Letting him go was the hardest thing she'd ever done...until he returns, and letting him back in proves even harder.

Elle Marshal has spent most of her life pining for the same boy. A boy she's known since she was eight. A boy with beautiful blue eyes who's never been interested in anything more than friendship. For years he's been away, and she's been able to convince herself that she can live without him-until Jace returns. And every emotion she's spent a decade and a half denying comes crashing back with a single look. All throughout high school, she watched him date everyone but her, and while she's no longer that girl, deep down, a small part of her still doubts she'll ever be enough for the boy she's loved forever.

Jace Walker is the youngest of six siblings, including four military hero brothers. Following in their footsteps was a rite of passage, but leaving the small town of Misty Peak also meant leaving his best friend. A woman he's always wanted but never allowed himself to have. Not when he had so much to prove, when Elle deserved someone better...and when he has a habit of losing people he loves. But he's older now. Wiser. And when he realizes he can't deny what's between them any longer, Jace will do whatever it takes to have her.

Getting Elle to trust he's a safe bet proves harder than Jace thought. And when his past misfortune of losing those closest to him threatens his present-including his happiness with Elle-he'll have to speed up his timeline if he wants to keep them both safe long enough to have a future.

A Small Town, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Romantic Suspense from Bestselling author Nyssa Kathryn.