Asher Wells used me up and threw me out like I meant nothing. When I fell for his empty promises, he left the next morning without a word, and I vowed to never speak his name again. Seven years later, he showed up as the new gym teacher at the elementary school I taught at. All I wanted was to pretend he wasn’t there. But there was something about him that made me vulnerable. Maybe it was because, at one point, he knew me better than I knew myself, or maybe it was because he could make me feel things I didn’t feel with my fiancé. I kept things professional until Asher decided to remind me just why I’d fallen for him in the first place.

Luca Reed played me like I was his favorite monopoly piece. When one foolish decision led me into his bed again, he said it was a mistake and I vowed to avoid him like the plague he was. A year later, my best friend dubbed me her maid of honor, and we booked it to a tropical paradise for her wedding. The hype of spending an entire week soaking up sun rays fizzled when I found out Luca was the best man. All I wanted was to pretend he didn’t exist. But there was something about the charismatic ER nurse that made my common sense fly out the window. Maybe it was the way his baby-blues stripped me of all my defenses whenever he looked my way, or maybe it was because he could make me feel things I didn’t feel with anyone else. My conviction stayed firm until enticing run-ins with Luca reminded me just how irresistible his charm could be.

Flynn Rockwell abandoned me like an unwanted pet. When I fell for promises of forever, he left our cozy town in the middle of the night without a word, and I vowed to not let his absence affect me. A decade later, I was healing from an abusive relationship when Flynn moved back to town. Knowing he was back spurred up old feelings and unanswered questions. The last thing I needed was to get involved with Flynn again, but when I happened upon his broke-down tractor on the side of the road, it became clear that he’d been through his fair share of demons. There was no way I could get him out of my mind, especially after reading the letters he’d written me while he was away.