Ryan has news for Lee that can’t be told over the phone or by email, and he dreads the outcome… Ryan is on his way to see his first love, Lee, who moved to a village in the middle of nowhere to escape his mother and her cruel ways. At Lee’s cabin, Ryan faces emotions that upset him, and realises he loves Lee more than he thought. He drops a bombshell on Lee, who needs time alone to digest the news. Ryan is left wondering if he did the right thing, but what else could he have done? He’s always been blinded by Lee’s love, and he can’t imagine that light ever going out…

Lee and Ryan, eighteen-year-old men, admit the love they have shared since childhood is more than just friendship. Lee still lives at home with his domineering mother, who makes it quite clear she’s anti-gay. Since Lee’s father left the marital home, Lee’s mother has punished him physically and mentally, ensuring he keeps his love for Ryan secret. One night, when Lee’s mother goes out, the two young men explore one another in Lee’s room. After an explosive revelation, Lee leaves home, the need to sift through his past and come to terms with who he is paramount. Someone makes it clear Lee must never come back to town, frightening Lee into agreement. The only problem is, he’ll be leaving Ryan behind…

After years spent apart, Ryan and Lee get together again. Is their love still burning? Lee settles into life in his new home, missing Ryan but needing the time away to ensure his feelings for his friend are real. Plus, he wants to give Ryan a chance to meet someone else if he chooses to. However, their bond isn’t to be broken, and neither man find new partners, preferring to keep in contact with one another via email and phone calls. One day, Ryan arrives unexpectedly at Lee’s—with news Lee wasn’t expecting. Lee has decisions to make regarding his mother, but he makes them alone, asking Ryan for a little space. Ryan gives it, and Lee must face the demons he’s struggled with for so long. Decisions reached, Lee and Ryan decide to become a permanent couple—and face the future together.

Lee and Ryan make their way back to the town where they grew up, but upon their return to Lee’s cabin, something isn’t right… Blurb: Lee buries his mother, confused with the feelings her death has inspired. He thought he’d feel free, but emotions he didn’t expect come to the fore. After an altercation with an old school friend, they pack up Ryan’s things and head for Biddingford and Lee’s cabin. Something isn’t right, though, and Ryan and Lee face a frightening adversary who just can’t let the past go…

Ryan takes Lee away to recuperate, but once again, someone from their past catches up with them. Blurb: After Lee leaves hospital to further recover from being shot, Ryan takes them on a long weekend. They stay in a hotel and enjoy one another’s company, taking strolls on the beach and eating in the local pub. During one beach walk, one of their old adversaries shows up, letting Ryan and Lee know in no uncertain terms that the gang leader hasn’t finished with them yet. Ryan has always brushed off the fact that some people are anti-gay, but now he is forced to accept that as much as he wishes people would just leave them alone, you don’t always get what you wish for.

Lee and Ryan, away for a long weekend to try and accept the terrible events that have plagued their lives, both learn that despite the horrors they have endured, they still have the most important thing—each other. Acceptance is sometimes hard, and understanding their lives is even harder, but a few words from an old man transforms their outlook and gives them new reasons to move forward and bury their pasts.

After keeping in touch via email and telephone while they’ve been apart, Ryan and Lee find themselves back together again after a tragic event. Lee must come to terms with his childhood—bullied by his mother and youths—and Ryan wants to help his lover through that. However, life has a strange habit of throwing curveballs. Ryan and Lee must face the past in a way they hadn’t envisaged—the bullies of Lee’s childhood coming back to haunt them in the form of gang members wielding guns. Together, Lee and Ryan stand tall, and despite some dangerous and frightening events, where both men could lose their lives, they survive the odds.