Restless and full of doubt amid a divorce from his high school sweetheart, single father Alex Ramos goes for an early morning walk and stumbles upon a garage sale held by Elijah Caplinger, who’s been tasked with clearing out his late grandfather’s home. Later, when Alex finds that a couple of the classic novels he bought have a series of handwritten notes in the margins, he goes back to Elijah for help piecing together the rest of the story. Together they become intrigued by a relationship that began in the margins of books and the shadows of 1940s Los Angeles, and they learn more than they could have expected about the lasting effects of well-intentioned secrets.

While caught up in the romance of the story they’re reading, Alex and Elijah contend with perceived sins of the past, multi-generational hurt and healing, and the hope and fear inherent in loving out loud. And while they each grieve the time they’ve lost, they remember they still have the promise of a happily ever after that wasn’t all that true in a love story written long ago.

The Trailhead Saloon, a gay country bar near Los Angeles, is home to loud music, shirtless bartenders, and endlessly affectionate banter. It’s also where two strangers think they must be enemies, decide they could become friends, and do their best to ignore how much either of them wants an unfathomable happily ever after.

Beau Davenport has been a regular at Trailhead for far too long, his bartender ex-husband one of a few bad excuses to stay, and he’s surprised the night he finds one more reason to stick around. Adrian Ortega is new to California, and it’s not his decision to show up at the bar in the first place. Once he’s there, though, sipping his Jack & ginger and watching Beau dance, he isn’t in a hurry to leave.

But both Beau and Adrian have wounds—some poorly healed and others freshly made—and after weeks of never speaking to each other, the night Beau finally introduces himself is the same night everything goes wrong. “I think I hate you,” Adrian tells him, and Beau doesn’t have it in him to disagree. The two make things worse between them before they consider trying anything better, and then they quietly work through years of guilt and grief together when they finally realize they don’t have to do it alone. No matter how much they both want more than their tentative friendship, chasing a first kiss after ruining everything the night they met seems impossible. Maybe if they can find ways to keep spending time together—to keep touching each other—it will be enough.

Welcome back to Trailhead, where shirtless bartenders banter with ex-lovers and longtime friends, and the bar's weekly trivia night makes two men question everything.

Darren Wheeler is a gorgeous, arrogant, unapologetically slutty bartender, with a heart far bigger than he’ll admit to anyone, and the wit to match. Jake Callahan has been a Trailhead regular for the past eight years, and he's stoic, successful, and the smartest in almost any room. Darren’s written off the marriage he sabotaged, and he’s happy hooking up with strangers wherever he can find them. Jake buried the love of his life long ago, and he’s content to entertain himself with all the meaningful indulgences he can afford, from his Harleys to his home.

With nearly two decades and vastly different histories between them, it's a shared love of Trailhead’s trivia night that makes them realize how much they have in common. Each week has given them a chance to get to know each other better, and when an unexpected accident leads to a confession that brings one of them to his knees, the spark between them is undeniable. They're already on their way to becoming better friends, so as long as they’re also attracted to each other, why stop at a few flirty conversations? Neither of them is looking for a relationship, but what if there are no strings attached? After all the love they've left behind, they definitely won’t fall for each other…right?

Jameson Sinclair, once the NHL’s prettiest and mouthiest superstar, has had trouble finding his footing since a horrific injury pulled him out of arenas and off gossip sites. Mateo Zavala has built a comfortably boring life around work and family, content with years lacking the highs and lows of a stunning hockey career. The night Jamie and Mateo meet is almost magical, full of tentative touches, first kisses, and wishes made upon a shooting star. Neither will call it love at first sight, but by the next morning, they know they don’t want to let go of what they've found. They daydream about a future together, and make plans for a second date, ready for all the ways their lives are going to change.

Then they meet again, and they realize all the ways their lives are going to change will come with bruises that won’t heal and scars that won’t fade. Their feelings for each other haven’t dimmed, but circumstances will keep them apart. As years go by, and friendship is all they can have, Jamie and Mateo make pleas of wait for me, not yet, and I love you. Lines are drawn and redrawn every time they dance on top of them, but is it enough to love each other in secret? How long can they wait to have a real relationship before they wonder whether there’s a secret to keep at all?