I'm sure you would have stopped it if you could have." "In a heartbeat.

Maxon lowered his lips to mine and gave me the faintest whisper of a kiss. Something about the tentativeness of it made me feel beautiful. Without a word, I could understand how excited he was to have this moment, but then afraid at the same time. And deeper than any of that, I sensed that he adored me. So this is what it felt like to be a lady.

I can’t help it." I sighed. "One can never help being born into perfection.

It's just the way it is. The sky is blue, the sun is bright, and Aspen endlessly loves America. It's how the world was designed to be.

He'd wanted his first kiss to be with me.

I curled closer to May, comforted by her warmth.

When we died, no one would know, and that fraction of a moment that was so important to who we were would be gone.