These Stockton boys sure tug on the heartstrings. I figured from the first book that Steen's story would be the most heartbreaking and it was. All of the brothers lived through hell in their childhood years but from that pain forged a tight bond between them. That past also made them leery of women and they each vowed to never marry or let a women ever get close enough to hurt them. Steen was the exception to this as he never felt he forged the tight bond with his half brothers and doesnt think he is the one worthy of love from a good woman.

In the last book we knew Steen was in prison and had stepped in front of a knife to save a fellow inmate. It wasnt looking like he was going to make it until his brothers fiance whispered to fight to live because there is a woman out there who needs him and was waiting just for him. When this book starts Steen is getting out of prison still mending from his wounds and even though he was in a coma the words she spoke are still on his mind. When he meets a woman from his childhood he realizes she is as broken as he is and thinks his reason for not dying is to make sure she gains the confidence she needs in herself to move past the damage her parents and ex husband have caused her. He never once thinks he is deserving of anything. But as their time together progresses he see's that maybe he got it wrong she would be the one to save him – to make him see that he did deserve love just as much as she did.

This story was just these two spending time together and slowly revealing their painful past to each other. No big suspense plots or action scenes, just two lonely people connecting and learning to forgive themselves for their past mistakes. The author does a great job of just pulling you into their grief and making you feel for them and want to see them finally get that piece of happiness they deserve. ( )