Rachael Wade > Quotes

“Let me tell you something, honey. Fifty percent of life is others trying to push their own agenda on you—their belief system, their views, their convictions. The other fifty percent is you deciding whether or not you’re going to let them. Or if you’re going to form your own opinions.

-Miss Velma”
― Rachael Wade, Love and Relativity

“Love couldn’t be moved by circumstance, poor choices, or even blatant lies—skewed and damaged, yes, but the heart couldn’t deny what it wanted most once the desire was planted. Whether in bliss or affliction, love owned you all the same.”
― Rachael Wade, The Tragedy of Knowledge

“The second he slipped inside of me, all I'd doubted, questioned, or feared evaporated, leaving me with one single, definite truth--I'd fallen in love with him in an all-consuming blaze that would blind me if I wasn't careful. We fit together like poorly cut puzzle pieces, but when the edges joined and were positioned just right, our scattered images came together to create a solid, deliberate piece of art, completely crystal clear and in focus. I was a goner.”
― Rachael Wade, Preservation

“Do you really want to put yourself through this? Is loving me really enough to endure everything you have to just to be with me?"

Meeting his fiery gaze, I ran my fingers through his hair, kissed him gently before I attempted to set us both free.

"It will always be enough.”
― Rachael Wade, Amaranth

“It was the fangirl code for every book geek: read, chat, squeal. Re-read, chat, and squeal again, until it’s all over and the dreaded book funk sets in. Find the next best thing to fill the void, then repeat steps one through three as necessary.”
― Rachael Wade, Love and Relativity

“Don't start that again. It's not my fault you don't have any masculine aprons."

"That's because aprons aren't masculine, genius."

"Don't make me have you for dinner, princess."

"Whatever, Betty Crocker. Knock yourself out.”
― Rachael Wade, Amaranth

“What do you see when you look at me?”

My eyes narrowed and I pressed my lips together, weighing my thoughts. All of his bimbo admirers aside, what did I see? What did my gut tell me about this man? What did it say that allowed me to wind up here with him, under such impulsive circumstances?

“You’re a sad man,” I swallowed. “You’re arrogant and set in your ways, but that creates a fortress for you. It’s your safe haven. Behind the moat is someone who has lost something he loved, only I’m not sure what, or who. You’re afraid of something and your loyalty is hidden away in a cell, wounded by betrayal.” I rested my head on the pillow. “That’s what I see.”

“On second thought,” he exhaled, letting his head drop next to mine. “You’re psychic.”
― Rachael Wade, Preservation

“B-b-but who will I have cleaning marathons with?”

“Casey. I’ll be there in spirit.”

“She’s not neurotic and cranky like you.”

“You’ll miss that, ay?”

“Hell yes, I’ll miss that! When you’re obsessive and pissy, you tell those floors who’s boss. They won’t shine like that when Casey scrubs them. And don’t get me started on our Covenant Series discussions. The girl thinks Alex should pick Seth. Seth, Em. How can I clean with someone who isn’t Team Aiden? It’s like...madness. Madness on Earth. The fucking apocalypse—”

“Whitney,” I chuckled, squeezing her tighter, “I assure you, you’ll survive. The second she starts running her mouth about Aiden, just spray her with bleach. That’ll teach her a lesson.”

-Emma and Whitney”
― Rachael Wade, Love and Relativity

“Open your eyes, baby. Look at me.” He pressed his forehead down to meet mine, my eyelids fluttering open at his command. “Look at me and tell me you don’t want it.”

I peered up at him with unsteady breaths, hearing his throat work when I tilted my lips to graze his. The contact was feather light, my heart hammering through my chest at the feel of it. “I’m looking,” I breathed against him.

“Good. Because right now, all I want to do is rip your clothes off and make you come until you can’t stand, and I want your eyes on me the whole time, are we clear?”

