Emma Walsh doesn't do complicated. After escaping a controlling ex, she's built a quiet life in the suburbs—teaching yoga, keeping to herself, steering clear of men with baggage. Then firefighter Marcus Rivera moves in next door with his six-year-old daughter, and Emma's carefully constructed walls start to crumble. He's a single dad with kind eyes and capable hands. She's a woman who's forgotten how to trust. But sometimes the person you're running from isn't half as dangerous as the person you're running toward.
Introduction
Emma Walsh had three rules for her new life:
One: No men who came with complications. Two: No getting involved with neighbors. Three: Absolutely no falling for someone with kids.
She'd moved to this quiet Denver suburb specifically to avoid complications. After two years with Derek—two years of walking on eggshells, of second-guessing every decision, of slowly losing herself—she'd finally gathered the courage to leave. She'd packed her things while he was at work, left a note, and driven six hours to a city where he couldn't find her.
That was eight months ago.
Eight months of rebuilding. Of therapy. Of learning to trust her own judgment again. Of teaching yoga classes at the local studio and coming home to her small rental house where the only person who could disappoint her was herself.
It was quiet. It was safe. It was lonely as hell.
But lonely was better than trapped.
Emma had her life figured out. She had a plan....
Elena Hart knows about second chances. After spending years planning other people's perfect weddings, her own marriage ended in her late thirties. The journey through divorce, single motherhood, and eventually finding love again taught her that real romance is messy, complicated, and so much better than the fairy tales. Writing from her coastal cottage in Maine, Elena creates contemporary romances for women who've lived—who've loved, lost, raised kids, built careers, and survived heartbreak. Her stories feature mature heroines finding passion, pleasure, and happily-ever-afters that feel earned, not given.
