Is a gift of love enough to open Aiden’s heart and let Tris back in?<br><br>After the car accident that killed his parents and left his sister paralyzed, Tris is left with nothing. His family is destroyed. His reputation is shot. And all he has is the guilt of knowing it was all his fault. People in town know he’d been drinking that night, and know he should never have gotten behind the wheel. And even Aiden, the man he thought he’d be with forever, blames him too much to stay.<br><br>But Tris can’t let him just disappear. After months of loneliness and isolation, Tris brings Aiden a gift on his birthday, a hawk he’s carved from a chunk of wood they’d found in the forest during an afternoon of love. A small chink seems to open in Aiden’s heart, the first sign of forgiveness. With renewed hope, Tris takes a job renovating one of the older homes in town and tries to rebuild his life. But the townspeople have long memories, and when his sister’s condition worsens, forgiveness -- and Aiden -- seem to slip even further out of reach ...

Without Aiden

Tris gathered the needed supplies and went to the front counter, desperate to be done and out in the fresh air. He put the boxes of finishing nails, cement screws, and binding wire next to the register and checked the list to make sure he hadn’t overlooked anything. Silence at the counter made him glance up. Pete Phelps, the owner’s son, sneered at him from across the counter. Tris took a step back into a hard body directly behind him. Hands gripped his arms. “Going somewhere?”


“Get the fuck off me.” Tris jerked away, breaking the painful hold. Goddamn.He wouldhave to run into the two assholes who’d made his life hell in school.


“Careful, Steve. He’s killed before, remember.”


Fury engulfed Tris and he made a lunge across the counter at Pete. “Shut the fuck up!”


Chapter 9