Annie: As a child I was unwanted and unloved. Tossed aside until my maternal grandmother came to claim me. Life got better after that, and it got better still when I met Ethan Michaels, the boy down the street who was determined to make me feel like I mattered. At first he was my friend, but then he became much more. But love isn’t real. Not in my world.

When Ethan left to pursue professional hockey I had to make a clean break. I couldn’t wait for him to find someone better, couldn’t wait for him to break my heart. It’s better to leave than be left. But now he’s back, and I can't run from him anymore.

Worse…he won't let me.

Ethan: Annie Fraser owned me as a kid. She owns me still. When I got my first contract to play professional hockey I asked her to come with me, but she wouldn’t leave Rawdon, not while her grandmother was sick. I understood. Still, I wanted to stay together, do whatever I could to keep her.

But she wanted to run. I loved her enough to let her.

Now I’m back in town and I’m still pissed. I think I hate her. I’m sure of it. Until I see her… and those old feelings come rushing back. I won’t let her walk away again. I don’t care what it takes.

keywords: hockey, nurse, contemporary, romance, new adult, second chance, psychological