From The Start: A Small Town Second Chance Romance - Paperback

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I was five years old when I claimed Deacon Ashford as mine.

On an elementary school breezeway in Ember Ridge, North Carolina, Kena Sinclair saw a boy with a bright smile jumping over cracks in the pavement-and she just knew. That day, she went home and scribbled in crayon: "I'm going to mary Dekon Ashford."

She's been claiming him ever since.

Some love stories start with a meet-cute. Ours started with a claiming.

This is the story of a love that refused to quit.

From a playground promise to teenage parents navigating judgment, poverty, and impossible choices-Kena and Deacon's love story spans thirty years across five books. But it all starts here. In a booth at the Golden Dragon Chinese restaurant, with orange chicken getting cold and tears falling, Kena tells Deacon she's pregnant. And instead of running, he reaches across the table and holds her hand.

"What do you need? I'm here."

That's when everything changes.

Content notes:

This book deals with real-life topics including teen pregnancy, incarceration, poverty, family pressure, and societal judgment. It's a story of resilience, community, and Black love that survives against all odds.

• Audiobook - YouTube Already available! (Search "From the Start Cinquanta Cox-Smith")