Blake And Livia Quotes & Sayings

No one has really seen me in years." Blake looked at the sky. "Sometimes I wonder how they know I don't have a home. I try to dress decently." He waved a hand at his jeans and army jacket. "I think it just seeps out of me. I'm not the same as everyone else." He shook his head, pulling himself out of his despair, and looked at Livia again. "But when you saw me for the first time, you actually saw me. You saw me, and then you smiled like I was just the same as everyone else on that platform. — Debra Anastasia

Livia held her spatula as Blake whispered in her ear. "I see us just like this a hundred years from now, old and deaf. I'll be the luckiest man."
Emotion caught her - this was all she wanted. Simple, beautiful frittata moments with this man.
"Someday, Livia, I'll be man enough to buy the food," he continued. "I'll give you an oven. I'll try so hard. — Debra Anastasia

LIVIA DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY REMEMBER the details of the night before when she woke in her bed. Her blanket had been arranged around her. As she sat up, she noticed little paper-napkin roses tucked among her belongings. Blake.
He'd even given Teddy a spiffy bow tie. He must have taken a whole stack of napkins from The Launch Pad, and the sunlight trickling in her window explained his absence. His fancy clothes were folded neatly on the end of her bed. The prince was the one to run out of time in this Cinderella story. — Debra Anastasia

Blake waited for her to look at him with a smile, but her shoes were still too captivating. He held a hand up to stop Cole from beginning the ceremony. He knelt on one knee, close to the hem of her dress, and looked up at her. She watched him as he kissed her hand.
"Beautiful, enchanting Livia, will you marry me today?"
Livia's disobedient tears emerged, gravity bathing his smiling face with their small, splashy wishes. She took her hand from his and covered her mouth. She nodded over and over as she cried.
Blake stood and gathered her. Livia dissolved into him, leaving the guests alternately tearing up or looking in other directions.
Blake tried to stroke her hair through the veil, but he was afraid he would pull it out. "Shhh. It's okay. I'm not that terrible, am I?"
Livia shook her head.
"I'm making you my wife right now, even if you cry through the whole damn thing." Blake switched to wiping her tears. — Debra Anastasia

As Blake leaned down to accept her hug she whispered, "Remember when you and Livia tried to hog the spotlight at my wedding? Just when you and Livia get to the good part, Cole and I are going to have porno sex right there."
She pointed discreetly at the spot to Blake's right, and he couldn't help but laugh. — Debra Anastasia

I'd prefer to stand when ladies are standing," he said quietly to Livia.
She longed to smooth a balm on all his wounds. "Blake, I'm exhausted. What I really need is a nice, strong lap to sit on to get me out to the car."
He reached up and stroked her hair. "I could be a lap for you, my tired angel. — Debra Anastasia

-I'll play you a song.
Blake flexed his fingers and concentrated harder on the cardboard, moving his hands methodically over it's surface.
What do you say after an imaginary concert?
Livia watched as the song came to a close with his careful plucking a certain keys on the cardboard. She couldn't help but glance to see if the commuters were staring.
-I couldn't hear that, but your hands looked beautiful.
-Of course not. It's not plugged in.
Blake smiled, then watched as she didn't get his joke. — Debra Anastasia

He looked at her, but he was only a shadow now. Livia gave him a warning look. He shook his head sadly and in total defeat. Standing in the house of a man who'd brought him food, with his daughter holding his hand, seemed to break some sort of honor code for Blake.
Livia felt her heart beating in her ears. "Don't give up on me. Please," she said softly. — Debra Anastasia

I'm surprised Cole let you stay. What we do here is slightly unconventional." Bea looked suspicious and in-the-know at the same time.
"I'm in love with his brother." Saying this out loud to Bea felt like jumping out of an airplane - thrilling and irreversible. In that instant Livia knew her love for Blake was as real as the church walls around her.
Bea took in Livia's face with wise eyes. "Why, yes. Yes you are. — Debra Anastasia

