As he’s gotten older, Murray’s outlook on romance has changed, as has his need to constantly look ahead rather than living in the present. “I feel grateful to just be at peace in a moment now, where I wasn’t before,” he shared. “I was always looking forward instead of just enjoying what was right in front of me.”

Right in front of him now—in addition to his family—is a role in the romance drama Sullivan’s Crossing. Based on Robyn Carr‘s book series, the show follows neurosurgeon Maggie (Morgan Kohan) as she returns to the tight-knit community of Sullivan’s Crossing after experiencing a professional setback in Boston. There, she’s reunited with her father, Sully (Scott Patterson), and eventually befriended by a mysterious man named Cal (Murray). (Let’s just say they don’t start out on the friendliest of terms.)

Continue reading for more from Parade‘s exclusive interview with Chad Michael Murray, including what the OTH alum had to say about his latest role, the meaning of romance and more.

How would you describe Sullivan’s Crossing?

Sullivan’s Crossing is a romance drama. That’s what I will start with. I will say that Sullivan’s Crossing is a place you go to heal. Sullivan’s Crossing is a place where you go to grow and to be honest with yourself. Sullivan’s Crossing reminds me of a few other shows that I can’t mention right now because we are on strike.

It’s been 20 years since One Tree Hill premiered on The CW. How does it feel to return to the network with a new drama?

I am so blessed and grateful to be here, and it feels very full circle. Coming back here to do a show with similar undertones to one that I’ve done in the past… And I’ve had so much growth over the last 20 something years. As we all do, right? And here I am, back here. It feels comfortable. Feels nice to be home.

I love a drama with romance, like Sullivan’s Crossing. Is it safe to assume that you do, too, given several of your acting credits? Do you consider yourself a romantic?

You know, I gotta tell ya…probably [laughs]. Who knows? I’m probably awful at it. But I’m a family man. I’ve got my amazing wife and three beautiful babies and that’s my pack. I’m learning to appreciate romance more and more and more. I think when I was younger, romance was an idea to me, but now I think romance is in the little things that you never thought were romantic before. Like let’s say I work 14 hours, and I come home and I’m exhausted and usually you just want to take your clothes off and just go to bed, right? But let’s say my wife’s under the weather or I can tell she’s just run down from being with the kids all day. [I] clock in and go, “I got this.” I run over and do the dishes and pick up and put the kids to bed and be like, “Go, go, go, go rest. I got this. We’re fine.” That’s romantic to me in a different way than it ever would have been when I was, say, 20. That to me is teamwork. That to me is love. That to me is what I find beautiful. So I don’t know if I answered your question.