The aftermath of my parent’s death was the toughest time in my life, but at least I had him. He was there every step of the way, wiped the tears I shed, and made me smile when I’d forgotten how to. Until he became the reason why I had to protect my heart with one simple rule—no more kissing. Six years later, because life had a great sense of humor, I found myself having to use that same rule on the man who inspired it. It’s no surprise it didn’t work. After all, my heart was never my own to protect—it belonged to Ares Hart the entire time. Ares Hart Growing up, I didn’t have a perfect example of what love should look like. My parents were the definition of a disaster, and I didn’t intend to end up the same way. So, I made myself a promise. To this day, I’ve followed it blindly, even if, in the process, I had to hurt the one I cared about the most. What I hadn’t realized was that the key to keeping my promise was right next to me the entire time. Blaise North gave my vow purpose, and when I was finally ready to make up for my mistakes, the unexpected happened.