And that ring deserves another sixty years and more of love on it," she said, gesturing toward the drawer. "I'd never say this out loud to anyone, but I guess we're getting all touchy-feely: Livia? She's the bravest chick I've ever met. Let her have it, Blake. Let her have what I never did. — Debra Anastasia

So many people had tried for Blake, but so many had failed. All it takes is one to be the glue. It's going to be me. Livia moved quietly to straddle him. She put her hands on his scruffy cheeks. "I know all that you are. You almost don't belong here, your soul's so pure." Livia put a hand on his chest. "You're perfect to me. You're chivalrous to me. I adore your manners. You can't disappoint me. It's not possible." Livia leaned in and kissed him sweetly. See? See how much I can fix?
Blake became absorbed by her hair, grabbing handfuls of it. He pulled her to his chest, combing it out with his fingers as he hummed a soothing song in her ear. The liquid velvet of his voice lifted her into dreams. — Debra Anastasia

I hope you know how rare a girl like Livia is."
Blake nodded, but said nothing.
"I've only met a few souls as crystal clear as hers," Bea continued. "One of them was my Aaron; we were married for sixty-two years.
Souls like that, my boy, are a gift. Cherish her."
"I will." Blake stood and gave Bea a formal bow only he could get away with. — Debra Anastasia

Hello, beautiful Livia," Blake answered.
"How did you know it was me?" Livia saw her wide smile in the rear view mirror.
"The phone looked sexier when it rang. — Debra Anastasia

Livia, I'm going to be okay. You have to believe it."
The nape of his neck was just inches from her lips. The only things stopping her from tasting it were red lipstick and one hundred pairs of eyes.
"I've always believed it." Livia tilted her head so she could see him.
Blake held his lips close to hers. They were lost in each other. — Debra Anastasia

Listening to him play was like discovering an eagle in the wild. It was tumblingly bewitching. She could feel and hear genius she knew it. — Debra Anastasia

Outside, again?" She teased him.
"You know I love it best when you're wearing nothing but the stars."
Blake wrapped her in his arms and reclined on the grass. She pat his chest gently, loving the tap back from his heart and his white smile. He looked amazing cloaked in stars, too. — Debra Anastasia

As they left, Eve watched him slide the coffee sleeve off the drink and put it in his pocket.
After they'd walked a few blocks, she questioned him. "Why'd you keep the sleeve?"
Blake pulled out the cardboard and looked down at it. "Just to remember I could do it."
Eve grabbed it from him quickly, ripped it in half, and threw it in a trashcan on the sidewalk. Blake held his hands up and gave her a What the hell? look.
"Don't tie your success to anything other than what's inside you." She stepped up to him and gently patted his heart. "You did this, Blake. You. Not the coffee, not me, not Livia. You did this. — Debra Anastasia

Dear Livia McHugh
I'll be your husband. I'll be nothing but yours for the rest of forever. A single, simple day with you is something I'll refuse to take for granted. You have been the reason my heart beats since the moment I saw you, long before your hands actually had to do the job for me. Sleep in my arms. Wake up by my side. My beautiful love, be my wife and make me the happiest man. And I will never, ever lose count. Love always, Blake Hartt — Debra Anastasia

She watched with a crashing surge of pride as he reached up and pulled the mask off - he was in full sunlight. The orangey red light of the setting sun outlined him. Poughkeepsie's dusk set the mood. No matter how much Blake healed, Livia had a feeling nighttime would always be their favorite. He disappeared from view, but she knew he was strong. So much stronger so much sooner than she could ever have hoped. — Debra Anastasia

This was the version of her Blake she'd first met. They reconnected with the fire that had drawn them together and kept them together years later. For him, she would always burn. — Debra Anastasia

Livia leaped into the Escort and drove straight to Poughkeepsie Station, letting instinct and her internal Blake GPS be her guide. — Debra Anastasia

