Michael Sloan is the oldest Sloan brother and has always watched over his younger siblings in the absence of their father. He is haunted by the loss of their father, particularly because he was so close to the man and looked to him for guidance and knowledge. 
 Annalise Delacroix was Michael's first love. When she returned to her home in France, they were determined to make it work despite the distance between them. But they were young, and circumstance found them slipping apart. But he never forgot her. The women he dated claimed he was stuck in the past and could never love them. He couldn't figure out what they meant until Annalise came back into his life. 
 When these two cross paths again, so much has changed for each of them. I loved watching as they navigated the present while remembering the past. Those years they were together, and the ones they were apart. 
 Michael is such a protector that his personality has changed drastically since he was in high school. After his father's death, he felt the need to step in and take his dad's place in his siblings lives. Doing so gave his siblings the stability they needed, but left him closed off and more serious than he had ever been before. I loved both his dedication to his siblings and the way he began to loosen up when Annalise returned to his life. 
 These two are a natural fit and their chemistry picked up right where it left off all those years before, only projected as adults rather than the teenagers they had been. Though they had known each other as teenagers and felt like they already knew each other, there was a lot to learn about each other as adults. The change in their status is clear when they pick up their relationship once again. Things they remembered did not always translate to their present situation and feelings. I loved watching them navigate their pasts, the what if moments, and the possibilities in the present. 
 This final Sloan family story is the perfect cap for the series. Not only does Michael have his story, but the final pieces of the puzzle this family has been grieving for 18 years are finally put together. The picture that is left when all the pieces fit is a twisted, amazingly crafted drama that I knew would be waiting at the end of the series. The full epilogue at the end gives readers a good feeling about the direction this family will head in the future beyond the series. 
 ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.