He's her anchor. She's his life preserver.

Maxine Dawson is pretending. She's pretending to be excited for her best friend's impending wedding, pretending her plans don't involve moving back in with her parents, pretending she can move on from her past. Mostly, she's been pretending that she's been okay since her fiancé, Ethan, died.

Cain Hazelton is many things, but he is not pretending. Everyone knows about his short fuse, his preference for seclusion, that he only lets himself care about one person - his Grams.

When Max and Cain's worlds collide, they gravitate toward each other for different reasons. For Max, Cain shuts down her constant flood of emotions and for Cain, Max makes him feel his emotions for the first time in his life. But before they can find their happiness they must overcome their pasts, their fears, and a take a chance on love.

Liz Ashlee's stories are emotional reads about real world problems. Fans of An Optimist's Guide to Heartbreak/A Pessimist's Guide to Heartbreak by Jennifer Heartmann and Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker will love her romance about grief and finding the one who makes you want to live again.