Livia stayed silent and tried to quiet the screaming in her head. Fuck your mother, Blake! She was a drunk and a coward. You were a child, not a man, and you were only trying to end your own pain. She held tight to Dr. Lavender's advice. Listen. This was Blake's plane crash. Livia's silence invited him to continue. — Debra Anastasia

Livia wasn't sure how to comfort Blake. She certainly didn't have a big pile of clean money to take the place of Beckett's. "Beckett is all sorts of bad because of what he does, but who he is - that's very beautiful. Sweetheart, he really stood by me while I waited for you to come out of surgery." She rose and held out her arm. — Debra Anastasia

Livia came close to kiss the baby's head and then Blake's lips. "Thank you."
"For burping him?" Blake leaned forward to kiss her forehead.
She shook her head. "For fighting for this. For us. Every day."
"It's an honor, Mrs. Hartt." Blake shifted back to his easy sway, keeping the baby locked in his slumber. — Debra Anastasia

Are you ready for the tradition, my bride ?"
"Sexmas? I can't wait." Livia wrapped her arms around Blake's neck and kissed him deeply.
During every Christmastime, sometime while the tree was up, they had a date. They'd find room on the living room floor and make love in the splashes of colored light from the tree. — Debra Anastasia

Finally, when they asked him to speak, he found her gray eyes.
His voice was husky and raspy, but his words were clear. "Livia. You love me."
Beckett let her go as she climbed back onto Blake's bed. Blake moved slowly, but he seemed determined and winced only a little as he reached for her shoulders and pulled Livia against his chest. She wanted to say something, but her sobs took those words from her.
His raspy voice moved her hair with his precious, perfect words. "You're here. With me."
Livia grabbed a fistful of his hospital gown. The strength that had sustained her dissolved into gratitude. To see his light, his face, everything that was Blake again brought relief like she'd never known. He rubbed her back as her body shook with sobs. — Debra Anastasia

Ted has a friend that owns a club. They're looking for a piano player on Thursday nights. I was thinking about it ... " Blake trailed off.
"I think that sounds wonderful," Livia said immediately. "You'll be terrific, and I'll be front and center, every Thursday night." She smiled again, wondering if he could feel it. — Debra Anastasia

You're beautiful." Blake said hello as he'd said goodbye.
"You said that already," Livia mouthed over the banging music.
Blake just shrugged. He flashed Livia a shy smile and held out the pink napkin to her. He'd turned it into a beautiful, perfect rose bud with a single leaf. Livia took the rose from his hand and turned it over carefully. He'd pinched tiny thorns into the paper stem. Livia put it to her nose as if to smell it. She realized he was waiting.
"You're beautiful," Livia mouthed. She would have hugged the rose if it weren't so delicate. She hugged him instead.
With her ear so close, Blake was able to murmur into it. "May I have this dance? — Debra Anastasia

He moved to her earlobe and breathed, "First, I will blow, then I will lick, last I will bite." Blake took his time blowing an elaborate pattern on her stomach, and Livia was pretty sure he'd spelled the word torture. — Debra Anastasia

Am I the star in this story or you?"
Blake wrinkled his nose and chuckled.
"Was that a bad analogy? I meant we're the star, Livia. Us. This." He shrugged his shoulders like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Us being in the same atmosphere is either a great cosmic catastrophe or the most serendipitous rendezvous." Blake pronounced the French word like a closeted foreign language teacher. — Debra Anastasia

Livia kissed his chin. "Blake, I need you to do something for me. Will you do something for me?" Livia felt a little dirty about forcing him to agree before she told him how much she was asking.
"I'll do whatever you wish." Blake inclined his head in a solemn gesture.
"Will you walk in the sunlight if these are covering you?" Livia held out her sunshields.
Blake looked at the items. Then he nodded and took the mask.
Livia knew this was a risk. Hell, she was half sure she was delirious with lack of sleep and desperation. But she had an insatiable need to heal. I may lose him, but goddamn it, I have to try. — Debra Anastasia

