What grief freezes, love can thaw.

Mickey Briggs swore he’d never return to the house where he lost his sister. But when his oldest brother Warren insists on hosting Thanksgiving in their childhood home, Mickey reluctantly boards a plane to Loveland, Colorado. Accompanied by his new boyfriend Spencer, Mickey braces himself to face the memories he’s spent years trying to outrun.
The house looks the same, but everything feels different. His mother is newly sober, trying to rebuild trust one tentative step at a time. Warren has moved back in and easily slipped into the role of family patriarch. Tensions simmer beneath the surface of every interaction, fueled by the grief each family member has carried alone.

With Spencer by his side, Mickey navigates a minefield of resentments and long-buried secrets. But when his family watches home videos of the father he’d almost forgotten – the man who existed before a brain injury changed him into someone unrecognizable – Mickey’s reminded of a time when his home life wasn’t defined by grief and loss.

Can he finally tear down the walls he’s constructed around his heart and forgive the people who’d let him down when he’d needed them most?

Loveland is a tender meditation on grief, forgiveness, and the strength it takes to move forward in the aftermath of tragedy. This contemporary novella explores how even the most fractured families can find their way back together – and how, sometimes, coming home is the first step toward letting go.