**3.5 Stars**
Five years ago, Morgan did what she had to. Yes, it broke her heart, and made Hawk hate her, but he needed to follow his dream and play for the NFL. When he arrives back in town unexpectedly, Morgan can't help but remember all the things they'd shared, notice how good he looks, and that his impact on her is still just as potent. The hate in his eyes hurts though. She's always loved him and that's why she let him go, but a piece of him has always been with her, their four-year-old daughter, Emerson. But he didn't know that.
"Everything I’d done, I’d done for him. He was my heart— he always had been my heart. Why didn’t he see that?" - Morgan
Hawk hurts. His whole being aches at seeing Morgan again, the pain of her breaking up with him still just as strong. He remembers everything they experienced together, and now she's a Mom, and he wasn't a part of that. She had a kid with some other man and that hurt more than anything else. He had planned to marry her, take her with him on his journey, but then she ripped his heart out when she said she never wanted to see him again. He should've never returned home after being permanently injured, unable to continue playing professionally. But losing that dream doesn't even compare to not having Morgan with him.
"Morgan Quinn had been haunting me since the day I walked away." - Hawk
As much as being around one another hurts, the love between them has never faded, and staying away is hard. But Morgan is desperate to protect her secret, and Hawk is determined to uncover the truth he's beginning to suspect...that Emerson is his just as much as her Mom is, was, and always will be. Morgan can see the changes in him though, and can't help but think Hawk's Dad had always been right when saying she wasn't good enough for him. Hawk had made something of himself, while she was working at a diner, doing everything she could to provide for herself and Emerson.
True love never fades and theirs is pulling them together again, which is how it was meant to be. But can they work through the past, the sacrifices, secrets, and loneliness to embrace the future they both crave? Is there a HEA for them?
One-click now and follow along as two people are reunited and realize their love is just as strong, if not more so, as it was before.
For those concerned with safety such as myself, Hawk was celibate during the whole five years they were apart, as was Morgan. On a purely personal note though, Morgan tells Hawk she hadn't been with anyone since him, and while we the readers know the same is true for Hawk, I really wish he'd told her that after she confessed her celibacy. Also, I wish there'd been a confrontation between Hawk and his Dad regarding Morgan and how the latter treated her. It would've been nice to see him apologizing and realizing how perfect they are together.
**I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.**