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

He’d stopped in front of Aiden and ran his gaze over the delicious lines of his body, waiting to be noticed. He’d finally cleared his throat and Aiden raised his eyes, the blue depths smoldering with anger. He’d blinked several times and then a reluctant grin had tugged the corner of his lush mouth. “Hi, Tris.”


Aiden had flushed and Tris had tugged on his shirt, drawing him into a quiet corner behind and to the right of the bar. “What is it?”


Aiden’s shoulders had slumped as he rested his forehead against Tris’s. Tris had slipped his arms around his waist. To hell with the disapproving eyes of the town. His boyfriend had sighed, and Tris had taken a deep breath, his attention wandering as the scent of spicy cologne and the warmth of Aiden’s body had surrounded him. Almost forgetting where they were, he’d bent to kiss Aiden’s neck, but a stray laugh brought him up short.


Chapter 17