I was the guy that drifted through life. I rolled with the punches, even when they knocked me on my ass.

I'd get back up, dust myself off, and pretend life wasn't full of heartache and disappointment.

On the outside, I was nothing more than the fun-loving guy that made everyone laugh. But on the inside, there was more hate than I knew how to control. No one knew the life I'd led; I hid my demons well.

But even in all the anger and pain, there was one spark of sweetness. She was younger than me, so innocent, and worst of all, my best friend's little sister. Grace was off limits.

Wanting her led to the possibility of losing the only true family I'd had left. I wouldn't want her; I had to keep a safe distance. But seeing her change from the sweet girl into a woman with desires did something to me. It shifted something inside me, and that something was impossible to control.

But had I realized that Grace Jackson was the one for me too late? Had I missed my chance by driving her away and into the arms of another?

Contains mature themes.