One cold night stole everything from Easton Bennick—his childhood, his voice, and the only person who loved him. A ward of the state, left with nothing but pain and no way to communicate it, Hampton Hills Rehabilitation Center feels like a sentence rather than a road to recovery, until Aaron Manicki.

Eight years ago, Hampton Hills was supposed to be a steppingstone in Aaron’s speech pathology career. Dreams shattered, he never imagined ending up right back where he started. Looking for new meaning in his life, Aaron’s curiosity takes him in search of the guarded boy he worked so hard to...

One cold night stole everything from Easton Bennick—his childhood, his voice, and the only person who loved him. A ward of the state, left with nothing but pain and no way to communicate it, Hampton Hills Rehabilitation Center feels like a sentence rather than a road to recovery, until Aaron Manicki.

Eight years ago, Hampton Hills was supposed to be a steppingstone in Aaron’s speech pathology career. Dreams shattered, he never imagined ending up right back where he started. Looking for new meaning in his life, Aaron’s curiosity takes him in search of the guarded boy he worked so hard to reach years prior. What he finds is not a shy teen, but a full-grown man with an unexplainable chip on his shoulder.

Determined to integrate himself into Easton’s world, Aaron finds his quest to reach Easton may be as much a road to self-salvation. If Aaron can get Easton to speak, will he be able to hear how silent is the heart?

An MM romance of second-chances, second-guesses, and first love.