Jude "Lucky" Lucketti wasn't just a sexy, brooding construction worker. He was my own personal hero, showing up in all the right places at the right times. Like when my car broke down and I needed a ride home, and when I face-planted on the sidewalk right in front of him and had to be taken to the emergency room. We became friends, and it didn't matter that he was 16 years older than me. We had a lot in common - like our love of old rock music and vintage fast cars and our aversion to relationships.  

The people we love are thieves. They steal our hearts. They steal our breath. They steal our sanity. And we let them. Over and over and over again. They say you never forget your first love. Mine was a homeless musician who wandered straight into my soul. He was my first everything. And fourteen years later, I still can't get him out of my head. He broke all my rules. He also broke my heart. I watched him climb to stardom, cheering him on from afar. But I was never a fan; just a girl in love. 

Once upon a time… there lived a man with a vengeance-filled heart that held too many secrets and a woman, pure of soul, intent on uncovering them. What they failed to realize is that through the storm their love would create, a legacy would be born.

My childhood was stolen by a monster. I've forgotten what love feels like. What happiness feels like. What hope feels like. I am numb. Him: He's possibly as damaged as I am. Maybe even more. Scarred just as much on the inside as the outside. Just like me. He doesn't speak. He doesn't smile. He hides in the woods like an animal. I should be scared of him, but I'm not. He's the only one that has ever made me feel. And I want to make him feel, too. Everything....

They say there are three things you should do at least once in your life: Dance like nobody’s watching. Travel the world. And fall hopelessly in love. I aimed to do all three. I went to Italy to find myself. But he found me.