Max struggled through every day in high school, especially when his hormones seemed to crave boys rather than girls. His best friend Mason and Mason’s younger brother Jamie made a bright spot in his teen life, until he confessed to Mason he was gay. Mason responded by ripping away all his joy, ending their friendship, and warning Max against seeing Jamie. Max is a policeman now, comfortable in his sexuality but private and wary, taking solace in his job and the friendship of his golden retriever, Alex. But the past he thought was behind him demands resolution when a prickly, wounded, shockingly sexy Jamie gets arrested, and Max comes to the rescue.

Jamie and Max are back. Now married to each other, they're still the same guys they used to be: emotional, insecure, playful Jamie and quiet, strong, protective Max. There are some small issues in their relationship—such as how incredibly vulnerable Jamie is to any critical words from Max—and they do occasionally argue. But overall, things are going well. Or at least, Max thinks they are. Until Jamie disappears without a word. Certain the love of his life is dead, Max suffers the worst depression of his life, tormented by thoughts of Jamie's suffering. And then Jamie reappears, uninjured and apparently perfectly whole. Can Max ever forgive him, even enough to find out why he disappeared, or is their relationship as dead as he thought Jamie was? Sequel to "You Were Always the One" Length: 25,000 words Heat level: low

Love him or hate him, there's only one Jamie Wyzacki, the dramatic, insecure painter who desperately loves his policeman husband. Now you can hear what life is like from Jamie's point of view. He struggles as Max pulls away from him, working longer hours and dealing with his father's illness. Is Jamie still a basket case? Yes, he is…but he won't give up on the man he loves, no matter what. Jamie is the most insecure man in the world. But knowing it—and knowing his husband Max truly loves him—doesn't always fix everything. Especially when Max starts withdrawing emotionally and working longer hours than ever. His reasons may be good—and may not be—but his absence is tearing the still-fragile Jamie apart. Jamie, with his tendency to be a basket case and his own worst critic, is completely unprepared to deal with being the strong one. It starts innocently enough—Jamie overhears his father-in-law make a slighting comment about him…and Max is utterly silent in reply. That's enough to jump-start Jamie's insecurities. Add in Max's newly overloaded schedule and distracted state over his father's poor health, and pretty soon Jamie is as big a mess as he ever was. Insecurities dog him, and so do past issues. He can't sleep without getting nightmares when Max isn't there. And so often, Max isn't there. He is withdrawing emotionally because of his father—and more, because of Jamie's inability to be completely open with him. Every marriage has rough spots. Jamie and Max's is no exception. Through it all, Jamie tries to make the best of his world and get over his vulnerabilities. And then life throws them another curveball… 64,000 words Heat low