Austin was the first
Nadia fell in love with Austin first because he was genuine and he had loved her from high school. In book 2 Alyssa delves into the fabric that makes him tick. Austin's grandmother took Austin and his older sister in. Grandma didn't particularly want Kirstin and Austin to live with her and she made sure the children understood. The kids never knew their father's name and their mother took off when they were young to never return. Kirstin enlisted in the Navy as soon as she graduated. Austin and Gavin turned toward sports, mainly football. They both played college and were each drafted by NFL teams. The pros weren't kind to either. Both turned back to their roots and friends but were still lost until Nadia brought them together. Just as the three were getting their happy together, in walks the problem which many pro players face, A conniving woman with money on her mind. A trap, sure it was and is a baby. Was Lauren a nice person? Not a chance. She beat the snot out of a professional lineman for a NFL team. Think about it. Who's going to believe a 250 lb, 6' 4" man can't defend himself against 5' 5" 120. lb woman? As soon as he would try, she would yell assault. She already tanked his career with the pros unintentionally. So now we have an abusive grandmother. Kirstin turned into an abusive sister from the time they were smaller, she was hitting and degrading him. So when Kirstin walked into his life, he was a target for another abusive female in his life. The reason I gave four instead of five stars was because the author made Austin's character over the top trying to make him fit into a roll of an abusive female. Although very similar in both cases, it was a study on male abuse a little too much for me. This was a very good story with the other characters trying to understand how they, Nadia, Gavin and Vaughn, can support but still keep their RH relationship intact. Thank you Alyssa for another good book in this series.