I'm not Mr. Settle-Down-and-Start-a-Family.

I tried it, failed it, lived the scars of it.

When you find your wife tangled in the sheets with your best friend, that kind of betrayal changes a man.

So I chose isolation, retreating to the mountains where solitude became my sanctuary. I built a life of careful routine: managing my businesses, crafting custom furniture, and keeping everyone at a safe distance.

Simple. Controlled. Protected.

Then, Quinn Prescott moved into my downstairs rental, and my carefully constructed world began to crack. Her disarming smile and endless questions threatened to unravel years of meticulously built defenses.

Those innocent doe eyes hid secrets as deep as my own, and despite every instinct screaming at me to keep my distance, I found myself craving just one taste of her sweetness.

But one taste wasn't enough.

It became an all-consuming need to claim her, to make her mine.

Each touch was an addiction, every kiss ignited something I couldn't control.

Just as I began to believe I could risk opening my heart again, my past came thundering back, reminding me exactly why I'd lived by my rules for so long.

Only it was too late.

Quinn was carrying a secret of her own.

They say the past has a way of catching up with you.

What they don't tell you is that sometimes it collides with your present, leaving you to choose between the safety of solitude and the risk of everything you never knew you wanted.

Javi WIlder