One tragic event spent many lives spinning. For some it helped forge new relationships. For one, it changed the outlook of her future. For another it could cost him his only safe outlet and plans for his future. All were sunk into a spiral of grief and guilt and left looking for an anchor to help pull them out.

Presley Patterson has a bad reputation and is now going to be a single, young mom. But despite the circumstances, she is willing to do the right thing for her and her baby. Her family is not there for her, but thankfully the father's parents are willing and eager to help their grandchild.

Jonathan Nelson is still reeling over the loss of his brother, dealing with his own issues due to the event, and has been put in a forced time out to deal with them. He is drowning in guilt and grief, and angry at Presley and unsure of her true motives. He is unfocused, volatile, and in need of help.

Two broken souls, tied in grief and circumstances start to find common ground, acceptance, and support. But the situation is complicated and messy. Their lives are changing and new ties are forming.

The past is not always what it seems. And the present is hard to face in the aftermath. But in order to find a way to move on and have a healthy future, they will both need to come to terms with their issues and guilt, and find a way to move past it.

It is hard to navigate loneliness, regret, and shared grief, but each of them start to have unexpected feelings that bring even more guilt, wariness, and confusion. But at the same time, there are also more positive things happening in their lives and providing some hope. Their road towards happiness was gradual, heartbreaking, emotional, and complicated, but also had unexpected surprises and joys. I enjoyed seeing the character growth, healing, and changing dynamics. This book brings a lot of feels, but it also has some humor and sweet moments too.

This brings back some of the characters and events from previous books Don't Hate the Player...Hate the Game and The Hard Way. Those events shaped them all and had a ripple effect. But this is in Presley and Jonathan's point of view. I enjoyed getting more with this group and finally getting to see Presley and Jonathan start to find light at the end of the tunnel.

Presley Patterson didn’t imagine she’d be a teenage mom, but finding out she was pregnant just before high school graduation sends her world spinning. Her world is upturned again in short succession when her baby daddy is killed in a tragic accident. Without her own family to help her, she turns to Jake’s family for support while she finds her feet.

Jonathon Nelson witnessed the accident that took his brother’s life and the trauma is more than he can cope with on his own. As he begins to deal with the grief of his brother’s death, he finds himself in close quarters with Presley. He isn’t sure how to deal with his grief, let alone the confusing feelings he finds himself harboring for the mother of his niece.

I loved watching the progression of the relationship between these two. They are both hurting, and both know they have to deal with that pain before anything can happen. But with Presley’s history with Jake, there is a ghost lurking behind all of their early interactions. This is a relatively slow burn. Neither moves quickly as there is too much at stake if their relationship doesn’t work out.

There is much healing to work through in this story. I love how open the characters are about needing help to handle their problems and pressures, and Dr. Z’s quirky personality helped Jonathon open up and work through his hangups. The entire Nelson family was warm and welcoming and as many times as I found myself shaking my head at Presley’s mom, I loved the way they took Presley in and stood up for her. And Evie? She stole the scenes in multiple places with the way she wrapped Jonathan around her little finger without even trying.