Peyton and her sister Valerie were in a happy family when they were little. They had both parents, and a nice home in Boston, MA. Peyton was three, and Valerie was two, when their father left them. Their world turned upside down. Olivia, their mother, turned to alcohol and the girls had to piece together what happened by themselves. Now, fourteen years later, in Louisiana, the single mother is still running from social securities. When Peyton and Valerie are found, they meet their father and have to go live back in Boston. It looks like fourteen years with their mother, and the rest of their lives being held over their father's head. When they've lost all they ever really knew, how will these girls face the man that left them in the dirt, to survive by themselves?
As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]