Shattered Sea (Tattered & Torn, #4)

by Catherine Cowles

“You know what I think about the word fine. It really stands for fucked up, insecure, neurotic, and emotional.”

When you lost someone you loved, it made it hard to let go of anyone else—even if they didn’t have your best interests at heart.

“Loss has a way of carving itself into your bones. It shouldn’t be any other way.”

I lost my grip on the glass. It dropped to the floor, smashing into a million tiny pieces—shards so small there was no way to put them back together. Not in a way that would make a working glass again. Sometimes, like now, I felt just like that glass. Shattered beyond recognition.

But life was rarely what it should be. You simply had to do your best to make something beautiful out of the shattered pieces.

When he died, I’d realized that life didn’t always work out the way you wanted it to. Sometimes, it twisted into something altogether different. Sometimes, you twisted into something different. I wasn’t the same girl who’d loved that boy. But through the pain and grief, I’d realized just how strong I was. How much I could carry on my shoulders. I’d realized what was truly important to me and what I could let go.

“If there are whoopie pies in there, I’ll marry you. It’ll be a loveless, sexless marriage, you understand. But I’ll marry you.” I barked out a laugh. “Looks like we’re getting hitched.”

“Doing the things that cause us pain sometimes brings the greatest reward in the end. You know you were strong enough to make it through, and the view from where you’ve gotten to is always that much sweeter.”

“We all bring baggage into relationships. But it’s nice to have someone help us carry it for a while.”

“Babycakes, you know I love you more than the sun and the moon and the stars, but after a morning with you, I need to go smoke a joint and find my Zen. Maybe a shot of tequila wouldn’t hurt, either.”

“Everything’s a chain reaction. If just one of you would’ve made a different choice, none of this would’ve happened. So, you all have to pay the price.”

“How about I promise you today? And I’ll do it again tomorrow. And every day until we’re old and gray.”

“Grief changes us. We just have to make sure it doesn’t twist us into something ugly. And, sometimes, if we’re lucky, it can make us more beautiful because we recognize pain and can help ease it in others.”