Chapter 1

Can everlasting love grow amidst never-ending despair? Best friends Justin and Haylee learn early on that the answer is yes. Their parents would rather spend time drinking and partying than raising children, so the two rely on each other for the care and emotional support they need. Over time, Justin and Haylee become lovers despite the age difference between them. Theirs is a forbidden romance that would destroy them both if discovered. The older of the two, Justin is more than a little rough around the edges. He does everything he can to protect Haylee from as much abuse as possible, but when tragedy strikes there is nothing he can to do keep her from being taken into the foster system. The system meant to save kids threatens to pull the two of them apart. Haylee begs Justin to run away with her, but the powers-that-be force him into an inescapable corner. Blaming Justin for the distance that separates them, Haylee shuts out everything and everyone from her past - including Justin. She tries to forget him. She tries to replace him. But he is always there. So is her own addiction. When it finally gets the best of her, she finds herself utterly alone. She soon discovers what Justin has always known: Their love was worth waiting for.