He followed the lines of her face and arms. Livia bit the inside of her cheek as he outlined her breasts. He knelt in front of her and traced her legs in the air.
Livia held her breath. Will he stay? Can he stay? Please stay.
On his knees, Blake kept his eyes on hers as he slowly pulled off his glove, finger by finger, until the sun shone on his bare hand.
She saw the panic run through his eyes and lips. Livia broke her silence and grabbed his uncovered hand. "I don't believe your skin is glass, but I believe in you."
Blake took another breath and squeezed her hand. He smiled as he looked at their hands in sunlight together. He released her to take off his second glove and stood up. He grabbed both her hands, and they were joined. — Debra Anastasia

Blake pushed open the door by the altar. His rented tuxedo was crisp, the bow tie perfectly straight. Livia stopped and let the sight of him evaporate her common sense.
When his eyes found hers, he placed a hand over his heart, as if it might stop again. "You are so lovely," he said.
Livia wrinkled her nose and blew him a kiss. — Debra Anastasia

A couple weeks later Blake worked up to walking to the coffee shop by himself - and most other places too. Eve had watched from behind a tree the afternoon she found him sitting on the patio, just basking in the sun. That very night Blake had proposed to Livia with their great-grandmother's ring. And Livia had said yes. — Debra Anastasia

I present Mr. and Mrs. Cole Bridge. You may kiss the bride." Father Callahan gave Cole a nod of approval.
Cole faced Kyle and wrapped her in his arms. He pulled her off her feet and closer to his face. Livia and Blake were the only ones close enough to hear Cole's private vows.
He kissed her once, gently and almost chastely. "For our past."
Cole kissed her again, just a breath of a kiss, lightly touching her lips. "For today."
The last kiss was deeper, but still maintained church decorum. It was the intimacy in his gaze that made the guests feel voyeuristic. "For the rest of our lives," he said softly as he set her back on her feet. — Debra Anastasia

You can play. You can play. You can play! Livia leaned against the wall, her aches and pains and shivering chill melting away now that Blake's playing had become something beautiful. She tilted her head back and opened her mouth, as if to drink the music. She couldn't imagine how he created it - it sounded as if three people must be playing. She heard bells, then the notes sounded like voices. So clearly the music sang to her: Blake loves Livia. Blake loves Livia. She stretched her arms out and dug her fingers into the rough, scratchy brick, trying to hug him from the outside of the church. She wiped tears from her cheeks. She wanted to run inside and see him creating. She wanted to see his strong arms and intuitive fingers crafting the notes. Blake's sounds enchanted her. — Debra Anastasia

We better get over to Beckett's if you want to see how my day goes - before his crowd gets too raunchy." Blake stood up and held out his hand.
"It's eight thirty in the morning. How raunchy could they be?"
Livia wondered what, exactly, Beckett did for a living. Her question was soon answered. Everything bad. — Debra Anastasia

Livia stopped to hold her small tiara on with her bouquet hand, and she finally looked at him. As always, her blazing beauty ignited him as she approached.
Me. She sees me.
She was only a few steps from the bottom when she smiled at him. Blake mouthed the number back to her.
"You're here," she whispered.
"Always," he said loud enough for everyone to hear. — Debra Anastasia

She kissed his lips and felt his smile form. Alone in this beautiful space, Blake and Livia made things right. Blake kissed her slowly and patiently, like he had all the time in the world. — Debra Anastasia

Blake held out a hand to Livia, who felt like she was cheating on an exam as she took it.
"I can't stop looking at you," he whispered. "The candlelight, the dress, the curls." He pressed a reverent kiss on her forehead.
Livia inhaled his cologne. Maybe he'd borrowed Cole's, and the warm scent made Blake a present begging to be opened. — Debra Anastasia

Livia, I can't get started if we can't finish. I can't trust myself to stop."
Livia smiled at his concern and grabbed her jacket, digging in the pocket. "Kyle had one, and I grabbed it." Livia held the condom up victoriously.
"Only one? I better make it count." Blake still had the mask on, so he left it to his fingers to adore her. "I'm going to paint my passion on your skin. — Debra Anastasia

