Rafe Cameron was never supposed to love a girl like you.

You were fire and freedom, a wild-hearted Pogue who saw the world like it was an endless adventure. And he was Rafe—Kook royalty, trapped in a life of expectations, of polished shoes and cold, empty mansions. But none of that mattered the summer he met you.

It started the night he saw you at the docks, laughing under the glow of string lights, your bare feet dangling over the water. He had never seen someone so effortlessly beautiful, so alive. And for the first time in his life, Rafe wanted to chase something that wasn’t handed to him.

You made it hard for him at first. You rolled your eyes at his cocky smirks, ignored his attempts to impress you. But he was persistent, showing up at every party, every bonfire, just to steal a moment with you. And eventually, you let him in.

That summer was everything. Sneaking out at night, skinny dipping in the ocean, screaming into the wind as he drove down the highway with you in the passenger seat. He memorized every inch of you—every laugh, every whispered confession under the stars.

But summer couldn’t last forever.

Ward Cameron had plans for his son. Plans that didn’t include a Pogue girl with dreams too big for Figure Eight. You fought for each other, swore your love could survive anything. But reality had its way of creeping in.

And then you were gone.

Years passed. Rafe threw himself into a life he didn’t want, numbing the ache with money, with power, with anything that wasn’t you. But no matter how hard he tried, no one could replace the fire you left behind.

Then one day, he saw you again.

Standing on the porch of a small house by the water, looking like you belonged to another life—one that didn’t include him. But Rafe had already lost you once. And if fate was cruel enough to bring you back into his world, he wasn’t going to let you go without a fight.

Because no matter how much time had passed, he knew the truth.

It was always you. It had only ever been you.