The Five Stages of Falling in Love Quotes

“I don’t know if I can ever live up to the legacy that he left behind. I don’t know if I want to. But Liz, he died. And you’re still alive. And there is so much left of your life to live. I want to live it with you. I want to be a part of everything that remains for you, good and bad. I want to be there for your kids, for your stressful days, for your amazing days, for all of your nights and for every moment in between. We tried the time apart, but we are better together. Both of us. Yes, Grady was your great love, but you are mine. And if you would let me, I would be yours too. There isn’t a limit on how much we can love, Liz. You had Grady. Now have me.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“This story is about me learning to live again after love left my life.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“Not every story has a happy ending. Some only hold a happy beginning.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“These lives we lived were a gift and precious and so short. I wanted to spend my time authentically, surrounded by people I truly loved.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“Sometimes love didn't make sense. And that was okay. It was far better to know love and accept love than try to understand it.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“I love you more than I have loved anything or anyone. I am with you in this. I am with you forever.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“I can’t take anymore heartbreak,” I confessed on a broken whisper.
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not going to break your heart.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“You are the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me, Lizzy.” His voice was broken and scratchy and a tear slid out from the corner of each of his eyes.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“Emma, I have had four children! Four of them! Do you understand the state of my vagina? What kind of man goes out on a date with a woman that has four children?”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“Sometimes love didn’t make sense. And that was okay. It was far better to know love and accept love than try to understand it.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“I know this freaks you out. And it should probably freak me out too. But it doesn’t. It feels right. You and I feel right. So stay with me for just tonight. I promise to return you home in one piece, both inside and out. Can I have this? Just tonight?”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“I’m here, Ben. I’m with you.”
He laid his hand over my heart and held my gaze. His eyes said something that my heart refused to accept. I had a moment of panic where I knew I should run, but he started speaking before I could convince my body to move.
“Liz, I’ve fallen in love with you … the more I get to know you, the deeper I fall. And it isn’t just you I’ve fallen in love with, but your family, your chaotic life. I cannot imagine my life without you and the kids in it … I don’t have anything hold me back, Liz. I fell for you because that was the only way for me to go…to feel.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“She’s my mom and she’s never seen me this happy before. Of course, she thinks I love you.”
I braved a look at him. “And do you?”
“If I deny it, will you be able to get through dinner?”
I nodded, ignoring the thin veil of his words over the truth I didn’t want to accept. “Then I don’t love you. You’re the most aggravating woman I’ve ever met. I can barely tolerate you.”
“And my kids?”
“Oh, no,” he chuckled. “I definitely love them.”
“You do?” An aching affection flooded my body, filling in all of the cracks that fear and uncertainty had left me with. An emotional heat bubbled in my chest and wrapped my stiff limbs with something like hope.
“Yes, I do. But they agree with me about you. You aggravate us all.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“We’re serious.”
I sucked in a quick breath. This was the wrong place and time to have this conversation. “That’s not what I meant.”
“What did you mean then?” His hand reached over the console to intertwine with mine.
“What do you think we’re doing?”
“Making out a bunch?” I dragged my gaze up to meet his and watched his lips twitch.
“That is not what we’ve been doing,” he disagreed seriously. “We’re not fifteen anymore.”
He could be so exasperating. “Then what would you call it?”
“Foreplay.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“Liz, I didn’t expect to fall for you, not like this…not so completely. And I never expected for you to fall for me too. But here we are. Let’s see where this goes. Let’s see how far left there is to fall.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“I couldn’t let him go.
I didn’t want to let him go.
Letting him go meant acknowledging that he would never come back. And I just couldn’t. I needed him too much.
I loved him too much.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“It felt unfair of them to expect so much of me. Didn’t they know how much I hurt? Didn’t they know that it took everything I had to get up in the morning and face the day?
This pain inside me drowned me; it tore at me every second of every day until I thought I would shatter into a million worthless pieces just from the sheer pressure of it.
I couldn’t do this.
I couldn’t.
And I didn’t know what to do about that because there was no one else to shoulder this impossible burden with me.
I was alone. And I had never been this alone before.
I just didn’t know what to do.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“It’s okay to be sad, Mummy.” Lucy promised on a know-it-all whisper. “But don’t be sad all day. He only went on vacation. He wouldn’t leave us forever. He loves us too much.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“When this becomes too much tell me. All you have to do is tell me how you feel and I will help you, Liz. I know this won’t be easy. I know we’re asking a lot from each other. But I also know that it is worth it. We are worth it. But it will never work unless I know what you are thinking and how you feel. Alright?” I nodded again, “Okay.” “Tell me when it’s too much and I will back off. I promise you that.” “Okay,” I repeated.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“This was our grief and pain at our deepest. This was our hearts and souls scraped raw. This was desperation so intense I felt it in my bones, in the broken places of my soul. And that my children shared this grief made it so much worse.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“I was like this never-ending charity case for him and he was my mega hot Good Samaritan.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“She looked like the well put-together mom I would never be. Of course, she wasn’t a full-time, single mom and therefore had time for things like hair appointments and manicures. Also, her body had not pushed four bowling balls out her vagina, so she had that going for her too.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“He pushed me beyond being delicate, into a place I had never thought I would go again. He made me strong. He demanded that I be anything but weak and broken.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“Why are you so nice to me? You barely know me.”
A soft smile played on his lips, “But I like what I know so far. And I am excited for what else there is to find out.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“I felt beautiful. He breathed that word into existence and there had never been a purer, more honest moment than right then.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“Letting him go meant acknowledging that he would never come back. And I just couldn’t. I needed him too much.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“They might be the source of some of my current problems, but they were also the only reason I had to keep going. They were my lifelines. My hope. My reason for breathing.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“He was at the very beginning of his love life and I had watched mine wither and die. He was free to date whomever he wanted and I had buried the greatest love of my life.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“Thank you for forgiving me for genuinely liking your sister.” “You’re a very brave man to bring that up,” I warned with little real anger. “I genuinely like you too.” His words shocked the hell out of me. “But I think in a completely different way than Emma.” “I don’t know what that means.” He grinned at me. “That’s okay with me.” “Goodbye, Ben.” “Bye, Liz.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love

“Also, her body had not pushed four bowling balls out her vagina, so she had that going for her too.”
― Rachel Higginson, The Five Stages of Falling in Love