“I won’t lie to you. We aren’t going to ride off into the sunset together and have everything fixed overnight. I know that, and I think you do too. But I’m willing to work at it, if you are. I do love you. I mean that with every cell in my body, every breath that I take. I think you’re worth it. I think we’re worth it. I think you could be the great love of my life, Vincent Drake.”

“I hope you're as lucky as I am. The world needs inventors--great ones. You can be one. If you love what you do and are willing to do what it really takes, it's within your reach. And it'll be worth every minute you spend alone at night, thinking and thinking about what it is you want to design or build. It'll be worth it, I promise.”

“I think of you a lot. Do you think of me, Andrea? Don’t lie to me.”“Yes!” I snarled, my face burning. “Yes, I do! All the time. I can’t get you out of myhead. I wish I could!”He hugged me so hard, my bones nearly crunched. “You’ve made yourself into anew person and so have I. We deserve a fucking chance. I want you and you wantme. Why aren’t we together? I’ll deal with your hang-ups if you’ll deal with mine, butif you’re still too scared to even try, then you’re not worth waiting for. I have somegoddamn pride left and I won’t wait forever.”

“You’re not asleep, and you’re not dead. I’m here, and I love you. I have always loved you, and I will always love you. I was thinking of you, seeing your face in my mind, every second that I was away. When I told you that I didn’t want you, it was the very blackest kind of blasphemy.”

“I want to know you. You seem like someone worth knowing. Every day I feel like I’m surrounded by people with hard edges and sour faces but I get the sense that you’re different. Too often people seem to think that they have the answers to everything. Their faces are trapped in permascowls and they can’t be bothered with anything besides their own narcissism. You aren’t like that. You still ask questions. You’re still looking for the answers.”

“What are you thinking about? (Livia)I’m thinking how glad I am that I traded myself for that woman. How glad I am that my brother couldn’t kill me. But most of all, I’m thinking just how damn grateful I am that you saw something in me worth saving. Thank you for my son, Livia, and for my life. I love you. I always will. (Adron)”