C.M. Youngren

I couldn’t trust my own blood or the man I married… Would I ever be able to put my life in another man's hands again? Once upon a time, I was daddy’s little girl, but that all changed the day my mother died, and my father became an abusive alcoholic. Scared and alone, I fled home at eighteen right into the arms of a man who turned out to be just like my father. I’d thought he’d hung the moon. But I was wrong Maybe dead wrong. Would my husband make good on his vows when he said, ‘Till death do us part? I didn’t know, but at twenty-three it wasn’t just my life that needed to be saved. And while I couldn’t risk help from another soul, the moment my eyes landed on Kace’s, a perfect stranger, I wanted to desperately sink into the protectiveness that shined in their depths. But after my past, could I trust him with my heart? Or more importantly, could I trust him with the life of my child?

Life had beaten me down until I felt dead inside…Would anyone care if I finally gave up the fight?When I was young, I never bothered to dream or play games. There were no gifts or laughter, much less love. I didn’t flutter through my childhood like a beautiful butterfly—no, for me, it was an ugly cycle of being tossed from one nightmarish foster home to another. Eventually, the only thing I wished for was for the pain inflicted on me to end and for my life to be over.But an angel saved me.And then helped guide me toward a new path.Finding purpose by helping others mended some of my shattered soul, but I still wasn’t fully living. My dark past haunted me; I had no desire to be close to a man. That was until Huntley burst into my life like a blazing wildfire. The handsome firefighter sparked something within me that had never existed before. But as damaged goods, I had no choice but to try and resist his unyielding charm and persistence.I should’ve been afraid—after all, as a man, he was the enemy. But I couldn’t silence the voice in my head that kept whispering, Maybe he’s the light to your darkness. Could Huntley put all the fragmented pieces back together and heal my broken heart?Contains Triggers...

They healed my broken heart... He has the power to break it. At five, I almost lost the battle. All alone, fighting for my life molded me into the person I am today. Surviving led me to the family I always wanted and the soul sisters I desperately needed. Without them, I don't know where I would be. With them, he was entwined into my world. Until he left. Now he's back. He's my best friend's older brother, so I should stay away, but the pull is undeniable. At twenty-four, I want to risk a piece of me I never have before. But will the uncertainty of the future, and what I may not be able to give him, make me lose the only man who's ever touched my heart or wanted to risk it?

Friendship and love brought us together… Would heartbreak keep us apart? Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, dirt poor, and neglected by the so-called parents that created me, left me cynical and closed off. I didn’t need or trust anyone except for my brother. So, I built a wall of armor around my heart that I believed not a single person except for him could touch. I was wrong. The girls scaled the wall. And then Landon brought it crumbling down. As I grew older, the passion between Landon and me intensified, becoming undeniable. And although I had the best friends a girl could ever ask for, I had been harboring two major secrets from them. First, the forbidden love that Landon and I once shared. Second, the loss which had caused a mountain of despair I buried deep in my soul that no one could ever mend. Not even Landon. Or could he?

I didn’t fit into their world... Would I fit into his? As a child, I wasn’t perceived as good enough by the two people who should have always adored and accepted me for who I am. Perpetually falling short in their eyes, I had not blessed my parents with the daughter they’d always dreamed of. Forced to endure a life I despised and suffer my illness without their compassion, made me feel lonely and unworthy of love. Until I found them. And then him. Astonishingly, I had been graced with two of the most amazing friends. Ones who cherished and supported me through the good and the bad. Yet, something was still missing. I yearned for my happily-ever-after, and I longed for it to be with Gyth. Could our two unlikely souls make a family of our own?

My best friend, one shared kiss, then he walked away…I would always love him, but did he deserve a second chance?My soul cried out in agony and my belief in love grew colder than the rain that soaked my body when he abandoned me. He was my best friend but also so much more. When he pressed his mouth to mine for the first time, gifting me with the kiss I’d craved forever, hope blossomed inside me.Yet then he said goodbye for what I thought was forever.But years later, fate brought us back together.I saved his life; now he wanted to return the favor. I didn’t want to need him, but when a sinister stranger threatened my daughter and me, he was who I turned to. Bronson was ex-military, turned cop—a born protector.He just might be the savior my little girl and I needed.That’s if I could shield my shattered heart.Problem was, Bronson not only wanted to mend our friendship but to also repeat the kiss we shared all those years ago. Did I dare allow his lips to touch mine again? Or did I play it safe and miss out on what could possibly be my happily ever after?

Betrayal, loss, and bloodshed destroyed my life… Would the guilt I harbored over it ever diminish? It should have been a day like any other. Instead, it was the day that a cruel twist of fate obliterated everything I cherished. For years I remained in hiding. All alone and with no one to trust, my heart was in shambles, my soul half-dead. But then, Paxton made me feel alive again. With him, I felt safe. The second I saw him, I knew he would be hard to ignore. And while I tried, my attempts to guard my fractured heart from him proved impossible when he pulled out all the stops to claim it as his own. After busting through my walls, he became my savior, best friend, and lover. Could the love of my very own protector, found family, and a monumental surprise stop me from running again? And the bigger question—did I deserve the new life he promised me?

Loss had me doubting happily-ever-after existed… Would family secrets destroy the notion forever? Every time my body trembled it took me back to the past, back to the day my childhood was turned upside down. What I thought was the perfect life—at least for a six-year-old—ended and sorrow swept in, freezing a part of me I didn’t think happiness could ever touch again. Losing my parents rocked my world. Meeting him flip it on its axle. I learned to mask and downplay my true feelings, using my sass to guide me through the hard times. I often hide my troubles, fears and despair that plague me from my best friends. But somehow with him, I struggled to pretend. And that terrified me more than those who wanted to harm me. Some may say he was too old for me. Others might say it would never work. My heart was saying they were wrong. Could Bodie, the sexy single dad, be the first to show me what love was all about?

Abandonment made me wary of love… Would I ever trust enough to let down my guard? When I was a little girl, I wrapped my heart in a protective cocoon for safekeeping. After being dumped by my mother as an infant, I was left with painful scars that never fully healed. Not wanting to give anyone else the power to hurt me the way she had, I kept everyone at a distance except for my grandparents and my brother. They were all I needed. Until I met him. The moment I laid eyes on Lyric he took up space in my head and I couldn’t shake the feeling he would take up residence in other places if I allowed it. When a threat lurked in the shadows and the safety of my family was questioned, he rode in like a knight in shining armor and saved us. I quickly realized that when in his presence, my body craved his touch, his soul spoke to mine, and that four-letter word we call love had his name written all over it. Is Lyric the man to make me believe I deserve to be loved unconditionally and embrace what he has to offer without fear it will all disappear if I surrender my heart?

I locked away a secret years ago… Would revealing it lead to more heartbreak? The moment I met them, I learned what it was like to love beyond my mother. It had been just her and I against the world until that fateful day I walked into a new school. Being a loner wasn’t easy, but after my two saviors crashed into my life, nothing was ever the same. Both guys stole my heart. Only in completely different ways. Years later, after losing them both, my soul was in tatters. But my son’s unconditional love mended almost every frayed piece. As a single mother, he was my everything, and I’d always protect him. No matter the cost. When our lives were upended, we ran to seek guidance from the one person that promised to help us. What I found, however, was my past, and he wasn’t what I’d been looking for. Not even if he still made the butterflies in my belly dance. Rowan wasn’t someone I could depend on. Or had that changed?