At Attention Quotes

“A puzzle piece?” Dylan wasn’t sure he followed.

“Yeah.” Apollo’s strides lengthened, almost as if he might be as nervous as Dylan. “A small one. I’ve spent the last two years searching for a map. Or maybe a flowchart. Something to make sense of my life again. But now I realize...there is no map, just a puzzle to solve, one with jumbled pieces.”

“And you’ve solved it?”

“Not hardly.” Apollo’s laugh was warm, blanketing him like a favorite jacket. “But you, see, you’re an edge piece.”

“An edge piece? Like a corner?”

“Exactly. One of those pieces that helps you make sense of all the other pieces and start to put the puzzle together. One of the pieces you might not even realize you were missing until you started trying to sort things out. I’ve got so many other pieces—the girls, my family, the SEALs—and somehow you bring it all together. Help me balance it out and make sense of where the pieces are supposed to go.”
― Annabeth Albert, At Attention

“Apollo knew well and good that wishes were nothing more than dust held together with hope, impossible to hold and foolish to dwell on.”
― Annabeth Albert, At Attention

“Because you love him. No,”
― Annabeth Albert, At Attention

“Hey, Apollo,” Maddox called. “We were just talking. If Dylan can’t stay here, Ben and I could rearrange some stuff, see if he could stay with us.” Hah. Apollo knew the “rearranging stuff” would undoubtedly include jockeying for whether Dylan shared Ben’s bed or Maddox’s by summer’s end and just...no. Something angry and surprisingly protective unfurled in his gut. “He’s staying here,” Apollo said firmly before he could recall the words. The girls sent up a delighted squeal, and Dustin grinned widely. Ben winked at him, and Apollo knew he’d been had. Fuck.”
― Annabeth Albert, At Attention

“Now, wasn’t that a kick. Apollo, sex god on wheels, a dad. “I’m”
― Annabeth Albert, At Attention

“Yeah, I saw you looking at my ass. And you liked what you saw. Kid, my foot.”
― Annabeth Albert, At Attention