Jax left without looking back, and it shattered me. But that was nothing compared to what happened when he was gone.

The spirited, passionate girl he first fell in love with no longer exists. I live as a shadow of my former self, a shell of damaged dreams and unfulfilled potential–too broken for second chances.

After seven years of silence, Jax barrels back into my life like he never left. A hot, confident, fearless soldier–home from the Army–carrying around old hurts and wearing new scars. In many ways, he understands me better now than when we were high school sweethearts.

But there’s one secret he can’t discover, one devastating moment from my past that can’t be revealed. If he learns why I never left Georgia, he’ll never forgive himself. Or me.