my eyes to sleep at night, she would be the last thing I saw and the first person on my mind when I woke.”

“...all my brain could think about was pushing my lips against hers. I wanted to taste them, know how their softness felt against mine...”

“Someone is always going to try to knock you down and take your place. It is up to you to fight for what you want.”

“I had never been scared of deployments or of war, but now I was scared to leave. I didn’t want to leave her. When I met her, I saw her as someone else who needed saving but she had saved me. She had given me hope when I had given up on everything in my life.”