Love Enlightened

David Lauriston has been recuperating at Lord Murdo Balfour’s Laverock estate for the last five months. At Laverock, he has regained his health and confidence and has found - with Murdo - more happiness and contentment than he has never known before. David is all too aware that some day soon he will have to leave Laverock - and Murdo - and return to his legal practice in Edinburgh, just as Murdo will have to return to his life in London.

Reed took all my firsts like a shiny present. He made promises with silky words I greedily kept as truths. But the moment I faltered, he took everything away. Now we're both guilty of sins. As we come together for Grandfather Ian's funeral, it's time to face what I've done - what we've done. The boy I've loved since age eight is now a man, his rage palpable, his turquoise eyes piercing me with an intensity that sets me on fire. Each delicious kiss seems to peel away our ugly past - a past we're desperate to escape.

Love and marriage are two of the greatest gifts life has to offer, yet too many marriages fail because couples don't fully understand the five stages of relationships. Because most of us have had hurtful experiences in past relationships, often going back to childhood, we develop an inaccurate love map that causes us to get off track when the stresses of life increase.