Allie's heart beat faster in anticipation as she caught her first fleeting glimpse of the city she'd known and loved as a child. There were things about it that weren't good and memories that she hated, but it defined her as much as the man that sat patiently beside her watching every emotion cross her expressive features. As they cleared the mountains and drove closer toward the ocean, she turned excitedly toward Jay and asked if she could open the window.

"Of course," he ...