When Avery’s high school sweetheart is assigned to protect her from a killer, will she decide their love is worth a second chance? The first heartbreak cuts the deepest. Dr. Avery Brown learned that lesson the hard way, but she’s not the same naïve, disillusioned girl she used to be. She’s older, wiser, and too busy revolutionizing forensic science to indulge in ‘what ifs’. Sergeant Gareth Wayland never got over his first love. When her laboratory is vandalized and her house is burned to the ground, he’s determined to protect her. If only he could stop being distracted by her rare smile and nimble mind. With every passing day, the lingering attraction becomes harder to resist, and the memories of the past reawaken long dormant emotions. But can Avery trust Gareth—and love—enough to risk her heart for the second time?