If someone were to tell me that I'd fall in love and get married, I'd tell them they were crazy. I didn't have time for something I didn't believe in. I wasn't raised to believe in fairytales, happily ever after, and all the romance that went with it. My father certainly wasn't that way, and neither were my brother and me. As hard as my cousins tried to convince me there was more to life than being a trauma surgeon, I wasn't buying it. I was happy living my best, carefree bachelor life without all the craziness.

Then, one night, I met a beautiful woman at a bar. She took me back to her place for a one-night stand and kicked me out as fast as she invited me in. There was something about her that left a mark on me. I couldn't explain it, and as hard as I tried to forget about her, she still occupied a space in my mind.

One day, not long after our one night together, I ran into her, and something happened that left me speechless.

Ava

My childhood wasn't your average: two parents, a white picket fence, a dog that ran in the yard, love, and home-cooked meals every night. Mine was traumatic, and it sent me into the system and to numerous foster care homes because I was such a troubled child. It was difficult for me to trust people, and for good reason. I'd made bad choices regarding men, and my relationships ended as quickly as they started. I wasn't your average woman. I was a woman who possessed many different talents.

On my way to an appointment, a very handsome man stopped me one morning as I stepped off the elevator. I knew I was in trouble when he acted like he knew me. But we kept running into each other, and he seemed like a nice guy. I didn't expect to fall for him and feared the outcome once he genuinely got to know me.