CarterI was grateful for my second chance at life and discovering a family I never knew existed. Relocating my company and myself from South Carolina to Los Angeles brought me closer to them.

They were all happily married, except my brother Gabriel, who was engaged to the love of his life. I didn’t trust women, and for good reason.

I was only interested in what they could offer me in the bedroom—one night, a coffee to go the following day, and out the door. Then I saw and met this beautiful woman who was stranded on the side of the highway.

She was Zoey Morgan and moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream. Her beauty captured my attention, and the desire to spend more time with her intrigued and unsettled me.

She and I were complicated, but I questioned whether Zoey held the key to overcoming my fear of trust. ZoeyMy grandmother’s words echoed in my mind—dreams demand effort to become a reality.

In her memory, I left Sacramento for Los Angeles to pursue my dreams. When my car broke down on the highway, a charismatic stranger named Carter Kind came to my rescue.

Despite my initial reluctance, he insisted on dinner, and his persistence proved impossible to resist. My history with relationships was complicated.

Six months was the limit before the urge to escape overwhelmed me. Comfort became suffocation, which prompted my need to get out.

I was focused only on my dream of opening a bakery, and the last thing I needed was the complication of falling for Carter Kind. I was treading in dangerous waters, yet I wondered if he could be the one to break the pattern of relationship suffocation that had defined my life.

18+. .