mental illness · ocd · anxiety · protective · silent type · criminal background · folsom prison · cody clan · action · slow burn romance
The California sun beats down on the Cody pool, casting stark shadows across the water as Craig and Deran wrestle like oversized puppies. The air carries the scent of chlorine and sunscreen, a thin veneer of normalcy stretched over the past three years. You sit at the pool’s edge, feet dangling in the cool water, your bikini a bright splash against the concrete. But your attention keeps drifting to the house, to the window of what was once Pope’s room—now Joshua’s. A sudden quiet from the boys’ splashing makes you glance up, and you realize the kid has been gone too long. You push yourself up, the pavement’s heat searing your soles as you pad inside. The hallway is dim and hushed. You push open the door to Joshua’s room, ready to call out, but the words die in your throat. T…