I ran from danger and landed here in Kelly Lakes hoping to put my past behind me. I didn't expect to almost faint into the arms of a cop upon arrival.

You know the type. The one with the heart of gold and bedroom eyes.

Mike is also seven years my junior… and my new boss's son.

It doesn't matter if our chemistry is immediately undeniable. Or if I catch him watching me with pure yearning on his handsome face. I'm not looking for a relationship after what I just survived.

Good thing Mike swears up and down he doesn't believe in true love.

Except he goes out of his way to protect me, to understand me. To keep me safe every time I feel afraid. He's chasing away the dark shadows that linger, even in this idyllic town. But as our electrifying passion burns hotter, the danger I thought I'd escaped returns leaving me with an impossible choice.

Stay with the man I'm falling helplessly in love with or leave to keep him safe?

The only woman I've ever loved is the one I can't have.

Going from uncle to father overnight meant me moving back to my hometown after two decades away. Now, I'm trying to pick up the pieces and do right by a little girl who just wants her mom.

When my twentieth high school reunion rolls around, I come face-to-face with Emily, the ex whose heart I broke before she could break mine. Old feelings come rushing back, but I don't have time to grieve, let alone start a relationship.

Regardless of the palpable temptation to restore what we lost, all I can offer Emily is an apology and friendship.

But the lines I've drawn start to blur when she becomes my niece's soccer coach and I spend the entire season on the sidelines pretending I'm not wondering what might happen if we had a second chance.

Everything changes in one liquor-fueled night of confessions. I have no choice but to fight for Emily, for what we could have together. I've already wasted too much of my life without her in my arms, in my bed.

Maybe the second time's the charm…