Dominique Velasco has never needed someone to complete her. She doesn't chase love, and she doesn't understand why people insist that a life must have a purpose. She simply lives. Stephen Arguelles built his life around giving someone the weight of his own. Intentionally or not, he caused damage he could never undo. He is stubborn. Guarded. Difficult. He knows what he did, and he doesn't ask to be forgiven. What do you call it when the only language you know is ruin? And what do you call it when the only language you know is simply being present? This isn't love. This is something else.

Alex built a life around control. Ren spent years believing he had none. When two people carrying different kinds of silence meet, what kind of quiet will they create? Smoke and Lavender is a romance about trust, healing, and the courage to stay. Like smoke that stays. Like lavender that lingers. bc by: iamqueenwarrior