Number one Amazon best seller in women's literary fiction

2019 Readers' Favorite International Book award winner - honorable mention (Southern fiction)

Readers' Favorite 5-star review recipient

Jonathan "Buddy" Cordova is a small-time criminal defense lawyer living paycheck-to-paycheck and practicing law out of his house in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Shy, painfully awkward around pretty women, and carrying his own dark secret, Buddy falls for the daily jogger Julie Saint, a part-time kindergarten teacher and army widow with a little girl named Molly.

Consumed with love for his ready-made family, Buddy is the epitome of a husband, father, and stepfather. Bonded over their mutual childhood losses, Molly and Buddy are not just stepfather and stepdaughter, but they are the best of pals.

When tragedy strikes, and the past at last comes back for its day of reckoning, the question becomes - what really makes a father? What kind of love resides in the heart of a man who takes on the raising of another man's child, having all the responsibilities...but under the law, none of the rights?

From the award-winning author of Scout's Honor, EJD Press presents this heartwarming tale of fatherhood, family, secrets, loss, and most importantly, love. Narrated by highly talented and experienced professional voice-over artist Charles Kahlenberg.

"This is a touching story about love and what makes a real family. It's a story about doing the right thing, healing, and second chances. It's a story about life." (Scott Thompson, author of Eight Days)

"The author has penned the story of her characters beautifully. This author knows her way around words." (BookLife Prize critical review (8.5 out of 10 rating))

"Dori Ann Dupre introduces readers to characters that are real - they are genuinely flawed and their vulnerability quickly becomes a channel through which a strong bond is built. Both Julie and Jonathan have suffered losses in their childhoods, and both of them bear the scars of the past with them. It is interesting how the relationships between the characters develop in the narrative and how well the author explores the hearts of the characters. Dori Ann Dupre keeps the writing strong, deepens the characters and keeps them real, and infuses the narrative with humanism. The story has powerful plot points, is emotionally engaging, and hides surprises that readers will want to discover." (2019 Readers' Favorite International Book award winner - honorable mention in Southern fiction and five-star review)