She's always been the one who leaves. He's always been the one who stays. What happens when love turns habit into choice? Ava Silver has built her career on temporary solutions-arriving, organizing, and moving on before anyone expects her to stay. But when she comes to Osprey Cove, Maine, to save a historic library from developers, the town feels less like another stop and more like a story she wants to keep. Jesse MacRae has spent his life being the dependable one. Osprey Cove's fixer, its steady anchor. He's good at being needed-he just doesn't know what it means to be chosen. When an October storm forces the whole town into the library, Ava discovers some places are worth fighting for, and Jesse discovers some people are worth the risk of wanting more than duty. Now Ava must decide if she can end her family's pattern of leaving-and Jesse must learn that love isn't about being indispensable. It's about being irreplaceable.