Embracing Emma — Leigh Ann Lunsford

William Jacobs was chosen -- adopted at a young age and thrust into a lifestyle he knew nothing about. Emma Nichols was the girl next door . . . his atlas in the turbulent life he had to navigate. In their small town, beliefs vary and hatred can take the forefront. She sees things as they are: right and wrong -- black or white. He looks at all abstracts of life trying to find the easiest path. Their lives are connected in every facet. Family, school, love . . . they don't know where one begins and the other ends, and it's just the way they like it. Tragedy, hatred, loss, and distance threaten them, but those things won't tear them apart. One night, something unforgivable happens. They find themselves on the same side fighting opposite battles. She can't erase the pain, and he can't right his wrongs, but he'll die trying to avenge the act of violence and make her see the truth.