Some people leave town because they're heartbroken. Ethan left because he was done. Done being underestimated. Done being used. Done being the guy people only noticed when they wanted something from his family. For years, he built a quiet life far from Tennessee, turning a struggling farm into something no one back home could ever imagine. No gossip. No expectations. No family drama. Then comes the invitation he can't ignore: His brother's wedding. The same brother who somehow always got everything. Including the girl Ethan thought he loved. Now Ethan's headed back to the town he swore he'd never return to and he's not going alone. Bringing his secretary as a fake girlfriend seemed like the easiest solution. She needed an escape from her own mess. He needed someone who could survive the endless questions, family pressure, and judgment waiting back home. Simple. Convenient. Absolutely not complicated. Except nobody knows Ethan better than she does. And somewhere between old wounds, family secrets, and pretending to be something they're not... coming home might change everything. ✨ Ethan's story is coming.

Grace Monroe never meant to fall for the town's biggest red flag. He's emotionally unavailable, covered in tattoos, drinks too much whiskey, disappears without explanation, and somehow still thinks glaring counts as communication. Oh... and he keeps fixing things she never asked him to touch. Her car. Her porch. Her life. Parker Calhoun was never supposed to become someone's safe place. Not after war. Not after grief. And definitely not after burying the only woman he ever loved. A retired Navy SEAL and legendary sniper, Parker has spent years outrunning ghosts, drowning memories in whiskey, and remembering the future he lost when his wife died overseas. Love isn't part of the plan anymore. Then Grace crashes into his life with smoky pink hair, sharp opinions, and a five year old little brother she's desperately trying to raise after losing their mother. She's twenty three, stubborn as hell, running on exhaustion and coffee, and somehow still manages to carry the weight of the world without asking anyone for help. Especially not Parker's help. At first, they clash. She thinks he's overbearing. He thinks she's impossible. But somewhere between late night phone calls while he's gone on missions he won't talk about, groceries mysteriously showing up on her porch, and a little boy who starts telling people Parker is his dad... Things start feeling dangerously close to a relationship. The problem? Parker knows exactly what happens when he loves someone. He loses them. And Grace has already buried enough people to know loving a man built for war comes with an expiration date. Because legends don't stay retired. And men like Parker Calhoun never come home unchanged. Some scars don't fade. But maybe some hearts are worth the risk.

ᯓ ✈︎ "Okay!" Logan's voice is a little muffled through the closed door. "Your gift is ready. Come on in!" When I step in, I see Logan sitting on the edge of his bed, completely naked, and his dick standing upright, tied in a red ribbon as if he'd turned himself- scratch that- just his dick into a gift. I throw my head back and laugh, sliding down until I'm on the floor, laughing so hard my stomach hurts. Every time I look at him, it starts all over again. Logan frowns, arms braced on his thighs. "Okay," he says, "it wasn't supposed to be this funny." "I'm sorry," I gasp. "You just-really went all in." He sighs. "I thought it was romantic." "It is," I say, finally calming, pushing myself up to meet his eyes. "It's just... very you." He smiles despite himself. "So I didn't ruin the mood?" "No," I say, stepping closer, hands resting on his knees. "If anything, it makes me like you more." ᯓ ✈︎ Iris Lowell thought switching airlines would give her a fresh start. New routes. New crew. New rules to follow. She didn't expect Captain Logan Cole. He's everything she shouldn't want-her commanding officer, dangerously charming, and carrying more baggage than just his pilot's case. When Logan discovers he's the biological father of a twelve-year-old girl overnight, his carefully controlled life spirals off course. One reckless night. No strings attached. Friends with benefits-strictly off the record. Between long flights, hidden hookups, airline rules, and a child who changes everything, feelings start showing up where they're not supposed to. And when they do, both Iris and Logan have something to lose. ᯓ ✈︎ Do they follow the rules... or risk everything for love?

NEEDS EDITING THIS IS A FIRST DRAFT He built a fortress around his heart. She brought a wrecking ball and a secret. Elias Thorne is a mystery in Oakhaven, A solitary figure and the owner of a successful tattoo franchise, his wealth is as carefully guarded as his silence. He is the quiet grump the whole town wants to decipher, but no one ever gets close. Elias likes his life neat, organized, and utterly empty of anything that could remind him of love and loss. Then June Hayes arrives. Burnt out from the new york art scene and pregnant via a donor, June is determined to create a peaceful, new life for herself and her baby. To the locals, she's just a sweet, new artist. They have no idea she's also viral sensation with over a million followers who sells her work to the A-list. June sees Elias's grumpy exterior and smiles. She needs a friend, and she has decided the broody, ball cap wearing man (no seriously I never see him without a hat on - June) across the street is it. She invades his quiet space showing up at the inkwell every Tuesday and spending the day, sharing her music, and poking at his meticulous order. Elias fights it all, clenching his jaw and pulling his cap low to hide the truth: he fell for the Wildflower the minute she crashed into his life. As June begins posting subtle, faceless photos of him, their reluctant friendship turns into an online viral romance that threatens to expose both of their secrets. How do you guard a heart that already belongs to a Wildflower, a baby, and a life you swore you'd never have? And what happens when the most careful grump in Oakhaven blurts out, "That's my wife," just to stay by her side? Tropes: - Grumpy x Sunshine - He Falls First - Protective - Pregnancy - Small Town - Forced Friends - Friends to lovers - Secret Identity CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE

