Life has never been easy for Karly Eriksson. Raised in a dysfunctional and abusive home, she struggles to break the chain of misfortune. She’s determined to finish college and rescue her little sister Emma from a similar fate at any cost, including her self-esteem.
The mistakes of her past complicate her future when she hooks up with Randy Mackenzie, the tattooed bouncer/bartender from the infamous Felony Bar. They shared one night together during the previous summer, and now he’s back in her life. He’s hot, intense, and tortured by emotions he’ll never reveal to anyone, especially her.
Despite Randy’s feelings for Karly, he can’t tell her what she needs to hear. She’s the only sunshine in his bleak existence, illuminating the dark and dusty corners of his life. The mother of his child left him because he couldn’t say those three little words, and it cost him the most precious thing in his life: his son. Will he lose Karly, too, or can he overcome his irrational fear of emotional intimacy?