Starting Over With You by Darlene Tallman

Manuel “Manny” Alvarez
I will never regret my actions that led to me spending five years in prison. Hearing my sister’s voice on the phone as she screamed for help, then seeing her vacant eyes staring upward as her body lay sprawled at her boyfriend’s feet while he laughed in my face may have made me snap and beat him so viciously he ended up dying from complications due to the injuries I inflicted, but I don’t care. While it cost me a long-time girlfriend, I would do it all over again if only it meant that the outcome for Luci would be different
Settling back into my hometown is sometimes challenging as the townspeople are now leery about me, but I’m determined to make a success of my uncle’s tattoo shop that I took over, while I also build up my custom woodworking business on the side to combat my loneliness. When I come home from a business trip after delivering some furniture, I notice something is off in my workshop, so I install cameras to see who is breaking in at night. I never expect to find my future rolled up in a sleeping bag, feverish and delusional.

Ricci Addams
My childhood was perfect; two loving parents and a small, fluffy dog, until the night a drunk driver stole my parents away from me, which thrust me into the foster care system. I bounced from home to home and quickly realized that while some homes were good, others were downright terrifying. When I turned ten, I found Mama and Papa B, and life turned good again.
But life is a capricious witch, and I lost them too, moving in with my boyfriend. My days are soon spent walking on eggshells while my nights often end in tears. After enduring my fourth miscarriage thanks to his volatile anger, he tosses me out and I leave town, living out of my car while I search for a job. When I find a large shed that appears to be unused, I sleep there at night and during the day, I pound the pavement in Possum Run looking for a job, never realizing that my body is carrying a lurking timebomb.

Can two people whose pasts have hurt them push beyond their feelings and find happiness together?

**Suitable for ages 18+ due to adult language, content, and situations.**