Play It Safe

You still fallin’ in love with me?... ‘Cause you should know, baby, I’m already gone for you

I loved you then. I love you now. I’ve loved you every day for seven years.

You have the best wild west rancher cowboy name in history

Say it.” “Say what?” “Order me to tell you I love you.” The instant the words came out of my mouth, his eyes closed, a shadow of pain crossed his face and he dropped his head to the side of mine. He remembered. He missed that too.

Never before, never since have I felt for any woman, fuck anyone the way I felt about you. I want that back. I want my girl back.

I love you, Ivey, and you got a name you gave yourself that means somethin’ to you but I still want you to take mine.

Prettiest thing I've ever seen." "Gray," "In that getup, in your jeans and tees, in your bikini on the lawnmower, when I open my eyes in the morning and see you next to me, anytime I see you, that's what I think. First thing that comes to mind. Anytime. Every time.

I understand that you're a big fish in a small pond, but I'll explain that if you want to swim in the ocean, you must understand that the ocean is populated by sharks, and sharks never sleep.

Okay, my man, in a minute you are gonna hear a bunch of shit that’s gonna knock your socks off. So, two seconds to prepare, Ivey is my best friend, outside you my only real one, as you know. What you don’t know, she is not my lover. She’s my friend. And I’m gay. You tell anyone, I’ll shoot you and you know I’m not fucking with you about that. Deal with it. We gotta move on, like, now.

Honest to God, dollface, you need to stop running around in that fuckin’ nightie. You’re killin’ me.

Wherever you were born and whatever you did, pool hustler, showgirl, tonight, you were a rancher's woman and just like you, when you do somethin', you're the best there is.

I'm glad that when I was on the sidewalk on the square in town with you and Casey all those years ago, I decided for the first time in my life not to play it safe." "I'm glad too, Ivey, seriously fuckin' glad you took a chance on me.

Seriously. Who needed a real lover when you had a handsome, affectionate man who adored you, put a beautiful house over your head, gave you a great job, lavished you with fabulous clothes, shoes, purses and jewelry and would never break your heart?

You couldn't muck out a horse stall in Christian Louboutins.

You're the prettiest thing I've ever seen, Ivey.

Still, beautiful, let your man do what he's gotta do.

You still fallin’ in love with me?” I stared, my cheeks now getting warm and opened my mouth to answer affirmative when he went on. “’Cause you should know, baby, I’m already gone for you.

And glad you're takin' a chance on me.

Prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.” [...] “In that getup, in your jeans and tees, in your bikini on the lawnmower, when I open my eyes in the morning and see you next to me, anytime I see you, that’s what I think. First thing that comes to mind. Anytime. Every time.

How can one day you have next to nothing and then a week and a day later you have everything?

I understand you’re a big fish in a small pond,” Lash said softly, his deep, cultured voice carrying a more eloquent threat than Buddy could ever hope to pull off. “But I’ll explain that if you want to swim in the ocean, you must understand that the ocean is populated by sharks and sharks never sleep.

You know, Gray. Don't be your Daddy. Be smart. Find a nice girl to take home to your Gran. You know I'm not that.

Standing beside Gray in the Fellowship Hall, we watched Grandma Miriam do her socializing exactly like she did last Sunday (and I enjoyed watching it). This proved what Gray had told me that she was born in Mustang and lived her whole life there seeing as she knew every single person in that church.