Marie Johnston

I had a perfect life. Schoolteacher. Married to my high school sweetheart. Little starter house that we called charming but was really just old. All I needed was the 2.5 kids, and I’d be living my perfect dream. Then my husband died.

After the funeral, I had a breakdown that lasted for a month...or 12. But now I’m reemerging, healing, finding my way. It’s time to learn who I am now and whether or not I can fix a leaky sink. And by my side, the entire time, is my husband’s best friend, Liam. The single dad knows a thing or two about personal struggles and about how to replace faucets.

With Liam, I feel alive again. Confident. Capable. Liam has become my best friend, too. Except if my parents, my in-laws, and the rest of the town had any say, I’d stay far away from him and his bad-boy reputation.

How do I admit to them what’s so hard to admit to myself? That I’m starting to look at him like he’s more than a friend. That the heat in his eyes when he looks at me is far beyond friendly. That like it or not, Liam makes me feel whole again.