-Jackson and Emma”
― Rachael Wade, Love and Relativity

“I turned to face Audrey, and everything I loved was right there in her eyes, the memories tangible: the schooldays and sleepovers, the cheap bottles of wine and sappy chick flicks. She was there for my mother’s drunken relapses, there to hold me until I fell asleep the first time the ex from Seattle hit me. It was all there, and my God, each memory was suddenly sacred and the sun rose and set upon it.”
― Rachael Wade, The Tragedy of Knowledge

“Forgiveness wasn’t ever easy, but a feat much more manageable when you weren’t the subject of its grace. Maybe I’d always be a broken recipient of grace. And in that musing, I found rest.”
― Rachael Wade, Love and Relativity

“Is there a problem, Ms. Parker? Something you want to say to me?" Reaching for his tie, he began to loosen it, unraveling it with his fingers, angry eyes still locked on mine.

"I'm not sure I like being your pet. Or science project, I don't know which."

"You have a smart mouth."

"You make smart observances."

"You're going to make this invitation difficult, aren't you?"

"If you're dishonest with me, yes."

"You'll regret it if you don't accept."

"Is that a threat?"

"That's a promise.”
― Rachael Wade, Preservation

“When you want to learn, sometimes you have to take risks. Someone might laugh at you; your feelings might get hurt. But then you’ll feel good because you were brave enough to try. Whether you pronounce the words right is not what will matter—not right now. What will matter is that you tried.” Her dark eyes found”
― Rachael Wade, Preservation

“You own me,” he said, water sputtering against his lips as his head bobbed at the surface. “You have lock and key, deed to the house, the welcome mat, all that shit. It’s all yours, baby.”

“I’ll have to take good care of my property, then.”

“And I’ll have to behave on and off the premises. I may be a little rowdy, but...I’ll use my manners.”

I sent him a small splash. “No swearing, invading personal space, or forgetting your pleases and thank-yous.”

A glimmer twinkled in his irises, and for a moment, it looked as if he was the one about to drown. “Damn straight,” he pulled me against him abruptly, nose to nose. “Now please get over here and fucking kiss me.”
― Rachael Wade, Love and Relativity

“This was our rhythm, our worship: give and take, gift and receive, honor and entrust. Making love to this man wasn’t just an expression of my feelings for him or a carnal, physical need—it was an offering.”
― Rachael Wade, Love and Relativity

“With the many uncertainties, of one thing I was sure. I could not escape love, the very thing that had kept me mobile since the day I realized I was capable of giving and receiving it.”
― Rachael Wade, Amaranth

“Please, let me take you home. You’re drunk.”
“I am not.” I shoved him, spilling some kind of delicious poison on him. “Go home and have a wild time with Ms. Scarlet. In the bedroom. With the—”
“Okay, you’re starting to talk board game. Let’s go home, babe. I’ll get you into bed.”
― Rachael Wade, The Gates

“Gavin! What’ll I wear home?”
“Cloak.” His voice roughened and he ripped harder, tossing the material to the ground. I felt his smile when he kissed my neck, and shivers ran down my back at the sound of his low growl.
“I made that! I don’t have many of those, you know.”
“Cam,” he snaked one hand around my stomach and made his way north, slipping one hand into my corset top to grope my chest. “You won’t be thinking about it when I’m inside you.” His hips shifted off my back and he separated my legs with his knee, his breathing ragged against my shoulder. “Now forget the damn dress.”
― Rachael Wade, The Gates

“We could stay. You could sleep it off and we can still go to Disney with everyone tomorrow. Don’t you want to go to Fantasyland?” I batted my eyelashes.

Jackson ran his thumb and forefinger over his lip, catching his grin and a speck of dried blood at once. The second that grin appeared, it was as if the entire evening’s events evaporated. “Why, Emma Pierce, do you want me to take you to Fantasyland and make all of your dreams come true?” He winked with his good eye.

It was painfully adorable.”
― Rachael Wade, Love and Relativity

“So help me, if something crawls out of one of these bags, I will castrate you.”

“I bet you’d love that.”

-Emma and Jackson”
― Rachael Wade, Love and Relativity

“The moonlight rained down on the beach as if to shine a spotlight on my solitude, and I wanted to cry out at it, ‘Why did you take her? You, surrounded by all of your twinkling stars and infinite wonders and darkness. There’s already enough beauty where you are.”
― Rachael Wade, Love and Relativity

“You think when someone you love passes away, everything becomes clearer, that your priorities and perspectives align in a way they’ve never aligned before because of the sobriety of it all.

