Practice Makes Perfect Sarah Adams Quotes

But the thing about quiet people is, we’re only quiet because our brains are so busy overthinking everything.

It seems to me, Annie, that you are just waiting for someone to give you permission to be yourself out loud.

This one is for the softies. The tenderhearted sweeties. The introverts who are afraid to shine.

I am the quiet one in my family. The one with her nose always in a book because she prefers worlds where she doesn’t have to interact with other humans. It’s so much easier to read about relationships than to foster them. Less dangerous too.

Annie: You’d do that for me? Will: I’m quickly learning I’d do anything for you.

If I waited until I felt confident to live my life and do the things I want to do, I’d never live.” He stares into my eyes. “This lesson is one as old as time: Fake it till you make it. If you want something, pretend you’re the kind of person who’s not scared of it.

Grief – that mean son of a bitch – doesn’t have a timeline or rules. It hits when it wants.

Annabell, I need you to know, I’ve fallen madly in love with you.” “But you don’t believe in love.” “It was easier to say I don’t believe in love, rather than admitting to myself that I was afraid I wouldn’t be loved back.

I’m terrified to admit that holding her in my arms is the closest I’ve come to feeling truly happy in a very long time.

The problem is, you’re trying to rationalise your feelings. I have bad news for you, the heart wants what it wants, and there’s no talking it out of it.

How is it possible to crave change and relish familiarity at the same time?

I don’t think I like the word regret. Every choice I’ve made has been valuable in some way or other.

Why do I feel like I just missed out on an important opportunity?” ‘Because you did. Now, get lost, she’s mine.

I’ve always had trouble telling people the truth of what I’m feeling when I know it’s going to be uncomfortable for them to hear—so I usually just keep it bottled up.

You think I would be…sexy with a tattoo?” “No, Annie. Don’t get it twisted. I already think you’re sexy without a tattoo. So I know for sure you would be with one.

Until I met her and held her in my arms, I never knew I could be capable of so much tenderness.

I realize I’m not sure what I really want anymore. Who I was and who I am becoming are meeting at an intersection and deciding who should proceed

Please. Just let me be here. I don’t know why, but I can’t be anywhere else. I tried but my feet keep bringing me back here to your door.

Will Griffin is absolutely not the kind of man I need. Too bad he’s very quickly becoming the man I want.

How is it possible to share DNA with someone and still feel so ‘other’ from them – and yet still love them with my whole heart?

Did I ever tell you why I never talked to you before that day in the alley?” “No.” “Because I knew once I did – it would be over for me. Some part of me has always known I would love you.

I’ve never wanted to crawl into someone’s head and read all of their thoughts like I do with Annie. My need to understand her, to know every desire, every hope and fear and longing, scares me.

Because she has a hold on me that I can’t figure out. Because her eyes do this sparkly thing when she’s excited and the light hits them just right. Because the curve of her bottom lip is perfect. Because I feel desperate to know what wild thing she’s going to say next anytime she’s around.

I’m relearning who I am and why I love the things I do. So I’d like some time to do that before I decide to get married. But what I do want is to have a relationship with you – to go day by day and earn your trust while you earn mine, and we figure out who we are in this messy life together.

I breathe in the smell of flowers and Will Griffin. My two favourite scents in the entire world.

That because I’m sweet, I don’t have as much to offer. I constantly feel underestimated, and I’m so tired of it.

I don’t know how to love—not even sure I’m capable of it. In fact, I don’t know that I believe in it.

And then I called my brother, and as we talked, I realised that leaving this town without you was the scariest thought I’ve ever had. I need you in my life like I need air, Annie. You have wrecked me in the best way I could ever imagine, and I’ll never be the same. Never want to be the same. I love you.

But a side effect of being the one who listens and comforts is that people rarely offer to listen or comfort me. I’ve been living this way for so long now that I’m not sure I’d be any good at expressing myself even if I were asked to.

While I’m not your mama or your grandma, but someone who’s lived a long time and loved deeper than I could ever describe to you, I’d say that I regret the things I never said way more than the things I have said. If you love him – be honest. With yourself and with him.

If I waited until I felt confident to live my life and do the things I want to do, I’d never live.

Welcome to the South, friends, where you get third-degree burns from leaning against your vehicle.

I’d say that I regret the things I never said way more than the things I have said.

I am the quiet one in my family. The one with her nose always in a book because she prefers worlds where she doesn’t have to interact with other humans. It’s so much easier to read about relationships than to foster them. Less dangerous too. I can’t offend anyone written into a book. I can’t say the wrong thing. And book characters don’t make judgments about me.

I’ve just never known anyone who made me feel safe enough to share that part of myself with them.

Because it’s only an insult if I accept it as one.

Listen up! No more talking about pies. I have something to say. Harriet, sit down.

Kiss me, Annie. Please.

Hell, I would have settled for sitting and watching her read her book. I bet she makes all kinds of faces while reading.

the tattoos wrapping down his arm with the masculine veins that universally turn everyone

I regret the things I never said way more than the things I have said.

