Sweetest Reminder

If life has taught me anything it’s that family is everything… a lesson I learned a little too late.

Leaving Lavender Falls after the accident wasn’t about running away from the people I loved, it was about outrunning my grief… or at least trying to.

Moving on felt like forgetting, but starting over felt like betrayal.
I tried both. And I failed.

Now I’m back for another funeral, but this time I’m not a scared teenager with nothing to lose, I’m a single mom with everything on the line. Including my heart.

The past has a funny way of sneaking up on you… every nook and cranny of this small town is overflowing with memories and what could have beens. Including Eli Evans—my sweetest reminder.

I didn’t see it then, back when I loved his brother. Not even when he picked up the pieces and dried my tears after his Ollie died. But I see it now, in the way he looks at me. Eli is helping me repair more than just the rundown cottage I inherited.

Life isn’t picture perfect, but falling for him brings on a fresh wave of guilt. I just hope the secrets I’ve been keeping don’t damage our second chance.