Blake and Livia were next to exit. He took the steps before she could and turned to offer her his hand, like a knight escorting his queen. Livia took Blake's hand and hugged his offered arm. Bea's photographer-nephew's flash blinded them as it captured their moment for all time. — Debra Anastasia

You're so real. You have a bedroom and a brush. All the times I waited for you, I could never picture where you came from - what had made you so extraordinarily different. But you made you different." Blake ran his hand along his neck, smiling shyly in her direction.
"There are a million girls just like me." Livia almost hated to point that out.
"No. There's only you." Blake looked away from her and squinted into the sun.
Look at him looking into the sunlight! — Debra Anastasia

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to a ceremony celebrating Blake Hartt and Livia McHugh. Today is not the start of their lives together. It will mark the day we all stood, clapped, and gave good wishes. But their fates were destined for each other long before they even met. True love, the kind that lasts forever, is very rare indeed. It takes compromise, continued growth, and trust."
Cole paused to look from Blake to Livia and back again. "Livia and Blake have a head start on all those things," he continued. "Time has tested them already, asking a fresh love to face terrifying and life-changing tasks. These two had to find and hold onto their love, even when it felt like all was lost. — Debra Anastasia

In me. Come in me. Have me.
Livia heard her thoughts echoing in the room and realized she'd said them out loud. His hands gripped her thighs, letting her know this was becoming impossible for him.
"Lick, Blake. That's next." Livia watched as he growled on his way to her ear.
"You're going to kill me. God, you smell so good." Blake let his clever tongue find its way on her skin. — Debra Anastasia

Me? I want you to be sure." he said.
"You," Livia whispered.
"Me." His eyes were full of intent.
"Always you." Livia gave him her biggest, heartfelt smile.
"Five hundred." Blake touched her face as if she might be a mirage and smiled back only when she didn't disappear. — Debra Anastasia

She picked up the phone and dialed Blake's number. His silky hello made her smile.
"You're smiling, right?" His voice was so intimate.
"Of course," she murmured. "Does it still count if you don't see it?"
"It counts when I feel it," he replied. — Debra Anastasia

You make the rest of the beautiful things in the world cry for even trying at all. You make it hard for me to breathe. — Debra Anastasia

As Livia dug her keys out of her pocket, she saw that Blake had been to her car.
It was covered with little bits of nature: long blades of grass, twigs, and stones. When she got closer she saw more. Blake had used the flora to spell sorry over and over on the hood. And the roof. And the trunk. — Debra Anastasia

This is what nibbling your ear sounds like." Blake created a soundtrack for his teeth.
"This is what looking into your eyes sounds like." The notes were deep and beckoning.
"This is what my mind hears when my tongue is in your mouth." The kiss sounded steamy and delicate. The rhythm was her heartbeat as he sampled her mouth.
"But when you smile. When you smile it's ... "
Blake scooted the keyboard around behind her. He needed both hands.
She put her hands on his face and smiled in amazement as the music exploded. She couldn't imagine how her simple facial gesture could inspire such a majestic sound.
He smiled back. "One thousand nine hundred and ten."
"So many? Really?"
"Yes, really. And it's not nearly enough. I want to lose count, Livia. Make me lose count." His hands left the beautiful music and grabbed handfuls of her hair. — Debra Anastasia

Beckett, where's Eve?"
When he had her pressed to his chest, she tried again. "Are you going to tell me or what?"
Beckett sighed and looked into her face. "I left her, babycakes. She needs wings, not handcuffs."
He held Livia tighter, like she was a teddy bear.
She stopped moving her feet and hugged him around the neck. "You're not handcuffs. Don't you know that? She loves you. She does, I've seen it."
Beckett resumed dancing, dipping her again. "Look around, Whitebread. She's not here. She didn't try to stop me from coming. Her heart belongs to a dead man and a dream. I'm neither of those things." Beckett released her and clapped for the end of the song. He reached in his pocket and produced a crumpled envelope. "Here's my gift to you guys. I'm sure Blake won't want to accept it, but I'm hoping you'll convince him. For me. — Debra Anastasia

