That’s the thing about life, he knew. There was always a but.

For a moment, I wondered how different my life would have been had they been my parents, but I shook the thought away. I knew my father had done the best he could, and I had no regrets about the way I'd turned out. Regrets about the journey, maybe, but not the destination. Because however it had happened, I'd somehow ended up eating shrimp in a dingy downtown shack with a girl that I already knew I'd never forget.

There were moments when it honestly seemed as if the world were conspiring against her.

It took me a long time to realize that distance can ruin even the best of intentions.

I'm not naive, I know that bad things happen, but most people do the right thing most of the time. Most people wake up and they try to do what's right for their relationships, whether it's marriage or family. They try to do what's right for their job. They try to make a better world for those around them, and that's what I want to write about.

and there had been times when he wished he'd been born into a different family.

Don't let fear govern your decision.