Ticking the Boxes by L.J. Hayward

Sean Sale has life worked out. It’s about ticking the boxes. Checking off the events that mean you’re alive and functioning and, well, normal. At twenty-six, Sean has a handsome fiancé, an adorable fur baby, and a job he loves. Tick, tick, tick: life accomplished. That is, until it’s all ripped away from him. Broken-hearted and homeless, he ends up at the Wild Pines townhouse complex, his last-ditch effort to find a place to live and start afresh. Meeting the hot, kind manager, Lucas, wasn’t on his checklist, but Sean’s very okay with this unexpected event.

Lucas Harrison sees life as a road with roundabouts, hairpin turns, and detours. He’s certainly taken more than a few detours in order to get where he is now, managing Wild Pines and raising his eight-year-old niece, Amy. There are things from his past Lucas would rather not have to face again, but when he finds Sean on his doorstep in desperate need of help, one of those things—a hopeless crush on Sean—crashes right back into his life. This time, though, Lucas isn’t going to let his fears stop him from having someone just for himself.

As Sean starts to build a new life, Lucas and Amy become an important part of his world, and Lucas feels the same way about Sean. However, their past experiences threaten their future happiness, making it hard for them to form a real connection. How can they each find the strength to confront their issues and be worthy of each other?