Amber had long since abandoned the idea of love. After a series of heartbreaks and failed relationships, she was convinced that love wasn’t in the cards for her. The emotional toll had left her feeling jaded and guarded. She was the kind of person who kept her walls up, afraid of letting anyone close enough to hurt her again. Her family, friends, and even her father had all tried to encourage her to give love another chance, but Amber wasn’t interested. She had decided that she was better off on her own.
That all began to change one sunny afternoon at her father’s backyard barbecue. It was a gathering like many before—friends and family laughing, the smoky aroma of grilled meats filling the air, and the clink of cold drinks against one another. Amber had been reluctantly roped into helping, standing off to the side and half-listening to the idle chatter around her.
That’s when Steve appeared. He was an old friend of her father’s, someone she remembered vaguely from her childhood. Steve was ruggedly handsome, with
