This story really touched my heart because I could really empathize with one of the main characters who made a mistake that literally ruined his life and left him with long-standing repercussions. Chris “The Mighty” Mightener was a college and NFL rookie star until his life shattered and now he’s a broken down thirty-seven-year-old without much hope or anything in his life that fulfills him. He tries to still be a strong man, but usually pays for it later with pain. He’s just stuck living in a nightmare of his own creation.

When he ends up in a physical therapy clinic, he is surprised by the physical therapist that ends up seeing him. Remy was his secret college hook up for a couple years. He meant more than he would ever have admitted at the time due to his need for being the best in football and avoiding distractions or anything that could affect his future career.

Remy is smart, successful, kind, and empathetic. He just wants to help Chris manage his pain.  Unbeknownst to Chris, he broke Remy's heart when their college days ended, and Remy has been struggling in relationships ever sense. He's indecisive, doesn’t open up fully, and just finds himself staying because it’s easier. He has always been secretly holding out for the fairytale. 

But deep down it just seems like these two men connected at such a strong level during college that neither really moved past it even though they never really admitted how important it was to them. But now they’re back in each other‘s orbit and they’re starting a trainer-client relationship that’s building into a friendship and relearning who each other is and who they’ve become. And the physical chemistry part they shared is still there, but of course it’s changed with Chris’s chronic pain issues.

But I loved how Remy supported him and tried to help him improve and gain his confidence again. And I liked seeing Remy come into his own. He’s not the wallflower he used to be and he’s willing to stand up for what he wants. And they both appreciate who the other person has become even more so than their crush from long ago. It’s cute to see these grown men having crushes, but neither of them are well-versed in relationship  communication and actually being in a real healthy relationship where they’re all in. I just really like them together and it was nice to see these two finally find what they were looking for and be able to work at trying to find a way to keep it.

This is a hurt-comfort, slow burn, second chance love story that spans college and adult with unresolved and big feelings and their reconnection is a catalyst for change.