After soft kisses, they pressed their hands together palm to palm. The tingling scattered all over Livia's body, warming her.
"Do you feel that?" she whispered with a smile.
His lips moved in his silent count. Blake wrapped his fingers around her hand. She copied the movement. Their hands together now resembled a heart-not a cartoon rendering of the shape, but a real human heart.
He touched her lips with his and murmured, "I've been feeling it since you first smiled at me. — Debra Anastasia

Blake climbed in her passenger seat and pushed his mask up to reveal his face - even with the sun out! Livia kissed him and kissed him and kissed him. When she started her car, she was sure her cheeks would crack from smiling so much. — Debra Anastasia

There isn't a single spot I'll miss tonight, my wife." Blake pulled her against him, tilting her head until he could kiss her again. His fingers and lips made her moan. He placed a hand on her stomach and the other behind her neck. "How many times can I make you come before you can't take it anymore?"
"I think we might have one to count already."
"Really? Just from talking? Imagine what'll happen when you feel my tongue inside you." Blake backed her up against the bed.
"Get on the bed, Livia. That lingerie is about to be a very pretty necklace. — Debra Anastasia

Livia's eyes filled with grateful tears.
Blake brushed them away. "Now you cry? After I've made love to you?"
"It's just that you're the kindest person in the world. And you're here with me. I'll never stop feeling lucky." She burrowed her face into his warm hug. She felt his kiss on her hair.
"Livia, the luck belongs to me," he whispered. "The kindness belongs to you. One lifetime will never be enough for us. — Debra Anastasia

Number 198 was wonderful too. Blake had watched a good-looking and ridiculously pretentious guy hit on Livia. The fancy man dropped expensive name after name as he showed her all his accessories. When he finally pulled out his wallet to show her a "highly desirable luxury credit card" Livia had rolled her eyes in Blake's direction with smile number 198. He'd had to swallow a snicker when he heard her tell the fancy man she was debt free and didn't even have credit cards.
Blake knew that was a lie because he'd seen her pay for tickets with a card at the train station. That made number 198 a secret joke between just the two of them. — Debra Anastasia

Is that shooting star just a happy accident or has the universe had it planned for a thousand years?"
He tilted his face to the sky, his eyes tracking an imaginary star as it screamed to earth. He looked back to her. "Either way, you can't stop it. You can beg it to slow down or you can just enjoy the show."
"Am I the star in this story or you?"
Blake wrinkled his nose and chuckled. "Was that a bad analogy? I meant we're the star, Livia. Us. This." He shrugged his shoulders like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Us being in the same atmosphere is either a great cosmic catastrophe or the most serendipitous rendezvous. — Debra Anastasia

I prayed for you. Did you know that? Of course not. I've prayed for him to have someone like you since before we left foster care. Maybe it was a selfish prayer. I didn't want to have to worry about Blake out here. And now you are here - an answer to prayer - and I resent you, he said. His eyes held an ominous contempt that eerily reminded Livia of Eve the RoboBlonde. — Debra Anastasia

Blake sat down as well, facing her. The moon now claimed the sky as hers, surfacing slowly over the trees. Blake tested her hand-drawn keys, and in his head he heard a full piano play his heart out loud for her.
Livia clapped when he was done. She put her hand behind his head and pulled his lips close. "I think I heard it," she whispered before kissing him. — Debra Anastasia

She batted her lashes again. He stopped and looked at her, his hands full of champagne, flutes, and a glass bowl full of strawberries. Blake bit his tongue.
After a deep sigh he gave Livia a command. "Do not do that again. I'm trying to exercise some self-control here."
Livia pouted and batted her lashes some more.
He smiled and shook his head. "Damn it. You'll pay for that. — Debra Anastasia