Unkept

Ten years ago, Violette Landry fled the quiet confines of her Quebec hometown, severing the one connection that had ever felt unbreakable. She left behind William Lamarre-the boy who knew her better than anyone-and with him, the pieces of herself she could no longer bear to face.
Now, a charged summer has dragged them back into each other's orbit, shattering a decade of careful distance. He's no longer the easygoing boy she once loved; he's a man forged by time and steady resolve, unwilling to watch her disappear again. She's constructed a polished life in Dallas-career, independence, walls high enough to keep everyone at arm's length-but his presence stirs memories she's spent years burying, and his touch awakens a hunger she swore she'd outgrown.
Old wounds resurface alongside undeniable heat. She tells herself this is temporary, that she can walk away unscathed. He knows better. Some roots run too deep to be torn out twice.

Slow burn, second chance romance, mature