More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
“Are you nervous?” “No. God no,” is her response. “Good. Now put that finger in your mouth and clean it off.”
Like we’re two opposite ends of a magnet, there’s no resisting the pull. There are forces beyond us at work now, and we’re at their mercy. Maybe it’s science. Maybe it’s fate.
My body feels more his than mine, and I’m entirely at peace with that notion.
“You’re the only one, Sloane. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“The real question is, do any of those other people matter when I only ever see you? When I only ever think about you? When I’ve done nothing but become more and more obsessed with you since I was told to stay away from you?”
“The answer is no. None of that shit matters. Because we’re me and you. We’re us. Unlikely and inevitable all at once. We’re forever.”
“I don’t know how I went so long without you,” he murmurs, pushing my hair behind my ear and cradling my skull. “I never want to go without you again,”
It’s like she and I are tethered together, but she’s the strong one. The pillar. And when troubled waters wash me downstream, all I have to do is follow the rope that ties me back to her. It always leads me back to her.
“Fucking the fancy prima ballerina up against the wall like the filthy girl she really is? Much, much better than getting another tattoo.”
“Talk to him like that again and see how it ends for you.”
Summer: I think we need to do a boozy brunch. Willa: I’m. Pregnant. Summer: It’s not always about you, Willa. Willa: Who else would it be about?
“Can you at least tell us if Jasper has a huge dick?” Willa leans across the table. I nod. Winter snorts. Summer gasps. “I knew it!”
Willa: Hi. It’s Willa. Jasper: Hi, Willa. It’s Jasper. Willa: I was going to message you and ask how big your dick is, but I don’t think Cade would love that. Jasper: I wonder why.
“I’ll take that gamble. All day long. Every damn day.”
“Did you just—” “Kick his fucking chair over?” Jasper provides, cutting off my dad’s question. “Yes. Because you might be okay with him talking to your daughter that way, but I am not. Must have learned better manners in the trailer park.”
“I fucked that ring right off her finger.”
“No, Sunny. I shouldn’t be scared. You’re the least scary thing in my life. You’re not just tattooed on my skin. You’re branded on my heart. Woven into the fiber of my being. The most constant and reassuring person in my life. When I close my eyes, I see you. When you’re away from me, I dream about you. When I need someone to lean on, you are always there for me. God. You’ve loved me when I haven’t even been able to love myself.” My hands squeeze her cheeks and tears seep out over them. But she’s smiling up at me like I hung the moon.
“I love you, Sloane Winthrop. I always have. I love you so damn hard I don’t even know what to do with it. You’re my person. And I think I’m yours too.”
And just like that, the boy with the lanky limbs, the caramel hair, and the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen is mine. Forever.
Jasper: Meet me on the driveway. Sloane: Yes, sir. Jasper: Pocket that sentence for later when I strip you down and make you crawl. Sloane: YES, SIR.
“Don’t much care if I had a role in making you. I know in my heart I had a role in making you who you are today. And I’m damn proud of you, Jasper. Not sure I’ve told you that enough over the years.”
“I . . . Well, I know you’ve struggled. I know you’ve struggled with what’s in your heart. With feeling like you belong. And I’m just so dang happy that you found a place to belong with Sloane. But I also want you to know that you belong here. At the ranch with us.”
I stare at the piece of paper, feeling like the little broken boy who showed up on this ranch that day all those years ago. He had no idea how much love he’d have one day. No idea that the people who really loved him would never leave him. They’re all right here.
“Yeah. I saw you, Sloane. I noticed you too. Didn’t know what made me look up there that day. Had no clue what it all meant.” “What did it mean?” “That when it comes to you, I’m powerless.”
