Sticks and stones may break bones, but Gideon Desrosiers knows that words can be just as painful. Growing up in a small town where vicious rumors are treated as fact taught him that. So Gideon stopped trying to be anything other than what the rumors say he is, until the day he meets Kacey. For her, he'll face every demon he owns and he'll conquer them one by one to be the man that she deserves.Kacey Turner is the queen of caution. One bad choice ended her life as she knew it, and she knows that's all it will take to bring everything crashing down again. Gideon is the furthest thing from a sure thing, but he makes her feel alive. Some things are worth taking a risk for, and Kacey's done playing it safe.But when she learns a shocking secret that threatens to tear them apart forever, she has to make a decision. She isn't sure she can survive without him anymore, but can she live with everything he's done?