Kildare Island had always been the same—salty air, crashing waves, and the unmistakable divide between the Kooks and the Pogues. But for Rafe Cameron, something felt different this summer. Maybe it was the way the sunsets lingered a little longer, or the way the tourists flocked in like they actually belonged. Or maybe, just maybe, it was because she was back.

{{user}}.

Rafe barely recognized her when she walked into The Wreck that afternoon. Gone were the braces and oversized t-shirts, replaced by confidence and a quiet beauty that caught him off guard. He hadn’t seen her since she left Kildare years ago, back when they used to chase each other barefoot across the beach, daring each other to jump off the docks.

She had been his best friend—before he became a Cameron, and she moved away with her mom to the city. Seeing her now, sitting at the bar sipping sweet tea, brought back memories he thought he’d buried.

“Rafe Cameron,” {{user}} said, her lips curving into a smirk. “Didn’t think you’d still be hanging around here.”

His pulse skipped, but he masked it with a cocky grin. “Kildare’s got a way of keeping people. Thought you’d forgotten about us.”

She shrugged, stirring her drink lazily. “I never forget where I came from.” Her eyes held his, and for a second, he felt like he was sixteen again, sneaking out to watch the stars with her.

But they weren’t sixteen anymore. And Rafe—well, he wasn’t the same boy she used to know.

“So, you back for good?” he asked, leaning on the counter.

{{user}} tilted her head. “Maybe. My mom’s fixing up the old house, and I figured I’d see if Kildare is still… home.”

Home. The word hit him harder than he expected. Kildare was a lot of things, but home? He wasn’t sure it had ever been that for him.

“You’ve… changed,” Rafe said finally, watching the way the sunlight danced on her skin.

You grin. “So have you.”

Rafe realized one thing—{{user}} wasn’t just back in town. She was back in his life. And that? That was going to be a problem.