*First in the Fire Whiskey series*
'What if I was making the wrong choice again, picking the bad guy over the steady and reliable one? Because as I lay there in Steve's arms thinking about Brad, this became a very real choice...and the choice slowly become a decision. No matter how I looked at the situation, I wasn't shaking these new feelings. I had chosen Brad without meaning to, and laying with Steve suddenly felt wrong. Very, very, wrong. Like I was cheating, but he was the one I was engaged to!'
Paige accidentally discovers love the way it was meant to be with her fiance's ex-best friend as she pushes for them to reconcile the past, but the two seem destined to be star-crossed lovers as the unforeseen keeps Steve in her life. Brad is quiet, mysterious, always in control. His calming presence spreads through her soul like fire whiskey does in her body. Steve is steadfast, morally upright, dedicated, and simple.
She is also haunted by her traumatic history with Jay, and struggles to move beyond the abuse he put her through, which is affecting her relationship with Brad.
Paige wrestles with self-doubt, self-destruction, working through trauma, PTSD, grief, and loss. She is a beautiful and talented singer, with a charming and sweet personality, and encompasses a huge capacity for love in spite of how broken she has been.
Content Warning: This book contains mature content and potential triggers including sex, domestic violence, miscarriage, suicide attempt, PTSD, depression, violence, and cheating.
Published on Wattpad November 2021
I stood with my back to her, shielding her, and my murderous eyes stared down at the poor excuse of a man, promising unimaginable pain if he dared to move or even flinch. The enormity of control it took me to suppress the impulse to eradicate the piece of scum, who dared to even think about laying a hand on a woman, was inconceivable. My whole body was trembling with rage.
The guy was intimidated by the fury in my eyes and stumbled back to his intoxicated friends who were too dazed to understand the situation. I was disappointed and relieved at the same time that the chaos didn't end in a fist fight.
When I turned around to console her, she was gone. And as I looked around, I saw her back just leaving the bar through the entrance. I hurried out to follow her. She walked ahead of me aimlessly and disoriented like a wounded animal that had just escaped the claws of death. My heart ached for her.
I found a kindred soul in her. She evidently had been wounded in the past. Just like me. But in an even worse way than I had been hurt, and it angered me, that someone had dared to harm her.
***
Eden Marie Simmons is still recovering after escaping an abusive relationship when she meets Keane, the broody and enigmatic neighbor who is shrouded in mystery.
Both are still being haunted by their past and are not ready for a new commitment, but when fate repeatedly puts them in each other's paths, they can't deny their attraction for each other.
Life challenges them both with secrets, lies, and broken trusts, and confronts them with their pasts.
They both must learn to be brave enough to love again.
***
Story is previously called "Paradise Lies"