Everything changed the night I met Charlie Callahan.

Charlie introduced me to things I had never tried before; hard cider, skinny dipping and kissing. So much kissing. In turn, I shared things of my own with him. Stockcar racing, my love of taking photos and my innocence. An innocence that Charlie took from me when I offered it to him, because I thought he was different. But I had been wrong.

Charlie had said he was mine and that we would be together no matter what anyone told us.

It didnt matter that we were going to be stepbrothers or that we were from completely different worlds. Except he lied to me just like everyone had warned he would I guess I was na?ve to believe someone like Charlie could care for someone like me.

I managed to move on.

I toughened myself up and began my racing career, but I never really got over the one that got away; the one that broke my heart. And now Charlies here again. He keeps telling me things that I want to hear. That he loves me, and he wants us to be together. And he wants to explain why he ghosted me.

The walls I built around my heart arent strong enough to keep him out.

And Im not sure I want to anymore.

** This is book six in the Wide Open Series. It can be read as a standalone but is more enjoyable if read in order. **

The hockey player and the rockstar; thats what we were supposed to be.

Blake Duncan was going to be this award-winning musician and I would be the hot shot goalie. And we would be together, just like we had talked about. I wasnt supposed to go behind Blakes back, even if it was to save him from a life he didnt deserve. Blake had every right to be angry with me. I just never thought he would leave without saying goodbye.

My life was never the same without him. My career was not nearly as amazing as his; not as bright and shiny, but I managed. I carried around guilt that was stifling me; until the night of the accident that changed everything. The only person I wanted to comfort me was Blake, my best friend and soulmate. Only he wasnt there. I was still alone. I was broken.

Now my brother Jackson is getting married, and his fiancé just happens to be the drummer in Blakes band. Which means hell be coming home; well see one another for the first time in years and it terrifies me. Im not the same boy I was when he left. Im angry and anxious. Riddled with PTSD from the accident. Im scared to find out what hell think when he sees me again. What if he found someone else to be what I couldnt?

Blakes still beautiful. Sparkling stars on a dark night. And I still want him despite trying to stay away. When he tells me he still loves me, I want to say it back. But if I cant let him kiss me, how can we be together? I find myself slowly breaking all my rules for Blake. He makes me feel like myself again.

For the first time in years, I find myself smiling, laughing, and hopeful. Maybe we can still have the future we wanted? Be together and live happily ever after. There is no one else that I want but Blake.

I was eighteen years old when Andy Olson broke my heart.

Andy was the golden boy. The son of a musical genius and a hockey superstar. Everyone wanted him, and yet he wanted ME.

He loved me. Until he didnt.

The breakup caught me off guard, it ripped me apart from the inside out. My brother and friends picked me back up, but things were never the same.

I moved on somehow, and started racing full-time like I always wanted. My career was thriving. I was making new friends and mending my heart. Until that night Andy showed up again

And everything came crumbling back down.

*Please be aware that this book contains suicidal thoughts and actions, drug use, excessive drinking, talk of childhood abonnement and depression. Please read at your own risk.*