About

Carmen Hayward has learned not to expect much from people. She lives on the shitty side of town, in a house that never feels like home. Her father drinks too much and cares too little. Her mother is rarely around. No one asks where Carmen goes, who she spends time with, or whether she comes home at all. Sometimes, it feels like her parents would be happier if she simply disappeared. But Carmen can't disappear yet. She's still a senior in high school, juggling classes with multiple part-time jobs and quietly saving every penny she can. She's determined to get herself out one day. Until then, she keeps her head down, survives, and pretends she doesn't need anyone. She's learned to be tough because nobody else ever was for her. Then there's Johnny Kavanagh. Johnny comes from the complete opposite world. He's wealthy, adored, and surrounded by people who genuinely care about him. He's mature, responsible, charming, effortlessly popular, and the kind of person teachers trust and parents love. He's a talented rugby player with an incredibly bright future ahead of him, and everyone expects him to go far. Johnny has always had his life figured out. Until he sees Carmen. They attend different schools. They come from completely different social circles. Their worlds should never have collided, and before one particular party, they had never even encountered each other. Then Carmen walks into the room. And Johnny is completely gone. To him, she's the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. It isn't gradual. It isn't something he can reason himself out of. From the moment his eyes land on her, Johnny can't seem to look anywhere else. And once he learns what her life is actually like, things only get worse. Because Johnny doesn't know how to stand by and watch someone he cares about struggle. Carmen refuses help. Johnny gives it anyway. She says she doesn't need money, so he finds another way to make sure she has it. She says she's fine, so he stays beside her until she's actually okay. She insists she can handle everything alone, and Johnny quietly makes it his mission to prove that she doesn't have to. He wants to give her everything she's never had. Safety. Stability. Affection. A home that actually feels like one. A future. Johnny is endlessly affectionate with her. He wants to hold her hand, pull her against his chest, kiss her forehead, make her laugh, and remind her every single day that she's worth loving. He's patient when she's difficult. Gentle when she's hurting. Protective when she's scared. But there is another side to him, too. Johnny is fiercely possessive of Carmen. He doesn't like people disrespecting her. He doesn't like anyone hurting her. He doesn't like anyone looking at her as though they have the right to take something from her. He'd never hurt Carmen. But he'd have no problem making someone else regret hurting her. And the strangest part? Johnny doesn't even notice other girls anymore. They could be standing directly in front of him, flirting with him, trying desperately to get his attention, and he'd barely register their existence. His eyes always find Carmen. Always. Because once Johnny Kavanagh falls for Carmen Hayward, there is no halfway. He's loyal to the point of recklessness. Protective to a fault. Completely devoted. He wants to help her escape the life she's been trapped in and build something beautiful with her—not because he thinks she needs saving, but because he wants her to finally have the choice to save herself. Carmen, meanwhile, doesn't know what to do with someone who refuses to give up on her. She's used to being abandoned. Johnny stays. She's used to being ignored. Johnny notices everything. She's used to being told she's too much, too difficult, too damaged. Johnny looks at her like she's everything. And despite every reason they shouldn't work, despite the difference in their families, money, schools, and lives, something between them becomes impossible to deny. He's the boy who has everything. She's the girl who has almost nothing. And somehow, he only wants her.