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by Etta Lane (Author)
MICHELE
I thought first loves were supposed to fade. But after fifteen years, Ethan Hill still lives in every corner of my heart.
He left me when he left Cedar Ridge chasing smoke and fire. I built my life from the ashes, the one we had dreamed of together, arranging a life that looks perfect from the outside.
Now he's back. Not the boy who left, but a man who looks at me like I'm still his.
He says he's home for good. That he's here for me. But in this town every flower that blooms has stems dug deep in the past. If he thinks I'm still the girl he left behind... he's in for a surprise.
ETHAN
I fought wildfires across the country, but nothing burns like the regret of leaving Michele. She was my roots, my future, my everything. But I had to leave, believing I could come back when I could provide the life she deserved.
Now I'm back in Cedar Ridge where the mountain air smells like pine and wildflowers to find Michele stronger, sharper, and wrapped in an armor of perfection. She thinks I can't read her anymore, but I know every crack in those defenses.
I didn't expect forgiveness. I'm here to earn it. We fight, we burn, and in the dark she takes me apart as easily as I ever undid her.
Because no flame consumes me the way Michele does, and this time I'm not only here to stay. I'm here to surrender, to scorch, and to love her until my last dying breath.
