What Stays

Danielle Harrison knows when a child is asking for help, even when they do it quietly. So when eight-year-old Willa Hayes starts shutting down in class, writing stories about leaving, and finally gets into a fight that forces the school's hand, Danielle expects a difficult meeting with another checked-out adult. She does not expect Elliot Calloway.

Thirty-four, sharp-suited, and impossible to ignore, Elliot is Willa's wealthy uncle and legal guardian, a corporate attorney who stepped in without hesitation when nobody else would. He gives Willa everything money can buy. Danielle sees immediately what's still missing.

They clash from the start. Danielle thinks he's emotionally absent. Elliot thinks she's beautiful, correct, and entirely too involved. But as Willa's hurt deepens and the lines between school meetings and late-night conversations begin to blur, Danielle and Elliot find themselves pulled into something far more dangerous than attraction. Because for Willa, love has always meant somebody eventually leaves. And for the first time, Danielle and Elliot are going to have to decide whether they're brave enough to stay.