Five years changed everything. Kalliope "Kali" Lawson is thirty, thriving, and finally in control of her life. What once felt overwhelming-juggling single motherhood and building her career-became the very thing that shaped her into the woman she is today. With her village behind her, Kali didn't just survive... she elevated. Now she's respected, focused, and unshakable. Amani "Mani" Xavier Knight is twenty-three and living a life most people only dream about. Drafted into the NFL during his second semester at Redwood State University, he went from college athlete to full-blown brand overnight. Money, fame, women-he learned fast how to navigate it all. His past? Including the scandal that once tied him to Ms. Lawson? Long forgotten... or so he thought. Because one unexpected run-in changes everything. Five years later, Mani finds out Kali has been raising a child he knew nothing about. Now, his world is flipped upside down. Kali isn't the same woman he left behind-she's colder, guarded, and not interested in reopening old wounds. Mani isn't the same boy either-he's grown, successful, and not used to being shut out. But beneath the anger, the tension, and the pride... There's still something there. Now add: A girlfriend who refuses to let go. A coach who's a little too interested in Kali. And a past that refuses to stay buried. Two people. A secret that changes everything. And a love story neither of them ever truly let go of. Tune in to see what happens when the past catches up... and refuses to be ignored.

Asmara My'yanni Dawson has always wanted to help people. Majoring in Social Work, she's almost finished with her senior year of college. She kept her mind in her books and her heart away from love. She didn't swear it off, she just took a break from it after she experienced a major heartbreak her freshman year of college. The guy she thought she was in love with ghosted her, and it was later revealed that her best friend from high school not only slept with him, but had his child as well. She then realized that not every one deserved your trust and your heart, so she kept it on lock, until she met him... Esai Zamier Lewis always felt like the world was against him. Being diagnosed with a mental disorder, surviving poverty, and having to grow up fast, turned him into an emotionally unavailable person. Recently released from prison, Esai is learning to live in a world where his mother and brother aren't in it with him. Coping with promethazine to sleep through the pain, he doesn't realize it's doing more harm than good. Trying to uphold the promise to his mom, he opens his own tattoo shop, Esai's Ink. With the help of his friends and recent love interest, he realizes he's not alone as much as he thought. Follow Asmara and Esai as they both go through life with each other by each other's side. Relationships and friendships will be tested, secrets will be revealed, loved ones will be grieved. Can they survive it all? First book! Enjoy!

He wants to love her loudly. She's scared to believe she deserves it. Some love isn't light. Some love is felt in the bones. This is The Weight of Love.