I’ve won his heart, but it’s like owning a house in which most of the doors are permanently locked. He wants to shield me from all unpleasantness. And it’s not really marriage—not like the marriage you have with Cam—until he’s willing to share the worst of himself as well as the best of himself.

I figured if I told it to myself often enough, I would start believing it.

I grasp reality, but sometimes I like to choke it into submission.

Sometimes life has a cruel sense of humor, giving you the thing you always wanted at the worst time possible.

I have always been an obsessive reader - I remember going back and forth to the local library with stacks of books taller than I was.

There were times in life when you had to take a risk that might end in failure. Because otherwise you would be haunted by what you hadn’t done... the paths you hadn’t taken, the things you hadn’t experienced.

Did you fall in love with her?" "I care about her. A lot." "You're not supposed to marry someone if you don't fall in love with her." "Well, love is a choice, too." Holly shook her head. "I think it's something that happens to you." Mark smiled into her small, earnest face. "Maybe it's both," he said, and tucked her in.