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

“The librarian? Sally at the grocery store? Katherine?” The blare of a horn brought him out of his reverie. Shit! He ducked his head and pedaled as hard as he could, hoping to God Aiden hadn’t noticed him circling the parking lot in front of his apartment. He laughed painfully, recalling the times in high school he’d trolled Aiden’s neighborhood, shirt off, new jeans snug on his hips, silently praying his best friend would see him as something more.


His face warmed when he thought of the time Aiden had caught him. He’d been riding in lazy circles on the street.


Startled, he’d jerked his head up and nearly crashed into a parked car when he spotted Aiden on his porch watching him, a small grin on the sexy lips Tris had just been dreaming of.


He’d pedaled into the driveway and stopped, straddling the bike. “Um…hi.”


Chapter 14