Hello Temptation (Hello, #3)

by Kelsie Hoss

“Some people just don’t get happily ever after, at least not in the traditional sense.”

“Let him choose his intentions.” “What do you mean?” I asked. “You’re already assuming you know the ‘why’ behind what he did, but the truth is, Tyler’s the only one who knows.”

Confession: I’ve gone so long without a relationship that sometimes I have a hard time believing anyone would want to date me.

“You deserve a hero. Someone who would take care of you, even though you’re capable of caring for yourself.” My lips parted. Was he saying... “A hero would lean in, kiss your forehead, and walk away, because, with a girl like you, he’d know the best is yet to come.”

“A partner, a true partner, can change everything. They’ll bring out the best in you, force you to acknowledge your weak spots, help you grow faster than you ever could on your own. I’d hate for you to miss out on that because you don’t think you deserve it.”

“Settling down is not the same as settling for less. It’s resting where you know you belong. Not needing to run and chase and search anymore. It’s the best feeling ever.”

I trailed the path of his tattoo with my fingertip. “Not really much of a point anymore.” He tapped my nose, making me smile. “But the four of us siblings all got tattoos. My sister’s idea. She was only twenty-two, but I think she could sense all of us drifting apart.” “Why windmills though?” “Because they always move but never leave.” He kissed my temple. “You can count on them, day in, day out, to give you water, life. And you can never miss them. Even in a big pasture, it’s like a country lighthouse telling you to come back home.”

“When you and Tyler have arguments, because you will, don’t look at it like a break from the ideal life you want to live. Look at it as a chance to make things stronger than they were before.”

Don’t get caught up in keeping score, because in a marriage, you’re both on the same team.”

“One day in therapy, I don’t know if you remember this, but you said something I’ve thought about for years. You said, ‘It’s not that I’m afraid to meet people. It’s that I don’t know if I have enough room.’” I smiled slightly, the memory fuzzy. “You were so worried that if you met too many people you wouldn’t be able to give them all of yourself. You wanted to remember their names, their favorite colors, have enough time to play with them all on the playground... It made you so anxious that you choked up every time you met someone new. And then it happened at school and kids picked on you for being shy, and it all snowballed from there.”