Iris ᥫ᭡

After losing her sister to cancer, Iris feels like she's barely surviving. Home is anything but safe, and every day is a battle she never asked to fight. The only place she truly feels at peace is surrounded by the animals she cares for as a zookeeper or taking walks around her neighborhood.

Michael, a kind-hearted nurse as well as a lacrosse player, never expected to reconnect with the quiet girl he met at school. As he gets to know Iris, he begins to see the pain hidden behind her guarded smile. What starts as friendship slowly turns into something deeper, and Michael finds himself wanting to help her heal.

But love can't erase trauma, and some wounds run far deeper than anyone can see or anyone can fix.

Can Iris learn to trust and love someone with her heart again, or will the weight of her past keep her from the future she deserves?

***
That draws out a laugh from him.

I don't startle at the sudden sound, but at the feeling that stirs something in my chest.

I stopped feeling any sort of positive emotions a long time ago, but the sound of his laugh... it sounds like something hummingbirds are supposed to sing in the morning sky.

A melody that's not meant for human voices, only human ears.

But somehow, he just sang it.....

***