Finding Our Way - Plot Background

My novel is a romance that follows my two main characters – Brynn Mills and Dylan McDermott.
Heartache can etch into a person and split them. Heartache in youth can shake the very foundation of that young person's development for future love and relationships. For my story both of my main characters have come through experiences that have shaken them. Their story heals each of them as they find each other and brave their way into love.

For Brynn, at sixteen she was beginning to date her first serious boyfriend just before her father died right before her very eyes. The trauma of that experience pulled a bleakness into that time and her young boyfriend was unsure how to handle it. He slowly eased out of her life and she did not concern herself with the heartache, as her family loss was too great. Over the grieving process, she refrained from getting involved with anyone else focusing instead on her family and her studies. Once she got to university she was overwhelmed by guys who are only interested in getting sex. As she was still a virgin, she was not interested in getting involved without developing some kind of relationship and the guys didn't want that, so they have moved on. She refused to get intimate unless it was serious. Most guys can read this vibe and keep their distance. She focuses on her studies instead.

For Dylan, he was seriously dating a girl in high school for a number of years. Melissa was important to him and their relationship had developed to an intimate level. Melissa was nice enough, but certain quirks had Dylan's brother and sister not liking her. She was not interested in interacting with his younger brother and would barely speak to him. She seemed to not like younger children of any kind. His sister Lizzie just didn't like her. She felt that Melissa was a stuck up little rich girl who was only interested in her brother because he was good looking and attentive to her. Melissa liked the control she could wield as Dylan believed he was in love with her. She also liked the status being his girlfriend gave her. He was captain on the high school football team and an overall popular athlete; she was quite the athlete herself. He was always far more serious than her. She would laugh at his more intellectual pursuits, but because he was an athlete; he was able to carry that and not be seen as a geek because of it. When high school finished, Melissa was gifted with a summer vacation to tour Europe with several of her girlfriends (one being Brynn's roommate Jacqueline). This trip allowed her the opportunity to meet other young men and she took full advantage of the situation. Dylan was unaware of her infidelity.

Their time apart did open his eyes to what he was missing without her there. He started helping to coach his younger brother's soccer team. He worked and hung out more with his buddies, Ned and Dan. By the time Melissa returned, he was not feeling the closeness he once had. He felt a little guilty that he had not missed her as he had expected. He also started to notice those things that bothered his brother and sister - her distaste for being in their company. It began to bother him and he started to contemplate the end of their relationship.

On a day at the university, he noticed another girl (Brynn) in a way that stirred his blood. He had never experienced that with Melissa and he felt guilty about the burst of immediate attraction to a girl he only laid eyes on in a coffee line, but it was another thought to consider in possibly ending his relationship with Melissa.

When Melissa was caught flirting and kissing another man in the club where Dylan works, his decision is made for him. He will not accept infidelity, but the shook and betrayal of the incident pushes him into himself. He breaks it off and decides to focus on his studies. Dating and relationships are no longer something he considers.