Carissa Jacobs spent most of her life hiding from her past behind the devastation that surrounded her best friend, Ava Monroe. After Ava's parents were brutally murdered, the two of them left home for a better life in sunny Florida. Carissa had herself, and everyone else convinced, that their move was to give Ava a second chance at life. But she'd only been running from her own demons. Now, years later, she finds herself enamored with a certain detective. She's finally living a life she'd always wanted. One filled with a love that leaves her vulnerable to emotions she's only ever wanted to keep buried inside. When an inevitable trip for Ava's wedding takes them back to St. Louis, Carissa is finally forced to face her own tortured past head on. Everything she'd kept hidden inside herself comes rushing to the surface after a run in with her estranged parents. Will Carissa find the courage to let go of all the hate and deception buried deep within herself? Or will she lose faith and find herself pushing away the only man she'd ever truly loved?