They say you fall in love when you least expect it.

As the warmer days of summer gave way to the shortened, crisp days of fall, my life changed in the most unexpected of ways.

I met two men and was not prepared for either of them.

Theo was warm, generous, and easygoing; whereas Wyatt was intense, serious, and protective.

They share a past that neither one is honest about. Whatever happened all those years ago has created an undeniable rift between them.

Augmenting the charged and confounding emotions of new love, our city has been terrorized by a serial killer, and I can feel someone watching me.

Theo and Wyatt both claim to be trying to protect me.

I've learned that first impressions are not accurate, and neither man is who he seems to be. Dishonesty and darkness often share more than the same past.

Not all love stories come in a perfect, tidy package with a pristine bow on top. Some are born from places so black that only the love itself escapes the darkness unscathed. This is our story.