‘This will always be your home.’ My daughter’s voice warms me, and I look out at the sea, smelling the wild Irish flowers on the windowsill. But what if the secret I’m keeping destroys the only family I have left?
Wiping away her tears, Patricia Fleury carefully twists the ring off her finger. She sets it down on the glass tabletop and locks her front door for the final time. She never imagined she’d go back to the West Coast of Ireland, but she knows she can only grieve the loss of her husband if she’s surrounded by her daughters, and the laughter of her grandchildren. Unless her secrets follow her . . .
The windswept beach sparkles as Patricia spends her days swimming and building sandcastles with her family. But starting again in her old, worn–out cottage, unlived in for years, is harder than she thought. The nights are lonely, and every noise in the darkness reminds her of the painful past she’s trying to escape. Until she runs into a mysterious old friend from the past, Cillian O’Malley, whose dark, hazel eyes look wounded too. With every brush of his hand, and every old memory they share, she begins to feel safe again. If she admits the longing she feels, which burns brighter every day, could they make a new life together. But when Patricia lets Cillian into her home, allowing herself to imagine waking up in his strong arms every day, he uncovers a young child’s drawings in an old wardrobe in the cottage. Patricia feels a rush of fear as Cillian makes excuses and hurries out of the door. Does he know her secret? Patricia thought Cillian might accept her for who she really is, but will her mistakes tear them apart? Can they work together to right the wrongs of the past? Or will she hurt those she has fought so hard to protect for all these years?