Kellan & Emmett by Denver Shaw

Emmett
I never thought I’d see Kellan Miller again.
He was my best friend. The one who knew all my secrets—except the biggest one.
That I wanted him.
I told myself it was a phase, just curiosity. But deep down, I knew better.
Then, on prom night, he kissed me and the next day he was gone.
He didn’t offer an explanation. Didn’t say goodbye. Just left a hollow space in my heart—perfectly shaped like him.
Twenty years later, he showed up for our high school reunion, looking sinfully good and still hiding behind his carefully built life. The second I felt his presence again, it all came back.
The pull.
The want.
The heat.
I was out. Settled. Gomillion was my home.
If Kelly wanted a second chance, he was going to have to earn it.

Kellan
Coming back was never part of the plan.
I’d spent my whole adult life pretending that night with Emmy didn’t change me. That I could move on, build something stable, and keep my truth locked tight. But nothing about being back in our small town felt settled—not with him watching me like he couldn’t decide whether to forgive me… or tell me to get the f*ck out of his life again.
Like it was twenty years ago, being around him was the closest I ever came to feeling like I belonged.
But if I wanted a chance at something real with him, I’d have to stop hiding.
Stop running.
And start fighting for the man I should’ve never left behind.