He did hear his beloved mother’s voice ring through his head again, one last time, and it was just as clear as the first. Her answer was short and to the point. “Become the man I know you can be. Live up to who you really are, and who I raised you to be.”
That was no small task, but his mother hadn’t been the kind of woman he argued with and he had no plans to start now. If she was sending him a message that he had to make a change, to get back to his true self, then he was damn sure going to do it.
And there was only one place he could go.
That’s how he found himself on a plane, barely twenty-four hours after the fateful meeting, heading back to the town where he’d grown up.
He didn’t know if he could become the best version of himself, but if he had any chance at all, it was going to be in Valentine Bay.
There was one person there who might be able to help him, if anyone could. She’d always pushed him to be better. Not because she’d been supportive. Hell, no. They’d always been in competition. But whenever they’d been striving for the same goal, he’d reached heights he never would’ve come close to without her.
“Abby,” he whispered under his breath.
He didn’t know if she still lived there, but deep inside, he hoped like hell she did. If there was anyone who could whip his ass into shape, it was Abby.