Casey Joe is a handful. He's blunt, he's grumpy, and he throws F-bombs around like rainbow sprinkles. Casey takes his recent health scare as proof he's circling the drain, and his family is the only reason he hasn't given life the middle finger. No way is he letting some new guy waltz into town and stir up crap he's long-since buried. Mostly.

Bryce left home years ago. A life surrounded by glitz and glamour was everything he thought he wanted, until he's forced to admit the loneliness is slowly eating away at him. So, Bryce heads back to Small Town, USA. He quickly finds himself entangled in a new business and a man who keeps him on his toes.

Casey and Bryce have a rocky start, but soon they're living and working together. Heck, they might even be friends. Casey is on a healing journey, and he doesn't hate that Bryce is right there through it all. Bryce is flourishing with a newfound sense of belonging, and he owes a lot of it to Casey Joe. Their story could have wrapped up nice and neat right there but, of course, love decides to get in the way.

Content Warning: this story contains characters with addictions and their journeys with these addictions, mention of unsupportive parents, negative religious experiences, a heart-related medical emergency, depression, mention of arson, and mentions of homophobia.