Proving Paul's Promise Quotes

“I want to be the be-all and end-all when it comes to my daughter. I want to be the man that every other man has to look up to. I will treat her like a princess because if I don’t, she might go out and latch on to the first man who does. So yeah, I open car doors and I take her on dates and I buy her flowers for no reason. Because I want her to know she’s worthy of all of those things. And I fix hair.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“the true definition of manhood is doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done. It doesn’t matter if it’s fixing hair, changing the oil in the car, or washing dishes. If it needs to be done, it gets done. That’s manhood. It’s instilling in our daughters that dads can and will do anything that needs to be accomplished.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“You see her as this broken little thing that needs you to take care of her. She doesn’t need that. She might have been broken at one time, but she’s not fucking broken now. She’s put it all back together. She’s made a life for herself, and you’re trying to change it. It’s kind of like she’s built this fortress around herself, brick by fucking brick, and you might think a fortress is too much, but it’s not. Do you know why?”
I can only sit and stare at him.
“Do you want to know why?” he asks.
I nod. My heart is in my fucking throat.
“Because she fucking lives there, Paul. It’s home for her. It’s safe and it’s secure and it’s hers. And she built it with her own two hands. So for you to swoop in and not only try to move her out of her fortress but also to tear it down, you’re fucking up everything she’s worked for.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“You’re responsible for your happiness and taking care of your heart. Only you. Other people contribute to your happiness, certainly, but you can’t wait for anyone to make you happy, Sky. Nobody is going to do that for you.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“I look up, and I can’t keep from grinning at him. “You’re in my space,” I warn.
“I like being in your space. I kind of want to be all up in your space,”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“Stop fucking trying to dig into my psyche. It doesn’t like visitors. It likes its solitude. It likes the cobwebs in the fucking attic, so stop trying to clean them up.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“I know I give Matt a hard time about turning in his man card, but the true definition of manhood is doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done. It doesn’t matter if it’s fixing hair, changing the oil in the car, or washing dishes. If it needs to be done it gets done. That’s manhood. It’s instilling in our daughters that dads can and will do anything that needs to be accomplished. I want to be the be-all and end-all when it comes to my daughter. I want to be the man that every other man has to look up to. I will treat her like a princess because if I don’t, she might go out and latch onto the first man who does. So yeah, I open car doors and I take her on dates and I buy her flowers for no reason. Because I want her to know she’s worthy of all of those things. And I fix hair.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“She’s not in the right position for what I want,” …
He grins. “Well, what position did you want her in?”
“Shut up,” I grouse.
“If she’s in the wrong position, flip her the fuck over.” He throws up his hands. “Hell, turn her upside down if you have to.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“I have a thing for you,” I admit. I wince inwardly because it sounds so lame.
“A thing?”
“A big thing.”
Her gaze drops.
“Not that thing.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“I’m not usually this emotional,” I say.
He shrugs. “All women say that. It usually precedes an episode of batshit craziness.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“I look at her. “He knows that someone else gave birth to him?” She lays a hand on her chest. “He knows he grew in my heart while he grew in someone else’s belly.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“I kiss her softly and watch our baby as she feeds him for the first time. I take a mental picture of it—Click! Click!—but I won’t share it with anyone. This picture is only for me.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“You’re still taking care of me.” “You let me live in your fortress, Friday. I’ll protect it until the day I die. I promise.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“Paul doesn’t let go of my hand but looks down to watch his baby come into the world. His eyes shimmer with tears, and I push. I feel like I’m going to push forever, when finally, the pain and the pressure ease. I open my eyes, and they lay a bloody, purple mess on my belly. “It’s a boy,” the doctor says. Paul leans into me and presses his face into the side of mine. “Our boy,” he says. “He’s ours.” I nod. I know he is. Paul cuts the cord, and I lay my hand on our son and he looks up at me. Then he starts to scream. They reach to take him from me. “Just a minute,” I say. I look down into his eyes, and I know this one gets to stay. The weight of him on my belly is so different from the weight of him inside me. He blinks up at me, and his skin turns even more purple as he screams. I count his fingers and toes, just because I can. “Okay,” I say. They take him from me and clean us both up. “He’s perfect,” I say. “So are you.” Paul drags his nose down the side of mine, and I feel the hot splash of one of his tears as they hit my chin. He wipes them away.