But it doesn’t.

Those revelations just become skewed and distorted until you’re forced to rewrite them entirely. You can’t walk straight on a new path when you have too much luggage on your back. You just keep swerving, trying to find a way to accommodate the weight, but it’s all dead and you know it’s going to take you down. The only answer is to reroute.

-Emma”
― Rachael Wade, Love and Relativity

“I winked and locked my arm in Carter's, and we stood there, watching Dean stroll away.

"You know the guy's never gonna give up," Carter nudged me, letting out a sigh.

"We'd have really pretty babies, huh?"

"Yup. They'd be rad little Brangelinas, running around tearing the place up."

"Yeah, you're right. My rejection is such a disservice to the world...”
― Rachael Wade, Preservation

“There’s nothing left of me, because you have it all.”
― Rachael Wade, Love and Relativity

“Joel’s face swam across my vision and I blinked, goose bumps running up my arms. I shook his memory away, determined to stay focused, although my heart caved at the thought of his last words to us, right here in this very spot: Take care of each other. I’d be damned if I was going to let him down now.”
― Rachael Wade, The Gates

“She smiled thoughtfully. “I think Jackson was like a lost puppy. He needed purpose, someone to believe in him and love him despite his bullshit. But he didn’t have that, so he just went around humping everyone’s leg and peeing everywhere. Then you came along and he thought he found that owner that would give him that purpose—something that would make him feel needed—but you chose the fancy pet store puppy instead, so he went back to peeing on everything and destroying all the furniture.”

“Um, Whit...is there a point to this?”

“We all need someone to believe in us. It helps us see our full potential. You were that someone to believe in him. I think he’ll be a new man because of it.”

“So you’re saying I rescued a lost puppy, and now he’ll become a topnotch show dog because I’m just so amazing?”

“Exactly.”

“You have such an eloquent way with words.”

“No shit, right?”

“Precisely.”

-Emma and Whitney”
― Rachael Wade, Love and Relativity

“Stumbling closer, I held up the manuscript, the pages flapping frantically in the wind. “I take it this is a murder mystery? You killed the ex-fiancée and thanked her in the dedication? Mighty dignified of you, I must say.”

“Nah. It’s a horror novel. But yeah, the bimbo dies in the end. Bob Hall says it’s going to be a bestseller, so I figured I owed her some thanks for the inspiration.” He edged a few feet closer, his smile spread from ear to ear. The glimmer in his eyes flickered toward the ocean, breaking our connection. He hung his head, licked his lips, then returned his eyes to mine, restoring the connection with an intense smolder. “Are you gonna get over here, or what?”

Letting out a soft chuckle, the tears began to blind me. “Make me.”
― Rachael Wade, Preservation

“Gavin, I never thought you’d be the irrational one in this relationship, but I’m happy to report that you’ve just thoroughly shocked me.”
He rolled to his side to lean on his arm, keeping my hand resting on his chest, buried underneath his shirt. “I know. My timing is impeccable.” He smirked, letting his hungry gaze drift over my body. “But I’m sorry, love. I cannot take seeing you all tucked up in this sexy corset anymore. The ties are so tight, they’re just begging me to undo them.” His fingers trailed over the top of my chest and down over the corset’s binding, tugging at the edges of the lace as he went. “Forcefully,” he winked.”
― Rachael Wade, The Gates

“I knew it would be all of those things and so much more to me, but it was his heart I was yanking from his chest with my decision, and that’s what mattered to me. I was giving up a piece of my own as well, but it was a choice.
His was just collateral.”
― Rachael Wade, The Tragedy of Knowledge

“I better go," Carter squeezed me once more and stood, grabbing his wallet from the coffee table. "I need to hit up the lottery if I want to get you out of this mess. Will you let me buy a monkey if we win, though?"

"Only if you buy me an island off the coast of Fiji."

"You crazy-ass woman. A monkey is so much cooler than an island."

"How about a monkey IN Fiji?"

"Now there's a woman after my own heart," Carter slapped his hand to his chest, sighing dramatically. "I'll let you know if we win." He started for the door.

"Uh huh."

"You'll know if we do. I'll be the one streaking on Pike Street.”
― Rachael Wade, Preservation