I never planned on returning to Alabama, but circumstances brought me here after years of being gone. Though Lawton Ridge is my hometown, I was hesitant to go back because of her -my sister's best friend. The last time we were together, she was eighteen, and I was a broken soldier transitioning to civilian life. Gemma wrote to me while I was overseas and we developed a bond I hadn't anticipated. I crushed her heart the day I left, something I've never forgotten. But now that her dad is my new boss, life just got way more complicated. Too sweet, too innocent, too good for a guy like me-I should walk away again.After serving five years in prison for something I didn't do, I trust no one, but Gemma gradually breaks down my walls and exposes the pain I've hidden underneath. For her own sake, I should keep my distance, but it's nearly impossible when I hear her sweet humming while I work and she slowly draws me back in. It's a battle I didn't train for, and one I'll lose if I don't keep my restraint-especially since she's engaged to another man.KEEPING YOU AWAY is a slow-burn, angsty second chance romance with lots of small-town, Southern drama. It's book 1 in the Tyler & Gemma duet and must be read first.