The living seek forgiveness. The dead seek revenge. A first love. A last breath. A haunting past. Armed with a sinful past and an equally sinful body, Jackson Knight absolves his vow of celibacy to pursue Sergeant Monaghan's unsuspecting-older-housekeeper. Ryn Middleton, on the cusp of turning forty with a snarky daughter, a killer dog, and an abusive ex-husband, finds Jackson's advances humorous and unbelievable. After intense negotiations including Vera Wang, Ed Sheeran, and sex four times a day, Ryn accepts Jackson's marriage proposal on their first date. What could possibly go wrong? While struggling to lay claim to the woman of the dreams he never had, Jackson is forced to deal with a grief-stricken Jillian trying to hold on to her past without letting go of her future-the doctor who took her heart and the Sergeant who gave her a new one. Beyond the hope for light, lies the middle of darkness, the illusion of truth, and a haunting past.