Can two broken men build one life? Ten years. That’s what Makai lost for a crime he didn’t commit. He’s been exonerated, but the abuse he suffered in prison isn’t so easy to leave behind. He heads to the one place he remembers being happy: Acker, Wisconsin, where he spent summers with his grandpa. Unfortunately, not everyone wants Makai there. Ten days. That’s how long Emil, now twenty-one, was held prisoner as a teenager. The mental and physical injuries he suffered at the hands of a drug trafficking ring still haunt him. Nightmares, anxiety, and PTSD challenge the connection forming between Makai and Emil, though together, they might find a way to move beyond their pain and into a future -- and a relationship -- that both had thought impossible. Now they just have to convince Emil’s father, the town sheriff. It won’t be easy with danger closer than they know ...

“I could help, maybe?” Emil suggested. “I mean, I’ve helped Dad with some renovation stuff a few times.”


“Really?” Makai looked pleased for the offer.


“Yeah. We’ll figure out a good day for it. It’s Wednesday now, so there’s a couple of days.”


“Great. I want to build the bench and bolt it in too. There’s still a couple of boards I need to replace and then make the bench and a railing. It’s probably faster with another set of hands helping me.”


“They aren’t much, but they work.” Emil held out his free hand and showed Makai his battered fingers.


Emil gestured toward the rocks on the shore, and they sat down, not quite side by side, but the distance made it all comfortable and calming instead of stifling.


Chapter 44