Left of Forever

Wren and Ellis Byrd met as kids, became parents to their son Sam while still teenagers, and made a home together in Spunes, a coastal town in Oregon. The marriage ended anyway. Now both in their 30s, Wren runs the town bakery and Ellis works as a firefighter, and neither has stopped thinking about the other.

When Sam is accepted into college, his parents help him move in. Ellis then asks Wren to drive home with him on an extended road trip, a last attempt to see whether the two of them can work. Their route follows the California coastline, with scenic stops and more time side by side than they have had in years. Wren begins to believe it could be possible.

Their painful past still stands between them, though. When talking fails, they turn to the written word to say what they cannot say aloud.

This is a second-chance romance between a divorced couple who share a child and a long history. The tone mixes humor with strong emotion, and the love scenes are steamy. The road trip setting gives it a warm, scenic backdrop, and the central question stays open: whether they make the most of the time they have left, or part for good.