Sometimes the best family is the one you make for yourself...

Leonie Brooks will never forget the day she and her three sisters were put into "the system." At twelve, she'd been the oldest, and used to being in control and responsible for them all. The day that control was snatched away was the day she promised herself that she'd send the world to hell before she'd ever let herself be put into a situation where it could be stolen away again.

Sixteen years later Leonie is flying high and riding on a wave of success in the exclusive private equity firm she works for. She realizes she'd been lucky to have been placed in the foster home of the owners of The Meadowlark, one of the finest restaurants in Atlanta and will be forever grateful for having found another family that supported her and helped her get to a place in her life where she has control. Her hard-won control is as precious to her as a child is to its parents. The one person she can see herself willingly giving it up for is the boss's son and it terrifies her, which is why she has made it a point to keep him at arm's length.

Buck Kilpatrick, IV has loved Leonie almost since the moment he met her when they were 21-year old interns in his family's firm. He doesn't know everything about her, but he knows that her past is what's keeping her from letting go just a little bit and embracing a future with him. She knows they'd be good together, but is too afraid to try, and while he loves their friendship and the sexual teasing they engage in, he wants more -- so much more. He has a decision to make, and so does she: continue with the status quo, or cut ties completely.