Ossian’s heart shattered when his husband Marcus died unexpectantly. He shut down, put his life on hold, and would’ve wasted away had it not been for his neighbor Joar.
Joar was there when Ossian needed him, offered a friendly shoulder to cry on, convinced him to eat, and helped coax him back to the living.
Three years after the life altering event, Ossian starts seeing Joar in a different light, awakening feelings he thought was dead forever. But is Ossian ready to take the leap and open his heart to someone new? And does Joar feel the same?
Chapter 1Heavy bootsteps on my porch steal my attention away from my current work-in-progress, and I know who it is even before I look out the window. Joar. My neighbor, my rock, my pillar of strength during these last difficult few years, has stopped by for the second time today. This morning, before I’d even gotten out of bed—I’m not an early riser—he came and cleared away the snow—winter arrived early this year—that had been dumped on my property the previous night. By the time I finally managed to stumble out of bed, he’d already left. But now he’s back. Hauling firewood, stacking it on my porch, next to my office window. Out of my sightline, but I don’t have to see him to know what it looks like; he’s done it countless times before over the years. The pile of wood will be immaculat