Would you tell me if I asked?” “No. Annie asked me not to. So I have to keep my promise to her.” ‘And for some reason, having Annie’s trust feels like holding the world. I never want to break.

I’ve known since the moment I laid eyes on Annie that I needed to stay the hell away from her. Something about her attracts me in an I-could-get-feelings-for-her kind of way. And I don’t do feelings.

My plan was to run as fast as I could away from you. Thanks for chasing after me.” “Always.” ‘The tension between us grows – crackling and steaming to life. And more than anything right now, I want Annie. All of Annie. All of us.

For introverts like me with social anxiety, the process of dating is equivalent to waxing your bikini line. Menstrual cramps on day two of your cycle. An emergency dental procedure you weren’t expecting—and guess what: they’re fresh out of novocaine.

And now on every date I go on I’ll hope they get the door for me—which they won’t, because half the women in the world hate it when a man gets their door and the other half love it, resulting in the man panicking and cannonballing into his side without ever asking what the woman actually prefers.

Are you even listening to me?” Tim asks in an annoyed tone. No. Nope. Not a bit. I’m staring at Bree’s long bare legs. I don’t mean to be, but damn, she looks killer tonight. She looks killer every single night, but right now, she’s making herself stand out in this skintight sparkling dress, hair long and wild but also somehow perfectly styled. And her eyes…wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her wear eyeliner before, and it makes her already vibrant eyes practically grab me by the collar of my suit and demand that I empty my pockets and give her everything I’ve got. You can take it all, Bree.

This whole thing started off with me wanting to get good at dating, but…the more time I spend with you, the more I feel something coming to life inside me. Something I can’t quite pinpoint but I don’t want to lose either. You make me feel different, and I like it. I feel free with you—adventurous and curious.

Suddenly, like a strike of lightning, I realize that I've been chasing the wrong things. I haven't needed a husband. or even to find myself. I think this emptiness has been a result of constantly isolating myself from my feelings. I know who I am and what I want out of life - I've just been ignoring those needs.

My breath catches when I realize she’s facing me now, eyes open, smiling softly. She doesn’t say anything, and neither do I. Her blue eyes sparkle in the morning sun, and the most domestic images rush through my head: of her pouring a bowl of cereal, me topping it off with milk, and then her sitting in my lap while we eat together at the table—because I’m a clingy son of a bitch like that. That is all wrong. That’s not the sort of fantasy I should be having about her. It should be all sexual. All primal and fleeting. Instead, I’m rubbing my chest and telling myself to get the hell out of here before I accidentally ask her to have coffee with me on the porch while the sun comes up.

And in case anyone needs any more convincing that she’s a fierce queen, Emily has taught second grade for nine years with twenty or more children in class each time. Superhero status.

Not at all embarrassed that he just implied we’d get right to baby making if we work out. Funny how men can get away with saying things like that on a date and it’s endearing, but when I did, I got left ten minutes into the date.

And that’s very, very bad because Will Griffin wants to remain as single as a prewrapped slice of American cheese.

asking questions about Mom and Dad has always made everyone shut down. It seemed too painful for them to talk to me about their memories. So I quit trying—I didn’t want to add more grief to their pain. I just stopped acknowledging my own sadness and focused on everyone else’s instead. It’s worked. It made them feel better and in return, it made me feel good.” “Until it didn’t.

Honesty is a gift, Annie. And if you really love them, too, you’ll be honest with them about who you are.

James clears his throat. “Why do I feel like I just missed out on an important opportunity?” Because you did. Now, get lost, she’s mine.

I know that letter had something to do with me.” I talk out of the side of my mouth like a ventriloquist. “Someone’s a bit of a narcissist.

Instinctively I take a step back, but she follows. I’ve never felt hunted more than I do at this moment. I wish I couldn’t say I don’t like it.

The job in question has very strict criteria based on the bursting-with-love marriage my parents had. One, he must live in town and have roots here in Rome, Kentucky; two, he must have a stable job; three, he must be kind and also be supportive of my career; and four, he must want a family.

I wish I couldn’t say I don’t like it.

Because Ms. Rose specifically asked for you when her manager said she wanted an agent to stay on for a while even after the wedding because they will be announcing the upcoming album.

The right side of his mouth rises in a grin. "You're not normally affectionate, are you?" "I wouldn't say I'm not affectionate. I've just never really had anyone to be affectionate with. I think I must accidentally put out an invisible force field that tells people I don't want to be touched. And it feels too awkward to all of a sudden start after all this time.

the thing about quiet people is, we’re only quiet because our brains are so busy overthinking everything.

How long have you been standing there, nosy woman?” I ask her with a teasing smirk. “Long enough to know that you love my Annie and you’re scared and I would really like to pay your mama and daddy a visit,

just needed to see you first. And my wedding planner keeps throwing tasks at me, and I love your sister, but I’m seconds from murdering Emily because she seems to be trying to one-up the wedding planner in her bossiness and—” Noah captures Amelia’s lips, showing no reverence at all for her makeup. And that’s when I turn away and quietly leave the room—giving them the moment alone they need.

It’s coming from years and years of swallowed feelings that I was too afraid to voice.

