As I Am

When a stranger sees past her illness to the woman beneath, accepting love becomes the bravest act of all.

Molly has lived with rheumatoid arthritis since she was five. At twenty-five, she's mastered her pain, managed her limitations, and convinced herself that independence means never needing anyone, especially not romantically. No one wants damaged goods.

Then a chance encounter at a traffic light changes everything. Brock Owens recognizes the telltale signs of her illness immediately—he lost his sister to the same disease. But where Molly expects pity, she finds something far more dangerous: genuine interest.

He sees her courage, her strength, her refusal to be defined by her diagnosis. He sees the woman she's too afraid to believe she is. And he's falling for her.

But Molly's spent twenty years building walls to protect herself from rejection. Letting him in means risking the thing she fears most, being loved, then left when her illness becomes too much to bear.

Real love doesn't see obstacles. It sees worth.