I search my brain for the truth. “I want it more than anything, just as long as you promise me one thing.” “And what’s that?” “That if at any time it gets to be too much for you, you’ll leave me—walk away and get out.” “That will never happen,” he guarantees me. “You need to give me some credit. You left me, ripped out my heart, and then came back acting like a robot, and you know what? We made it through. You and I, good or bad, belong together. We make each other whole.

I fall down and my palms split open against the gravel. Injuries on the outside are easy to endure and I get up without hesitation.

Don't be sorry, Callie,' he says with a heavy-hearted sigh. 'You have your own sad story.

When his lips return to mine, it's not just about lust or desire - it's about making us whole.

I can handle scars, especially ones that are on the outside." I understand his meaning from the depths of my heart.

Everyone will hurt you if you let them in.

The vertical lines that run down his forearms are the most disturbing, thick and jagged as if someone took a razor to his skin. I wish I could run my fingers along them and remove the pain and memories that are attached to them.