But the thing about quiet people is, we’re only quiet because our brains are so busy overthinking everything.

A book,” he repeats incredulously. “Uh-huh.” “A book is going to be fun?” I chuckle as we continue to walk. “Are you one of those nonreaders?

He’s Fred and I’m Audrey.

If some jackass doesn't take the time to peel back her layers of nervousness to find out who she really is, he doesn't deserve to have her when she's at her most comfortable.

I've been waiting because I've been too scared." I say those words out loud for the first time in my life, never really knowing until this moment the reason why. "Actually, I'm not even sure scared is the right word. I've just never known anyone who made me feel safe enough to share that part of myself with them.

I want to, but I'm scared of flying. And going to new places. And meeting new people.

A stern brunch daddy is a term romance readers use to describe a character type. It's when a dude who looks scary is actually all soft and sweet to the person he loves.

Because the truth is, I love physical touch. Crave it more than I want to admit. But my shyness and social anxiety often keep me from reaching out for it first. I wait for other people to initiate, and sometimes that leaves me waiting forever.

I would have committed murder for you just now.

I am the quiet one in my family. The one with her nose always in a book because she prefers worlds where she doesn’t have to interact with other humans.

While I’m not your mama or your grandma, but someone who’s lived a long time and loved deeper than I could ever describe to you, I’d say that I regret the things I never said way more than the things I have said.

In the presence of chocolate, all men are forgotten." - Annie

the nagging something-is-missing feeling still pesters me.

Will has perfected the balance between I-will-knock-you-flat-if-you-try-to-cross-me, but my-hands-can-be-oh-so-tender-on-your-body.

Words, Annie. I need to hear you say yes.

It seems to me, Annie, that you are just waiting for someone to give you permission to be yourself out loud.” My heart trips over his words. I stay quiet.

His hand, that beautiful, strong, inked hand, is trembling. Will Griffin is shaking from touching me. “If I waited until I felt confident to live my life and do the things I want to do, I’d never live.

I don’t want to see any part of Annie change. Not a single thing. I’ve never met anyone like her before—and it would be a damn shame for her to morph into some popular social construct of what a woman should be like on dates. I hate it. If some jackass doesn’t take the time to peel back her layers of nervousness to find out who she really is, he doesn’t deserve to have her when she’s at her most comfortable.

I don’t dare say anything. I need to hear where this is going without inserting any ideas of my own.

And he's just plain wrong. First, he was wrong about you being boring. You don't even need dating lessons, Annie, you were so perfect on our date. Even when you think you're doing something wrong, you're so damn adorable I wanted to pull you into my lap and do things with you in the middle of that diner that would have put me in jail for public indecency. Second, he was so wrong about you being only prettyish. God, Annie, you're drop-dead gorgeous. So beautiful it's hard to look at you and continue persuading myself that kissing you would be a mistake because of our agreement. And third, your ass.' She gasps. 'What about it?' 'Your ass is a work of art. Two absolutely perfect slopes of soft curvy sensuality that absolutely kill me, Annie. Your ass kills me. And I need you to know that if we weren't doing this just-friends thing -- I would have already...

And the thing that scares me most is how desperate I am for her to know all this and believe it. I'm so good at playing games. At strategically moving pieces around so I can be seductive without ever really having to be real. Without truly risking any feelings. But just now I was more honest and ineloquent than I've ever been in my life. I'm not playing games with Annie -- I'm spilling my heart out.

Annabell, I need you to know, I’ve fallen madly in love with you.” “But you don’t believe in love.” “It was easier to say I don’t believe in love, rather than admitting to myself that I was afraid I wouldn’t be loved back.

Why do I feel like I just missed out on an important opportunity?” Because you did. Now, get lost, she’s mine.

I am convinced dating was created by an evil villain to torture humanity.

if l waited until l felt confident to live my life and do the things l want to do, I’d never live

If you want marriage and a family and all of that—fine, great. But don’t try to delude yourself into thinking that you are still happy to settle for an unadventurous vanilla relationship. You’ve been living in this town doing family events your whole life, Annie. You don’t need a husband for that. What you haven’t done yet is see the world. Experience new things. Live by your own desires. And if you settle for someone who’s going to keep you from doing that, I’m going to be very upset.

If I waited until I felt confident to live my life and do the things I want to do, I'd never live.

I swear the sunlight hits this woman differently than other people. It seeps into her skin, makes her glow.

I’m filled with the jealousy of a thousand suns. Like I want to find this guy and shove him against the wall with my fist and warn him not to touch Annie or he’ll die.

I cast a quick glance up and the only available seats are right next to Tweedle Nosy and Tweedle Mustache. Seriously, who does Amelia think she’s fooling wearing a mustache? And it’s not even stuck on that well.

Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you around town, Annie.

Oh my gosh! Don’t say erection!” “Boner then?” he supplies—knowing full well that word is not better

A stern brunch daddy.

Noah says ominously and then turns to leave, pauses, and then goes to the side of the bar to look at whatever James dropped off. I hear his grunt of a laugh before he flashes me a look, shakes his head, and leaves without exchanging any other words.