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“Paul is sitting at my feet with my leg over his shoulder. He rubs my instep, and I fucking love that he still likes to do this.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“Friday tangles her fingers with mine and pulls me toward the bedroom. But just as we’re settling into bed, the door opens and Hayley jumps in the middle. “The sun is shining,” she says. “No, it’s not,” I tell her. “Go back to sleep.” She snuggles between us and gets comfortable. Friday reaches a hand toward me, and I flip her palm up and lay my cheek on it. I love you, she mouths at me. “I love you, too,” I say out loud. “Me, too?” Hayley asks. “You, too,” I say. I kiss her cheek and snuggle into Friday’s palm. I’m in.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“I don’t think I’m ever going to want to start using condoms after this baby gets here,” she says. “Good. Because I’m going to get you pregnant as soon as you have this one.” “Okay,” she says. And I can feel her smile against my chest. I palm the back of her head and tug her hair so she’ll look up at me. “Okay?” “Yes. Get me pregnant. Please. Make a baby with me. Make our family bigger.” She throws her arms open wide. “I want it to be fucking huge.” “Okay,” I whisper. “You’re in, Paul.” “Yes, I’m in.” I’m further in than I ever dreamed she would let me be.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“What the fuck, Kells?” I say. I push her back again, and she looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. “What the fuck was that for?” I really want to wash my mouth out and spit because all my kisses are reserved for Friday now, and I feel like she just fucking spoiled my kisser.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“You belong with me,” I tell her, as the song dies down. She does. She belongs with me, and I never, ever want to let her go.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“I love you so hard,” I say to Paul. His eyes jerk to meet mine, and he almost looks surprised. “You do?” he asks. I nod. “I do.” “Will you come home tonight?” he asks quietly. I nod. “Good. That’s where you belong.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“I love that they can be so silly, and so loving, and so…them. They don’t hide it. They don’t make a game of it. They just love. They love hard.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“We had to convince these guys to perform, but they were easy to win over.” She points to the curtain, and it opens slowly. “I give you the Reeds, performing to Taylor Swift’s ‘You Belong with Me.’” The curtain opens, and Paul, Matt, Logan, Sam, and Pete are all standing in a line. They’re all dressed in jeans and sleeveless T-shirts, and you can see all their tattoos and they’re so fucking handsome that I can’t even believe they’re mine. I see Hayley, Joey, and Mellie standing on the side of the stage, all waiting anxiously to watch their daddies and uncles. Seth starts the music, and he’s underlaid some kind of hip-hop track beneath the beat, but you can still pick out the music. It’s a song about unrequited love and realizing that what you wanted was right there in front of you the whole time, but you were being too stupid to see it. It’s told from a girl’s point of view, so some of the words don’t exactly fit the boys, but it makes it all the funnier. The Reeds have moves. Serious moves. I think everyone woman in the auditorium sits forward in her seat so she doesn’t miss seeing the shaking hips and flexing muscles. Paul even picks Matt up and spins him around one time, and Sam does the same to Pete. I can’t stop laughing. Even Logan dances, and I can imagine the kind of work it took for him to learn this routine when he can’t even hear the music the same way everyone else can. He can appreciate music, just in a different way. As the song starts to close, Matt, Pete, Logan, and Paul all point out at the audience when the words, “You belong with me,” play. Matt points to Sky. Pete points to Reagan, and Logan points to Emily, who is holding the baby in her lap. And Paul points in my direction. Those four men jump off the stage and come toward us. They sing and dance all the way down the aisle. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kelly get up to intercept Paul, but he doesn’t even notice her. He points past her, and sings out the last line, “You belong with me,” in my ear. He picks me up and spins me around, and I have never felt more happiness in my whole life. The music stops, and everyone looks to the stage. Sam has sat down on the side of it, and he looks pretty dejected. He’s holding a sign above his head that says, Available. After this, he won’t be available for long, because every woman there now has a crush on all the Reeds, and he’s the only one who isn’t taken. I love that they can be so silly, and so loving, and so…them. They don’t hide it. They don’t make a game of it. They just love. They love hard. “I love you so hard,” I say to Paul. His eyes jerk to meet mine, and he almost looks surprised. “You do?” he asks. I nod. “I do.” “Will you come home tonight?” he asks quietly. I nod. “Good. That’s where you belong.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“I see one of Matt’s girls, the older one, and she dances with the second group. I point her out to Jacob and tell him who she is, and he claps for her when I do. God, she’s so adorable. She trips over her own feet a couple of times, and one time, she lands on her face in the middle of the floor. I gasp and Jacob sits up. She looks like she’s about to cry. But Matt dashes out onto the stage, picks her up, dusts her bottom, and he starts to do the routine with the little girls, and Mellie jumps up and gets back into it quickly. He looks ridiculous, this great big tatted-up guy dancing with all the pink little girls. But he does it, just because she needs him to. He backs away as soon as she gets moving again and fades off the stage. Sky claps and shakes her head. She loves every second of it, I’m sure.