Justin O'Dwyer is 19. Four days ago, his mother died of a drug overdose, and now Justin is back in Enterprise, Oregon, trying to figure out how to raise the younger siblings he's afraid of losing to the foster system. Justin is completely out of his depth. Harper is six, and hates him. Wyatt is four and doesn't remember him. And baby Scarlett, at fourteen months, has never even met her big brother before. When Scarlett gets sick and won't stop screaming, and when Harper runs off in the middle of the night, Justin is at the end of his tether. In desperation, he knocks on a neighbor's door begging for help.<br><br>Del Abbot is 38, and living in his grandparents' old place in Enterprise after his marriage broke down and he lost his restaurant in the divorce. He's a chef, even had his own show on cable for a while, but now he's looking for a new start, if he could just figure out what exactly that entails. When the O'Dwyer family barrels into his life one night, Del can't refuse to help. What begins as a trip to the hospital becomes a regular child-minding gig while Justin struggles to find his feet. And the more time Del spends with Justin, the more they both want more than friendship. But small town life comes with its own bigotry, and, in Justin's case, that bigotry has always been close to home.<br><br>When an act of violence threatens to destroy the small family they've built, both Justin and Del need to put aside their pasts and reach for their future together.

Family Recipe

“No, no you’re not. You’re baked Alaska.” Del went and kissed the top of her head. “I’m so happy you’re here.”


Once they got going, they had to force each other to pause for a late lunch. Abigail insisted on making savory crepes—one of her best dishes—and Del took that time to text Justin.


Hey. Everything okay in there? Missed you guys at breakfast.


When Justin didn’t reply immediately, Del left the phone on the table and tidied up the downstairs and threw a load of laundry into the machine. Those were the constant things when you had kids, it seemed. He just wished that the kids had been home.


They were just finishing eating lunch when Del’s phone vibrated on the table.


We’re ok. Have fun with Abigail. Ttyl.


“Talk to you later,” Abigail replied, grinning at him fondly. “They okay?”


“So he says. I just…something feels off,” Del admitted as he cut his last piece of crepe into two.


Chapter 58