Origin story to the Family Comes First series by Mason Fitzgibbon. The Wilcox family's horrifying and twisted traditions all began in 1873. Joseph: After the death of their parents, Joseph's younger brother announces he is leaving the farm and moving his family to New York City. Joseph is overcome with betrayal and is terrified that the Wilcox family will disappear. His son, Miles, is the only one to carry on the family name. The only problem is that Miles has always been...different. His odd behavior made him the scapegoat for the church fire a few years ago, and now, no one nearby will associate with the family. When Joseph meets Maisie, at a tavern, he realizes what he must do to ensure the survival of the Wilcox family. Maisie: Having a family was always a dream for Maisie. Her own family was full of abuse and abandonment. She only had her grandmother to rely on, but after her death, she was trapped in hell. Desperate for money, she begins selling herself to the men at the local tavern. She has a series of regulars that take turns tormenting her each night. When Joseph walks into the tavern, she sees a potential new customer. Completely unaware of his sinister plans, she leaves with him, not knowing that her life will never be the same. She finally gets a family, but at what cost? *This story can be read as a standalone *Thank you to @iamrodneyvsmith for the amazing cover

𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭. 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈'𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. LILLIE SOMMERS thought love would protect her. That Grayson Sterling-the man who made her feel seen-would stand by her side when it mattered most. But when the laughter in the boardroom got too loud, he said nothing. When they humiliated her, he looked away. And when she broke... she broke alone. Now she's done playing the girl who waits. She's taking her power back-piece by painful piece. And if Grayson wants her forgiveness, he'll have to crawl for it. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬. GRAYSON STERLING had everything-status, control, and the quiet belief that Lillie would always be his. But it took losing her to realize he never really had her at all. Now he's haunted by the echo of her silence, obsessed with the fire in her eyes, and desperate to prove he's still the man she once loved... or at least the man he should have been. 𝐀 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧, 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐭, 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. For fans of broken boys, unbreakable girls, and second chances that burn before they heal.