Summer Adams couldn't believe that she was getting divorced. It wasn't just a blow to her as an individual, but also to her identity as a therapist. She had always told her clients that healthy relationships were what life was all about, but now her own had crumbled to the ground.
As she packed up the last of her belongings, she couldn't help but feel the sadness creeping up on her. Her husband had cheated on her and then walked out the door, leaving Summer and their six-year-old son behind. The only thing they had left connecting them was a broken family photo and memories of a life that would never be the same again.
The only way to escape the pain was for her to leave. She packed up everything she owned, and put it all in the back of her car. She stopped only when she had driven miles away from her old town and the memories that she would rather forget.
Summer ended up in a small town where the sun always seemed to be shining. She quickly realized that it was a place where everyone knew one another. The first day she visited, she found herself walking into a small veterinary clinic where she met Jack.
Jack was tall with deep brown eyes that immediately warmed her heart. His hands were steady, easing the heartbeats of small animals that came into his clinic. When Summer met Jack, he had his own set of scars, something that Summer could relate to. She knew that look far too well.
Summer started to visit the clinic more often, bringing her son with her. Jack was always keen on helping her boy's love of animals grow, and soon they were regulars at the clinic. Summer had always denied love, but with Jack, she began to feel something that she never had before.
Slowly, the two of them started to open up to each other and share their pain. Together they helped each other grow stronger, but the progress was far from linear. There were times when Summer couldn't believe that they were making any progress at all. Other times, Summer remembered the small things that Jack would do and smile to herself.
Their relationship was tested when Summer's ex-husband came back into their lives. Summer wasn't sure if she was ready to deal with the trauma of the past again, but Jack was always by her side. He was willing to help her in any way that he could. But as they delved into the past, Summer realized she wasn't ready to deal with her baggage either.
Summer had cut herself off from those around her, afraid to let any of them close. The promise of a new and clean start had always alluded her, and Summer was left wondering if it was even possible. But as Jack opened up to her more and more, Summer realized that maybe there was a way to leave the past behind.
As the two worked through their emotional baggage and traumas, they started to grow closer than ever before. Summer realized that she was no longer the woman who had left her past behind, but instead, she was someone who had stood up to the challenges that life had thrown at her. She had a new identity, one that was based on resilience and bravery.
And just when things started to make sense again, the mystery of what had happened between Jack and his ex-wife surfaced again. It was a mystery that Jack had refused to face up until now. The emotional weight of the situation was immense, but with Summer as his fighting partner, they could conquer any obstacle.
Summer learned that being with Jack meant dealing with the ups and downs of life together. It meant that you had to be willing to face your past head-on and deal with the baggage you had been carrying with you for years. And after months of hard work, of tears and heartache, the two lovers emerged together as whole and happy people.
When Summer looks back at her journey to finding love again, she realized that it would never have been possible without the one person that had always been by her side. Together, they healed themselves and one another.
