Great and Precious Things

by Rebecca Yarros

Guess it was more fun for them to pick at my scabs than examine their own.

“It’s one of my favorites. Besides, books are easy,” he said with a shrug. “They lay out their truth in literal black and white.

“People don’t tend to change without good reason, and the Lord’s never given Walter one, that’s for sure. Plus he’s still as good-looking as ever, which doesn’t exactly seem fair.

Willow was so untouchable that she didn’t even go on the untouchable list. She went on the unthinkable one.

“I wasn’t mature enough to appreciate a lot of things.” The admission was easy because I’d never hurt her with my actions.

Damn, I loved breakfast for dinner.

“Well, you know us black sheep. When you reject the path everyone else takes, you have to carve your own.”

Change and progress are the two things that will kill this town.” His words stabbed at something deep—a truth I wasn’t ready to surrender to.

“Think about it. You’re the only girl who’s lasted more than five minutes in his orbit. He may have glanced at other girls, but he only saw you.”

The path rejected me. It didn’t want me, so I decided not to want it.

Depending on anyone else is what will get you, Cam. You have to be self-sufficient in every area of your life.

“Don’t underestimate the power of gossiping old women and a morning hair routine.”

“It’s beautiful, in its own little, dangerous way,” she remarked, her helmet resting between my spine and right shoulder blade. “Most everything that can hurt you is.”

“People need to place blame when things go to shit. Makes them feel like they have control over things they don’t.

I wanted to paint this moment, to capture this exact feeling as I watched him at peace. A peace I knew would vanish the moment he opened his eyes and the world beat its way in.

“Because letting someone do things for you, letting someone care for you, gives them power. Power’s not something I give away.”

“No, you don’t. I was most angry at Sullivan, because he had the right I would have died for and never even used it. Because when he passed, it was Mom’s name on his lips, when I knew mine would have been yours.”

I knew exactly the kind of pain she meant, because I’d carried it with me, learning to exist around it, to bury it, only to have it resurface time and again.

“Always have. Darkness is drawn to the light, right? And there’s nothing brighter in this town than you.”

I couldn’t—I can’t—picture my world without you in it somewhere.”

“You fight for your country. For Sullivan. For your dad and even for me. Why can’t you let someone fight for you? Why won’t you let me fight for you?”

“News flash, we don’t have to be together for you to break my heart. Trust me, I’ve got a few years of evidence to back that up. Try again.”

“It was always you, Cam.” She closed the inches between us, resting her hands on my chest, on the heart she didn’t realize only beat because hers did. “I’ve loved you since forever. I’ve been in love with you since I was old enough to understand what that meant. No one else ever had a shot of getting close. How could they, when you took my heart with you?”

It was beyond my wildest dreams.

This was where I wanted to live, to exist—in these moments where nothing outside these walls could touch what we were building inside them. Where we always should have been.

“Of course not. He’s good, Mr. Daniels. He’s the best man I know, and you…” My breath shook as I exhaled. “You ruined him. And I don’t know if I can fix the parts you broke. He won’t let anyone in. And I have to get through to him, because he’s just so…” The words clogged my throat, threatening to choke me. “He’s so very lonely.” “All great and precious things are lonely.”

“I believe a strong woman may be stronger than a man, particularly if she happens to have love in her heart. I guess a loving woman is indestructible.”

“There is no me without you. I’ve known that since we were kids in this room.”

“Yep. Sometimes fears don’t die just because you get bigger. They just get bigger, too.” I shrugged.

“Cam, you can’t control the choices other people make. You do the best you can, and then it’s out of your hands.”

‘You’re free to make your own choices, but you’re not free from the consequences of that choice.’”

You have to love your choices, Camden, no matter what they are, because you have the freedom to choose.”

Life was built from our choices. Mine hadn’t always been good, but not all had been bad. And I couldn’t bring myself to regret a single one of them, especially not the one in my arms.