Finding Her Light

Dakota Norix has spent her entire life learning how to survive.
At twenty-five, she works at a toy company, creating happiness for children while hiding a life no one would believe. Behind oversized hoodies and quiet smiles are secrets she refuses to share-an abusive father, a home filled with fear, and the constant pressure of protecting the only person who matters: her six-year-old sister, Juniper.
Juniper-her "June Bug"-is Dakota's reason for everything. Keeping her safe means taking the hits, keeping the peace, and making sure she never sees the truth of what happens behind closed doors.
But Dakota's carefully controlled world begins to shift the day she meets Winter Stone.
Winter is everything Dakota isn't used to-gentle, patient, and quietly strong. Seven months pregnant with twin boys after surviving a trauma of her own, Winter is trying to rebuild a life that was never supposed to look like this. When their paths cross, something unexpected begins to grow between them-something soft, steady, and real.
For Dakota, it's terrifying.
For the first time, someone sees her... and doesn't turn away.
As their connection deepens, the walls Dakota built to survive start to crack. But the life she's trying to escape isn't ready to let her go-and loving someone might be the most dangerous risk she's ever taken.
Because when survival is all you've ever known...
Choosing love means learning how to fight for something more.