One storm. One guest cottage. One low-key billionaire single dad… and suddenly I’m Blakely Bay’s favorite headline. Beckett Devereaux is a reformed bad boy with old-money wealth he keeps discreet—and an eight-year-old son he guards like the shoreline guards the sand. I’m the dog trainer hired to help his anxious, elderly hound.

I expect barking and setbacks, not the way Beck’s steady presence makes me feel seen in places I thought had already healed. When the bridge onto Blakely Bay closes and my apartment becomes unsafe, Beck offers me the cottage on his property—private, respectful, short-term. But “short-term” turns complicated when his son, Oliver, quietly roots for us, the town draws conclusions, my ex starts circling again, and Beck’s polished ex asks sugar-sweet questions sharp enough to sting. Beck can’t silence a small town.

But he can stand beside me—where everyone can see. And the truth? The reformed bad boy isn’t my scandal… he’s my safe place. A clean, heartwarming beach-town romance with found family and a wonderful happily-ever-after.