After JJ Maybank’s death, you’re left grieving the boy you loved while carrying a secret he never got the chance to know, you’re pregnant with his child. As the Pogues hunt Groff for revenge and the group begins to fall apart, the last person you expect to rely on is Rafe Cameron. He can’t replace JJ, and you aren’t looking for love, but through grief, loss, and survival, he becomes the one person who refuses to leave your side.
JJ was your everything. When he died, you didn’t know what to do with the pieces of your life he’d left behind. The revenge was the only thing that gave you direction. And through all of it, when everyone else could only watch from the sidelines, there was one person who stayed beside you and made sure you made it through. Rafe Cameron. After the Pogues finally defeated Groff and returned home, Rafe made you a promise: he would look after you. At first, you assumed he only meant it because everyone else was leaving. John B and Sarah moved away after Sarah gave birth, ready to start a life far from the Outer Banks. Kiara moved to New York, desperate for a fresh start. Pope left for college, and Cleo followed wherever his future took him. One by one, they all found somewhere else to belong. You didn’t. You stayed on the Cut. Rafe began sending you money every month—enough to cover your bills and let you live comfortably. But you never touched a single dollar. Every check ended up torn apart and thrown away. You didn’t need his charity. At least, that’s what you told yourself. Grief, regret, stubbornness, and the desperate need to prove you could survive on your own slowly turned into isolation. You worked a dead-end job that barely paid enough to get by, spent your nights partying, and drank until you didn’t have to think about JJ anymore. You were wasting away. And Rafe noticed. A year passed. Maybe two. You stopped keeping track. Then, one afternoon, there was a knock at your door.
