First, he was my best friend. Then he became my everything. And then he was gone.

I met Lukas Hart the day my family moved to Copper Ridge.

By fourteen, we were inseparable. By sixteen, we were in love.

I never imagined a version of my future that didn't have him in it.

Our twenties came with new challenges, and we watched the dreams we built together slowly shift, then fracture, until Lukas’ shattered all together.

Desperate for a new purpose, Lukas joined the military. I promised to wait for him, to support him. But as the months dragged on, the calls came less and less, and the letters faded away. His words were clipped, conversations cut short. The demons he tried to outrun managed to find us at every turn. No matter how tightly I held on, I could feel him start to slip through my fingers.

How long do I keep pretending everything is fine, when I no longer recognize the man I fell in love with?

Worth the Hurt is an angsty, emotional romance about first loves, sacrifice, and the heartbreaking realization that walking away might be easier than holding on.

Worth the Hurt is the second book in the Copper Ridge series, and the first book in the Worth it All Duet. This book ends on a cliffhanger, and does not end in a happily ever after. Look for their happily ever after in Book Two, arriving Summer 2026.