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“Jacob is being really good, and he sits on the edge of his chair when the recital starts. “I can’t see,” he complains. Next thing I know, he’s crawling into my lap. He sits his skinny little body right on top of mine and leans back so that his head is resting on my shoulder, and he snuggles in. He still smells like the outdoors and purple shampoo, and I want to hold him like this forever. Tears fill my eyes, and I blink them back furiously. Henry reaches into his pocket and hands me his cotton handkerchief. I wave him off. I’m going to keep it together, I promise myself. “Can you see now?” I ask Jacob. He nods, and his cheek brushes mine. I close my eyes and drink in the feeling.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“Matt watches the dancing closely because Mellie is in the first number. She dances, but it’s more like jerky running around than dancing. “I think my kid is the best one out there,” he says. He’s smiling so broadly that I can see every tooth in his mouth. “Until one of your other ones gets out there. Then that one will be the best.” I chuck his shoulder. “Damn straight,” he says. Matt’s the best dad I’ve ever seen. So much better than ours ever was. Ours couldn’t even tell Pete and Sam apart most days. “Where’d you learn to be such a great dad?” I ask. His gaze jerks to meet mine, and he doesn’t look away. “From watching you, dumbass.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“Is that him?” Matt asks from right beside my shoulder. His chin is almost resting on my shirt, and I don’t try to move him away. “You know?” I ask. He nods. “I’ve always known.” “What?” The breath that I was holding escapes me in a rush. “Friday and I used to spend a lot of time alone together in the shop.” He shrugs. “We talked.” “About that?” I can’t believe she told him. “When Pete did her tattoo,” he says. He looks at me sheepishly. “We both knew. We didn’t and still don’t know details, but we knew she had a kid.” “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?” I’m irked. I can’t help it. He shrugs. “Wasn’t my story to tell.” I wish someone had fucking told me. “You were so busy trying to get into her pants that you didn’t really get to know her. Not the real her.” “That’s not true,” I sputter. “Yes, it is.” “No, it’s not.” “Yes. It. Is.” He glares at me. “You saw the glam girl that everyone else sees.” “There’s so much more to her than just that.” “You were fucking Kelly, so you didn’t really have room for anyone else.” He’s right. I scrub a hand down my face. He’s so right. “Okay,” I say. “He’s cute,” Matt says. He nods toward the audience. “Her son. He looks like her.” “He’s a lot like her. In a lot of ways.” “Is he the reason she stopped talking to you?” Matt asks. “Sort of.” I scratch my head. “You think she’ll talk to you today?” “I’m not going to give her a choice.” He squeezes my shoulder. “Good.” He looks at me for a minute, blinking those blue eyes at me. “Anything worth having is worth fighting for.” I fake a punch to his shoulder. “I’m coming out swinging,” I say.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“I know I give Matt a hard time about turning in his man card, but the true definition of manhood is doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done. It doesn’t matter if it’s fixing hair, changing the oil in the car, or washing dishes. If it needs to be done, it gets done. That’s manhood. It’s instilling in our daughters that dads can and will do anything that needs to be accomplished. I want to be the be-all and end-all when it comes to my daughter. I want to be the man that every other man has to look up to. I will treat her like a princess because if I don’t, she might go out and latch on to the first man who does. So yeah, I open car doors and I take her on dates and I buy her flowers for no reason. Because I want her to know she’s worthy of all of those things. And I fix hair.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“I look out at the audience through the curtain on the stage. “She here yet?” Matt asks from over my left shoulder. He sets his chin on it and looks out, his face really close to mine. “Get the fuck off my shoulder,” I grouse. He steps back. “I guess that’s a no,” he says. “She told you she was coming, right?” I nod. “For Hayley, though. Not for me. Because I made her feel guilty.” “Hey, whatever works,” he says. He grins at me. “Fuck you,” I say.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“Chill, dudette,” he says. He grins. “Did I say that right? I learned it from Pete.” I shake my head. “You really shouldn’t repeat what Pete says, Henry. It’s not healthy.” I laugh at his crestfallen expression.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise

“Do you want to be my date for Hayley’s recital?” He rubs his hands together. “Can’t wait. Little girls tripping over one another wearing funny shoes and little, fluffy skirts. What could be better?” I get up and press a kiss to Henry’s weathered old cheek. “I wish you were my grandfather, Henry,” I say to him. “Someday, when you get married, I get to walk you down the aisle. So reserve my space.” “You got it, Henry.”
― Tammy Falkner, Proving Paul's Promise