Some loves are worth fighting for... even when hearts have already broken. ────୨ৎ──── Valerie: I save lives every day-yet I can't save my marriage. Somewhere between late-night surgeries and the years that slipped by, Elias and I lost each other. The boy who once knew every version of me now feels like a stranger I sleep beside. Unseen. Unheard. Unloved. So I do the hardest thing I've ever done: I ask for a divorce. Not because I don't care... but because staying is slowly breaking me. And walking away feels like the only way to find myself again. Elias: Valerie wants a divorce. The woman I've loved since I was sixteen... the woman who is my home... is ready to walk away. I don't blame her. I've been distant, buried in work, blind to how much she's been hurting. But losing her? That's not an option. So I'll fight for her. For us. For every moment we let slip through our fingers. Because our story isn't over-not if I have anything to say about it.

A fierce cowboy, a guarded schoolteacher, and the unexpected bond that changes everything. Josie Anderson has spent years in survival mode. After being cast out by her own family as a teenager, her entire world has revolved around two things: protecting her son, Brett, and keeping her head above water as a small-town schoolteacher. She doesn't have room for risks, and she certainly doesn't have room for love. Then came Sawyer Dalton. As a rugged, unyielding rancher, Sawyer is used to handling things with a firm hand and a quiet resolve. But from the moment Josie steps into his orbit, his fierce, protective instincts take over. He sees the heavy weight she's been carrying alone, and he's determined to be the anchor she didn't know she needed. When a brewing crisis threatens the fragile peace Josie has fought so hard to build for her son, Sawyer steps directly into the line of fire. Forced to confront the ghosts of her past, Josie must decide if she can finally let down her guard and trust the stubborn cowboy who promises her a future. Spanning four years of healing, growth, and the beautiful, hard-won moments of building a blended family, Out of the Dark is a deeply emotional, passionate small-town romance about breaking old cycles, finding a father in the most unexpected place, and discovering that the fiercest love is the one worth fighting for.

The Navigator has lost her way. After a high-stakes boarding party mission left her with physical scars and a shattered sense of security, Prue "Gator" Pollard is medically discharged from the Royal Australian Navy. She returns to her family's multi-generational home in the Wirra Valley, traded the salt-spray of the ocean for the golden dust of the Barossa. Guarded and hyper-vigilant, Prue just wants to hide her wounds and disappear into the quiet of the hills. The Cowboy is drowning on dry land. Finn Conway doesn't have time for trauma. A single father and owner of Conway Retreat, he's spent the last two years raising non-identical twins Madison and Mason alone after their mother walked out. He needs order, he needs help, and he needs someone who won't flinch at the chaos of ranch life. When Prue is hired as the twins' nanny, she brings military precision to the messy Conway household. She's a warrior a navigator who refuses to let anyone see her map. But as the rolling hills of the valley work their magic, Finn begins to see past the "tough soldier" armour. To the world, she's Gator; to her dad, she's Pooch; but to Finn, she's becoming something else entirely: his Starlight. But the valley's peace is fragile. When Finn's ex-wife returns to reclaim her territory, and the ghosts of Prue's service come knocking, they must decide if they are brave enough to let their guards down. In a place where the stars shine brightest, can two broken hearts find their way home?

One night was supposed to be enough to forget. When Lena Higgins caught her fiancé in their bed with another woman, she didn't scream. She just grabbed her badge and drove back to the only sanctuary she had left: her Uncle Baxter's guest house in the small town she'd tried to outrun. Broken and blurred by bourbon, her first night back ends in a dark alley with a man who feels like a storm-raw, dangerous, and nameless. One secret is enough to destroy her. Grady Sullivan is the king of the local grease and chrome, the bad-boy of Oakhaven who rides around town on a motorcycle and a man with a blood-deep hatred for the law. Ever since his brother died at the hands of a cop, Grady has seen the badge as a target. He doesn't know the woman from the alley is the Sheriff's niece. He doesn't know she's the newest Deputy in town. One truth might be the only way out. When Lena's first call puts her directly in Grady's crosshairs, the heat from that night turns into a cold war of professional duty and private longing. But as Lena digs into the department's old files, she discovers the "accident" that killed Grady's brother was anything but. Now, caught between the uncle who raised her and the outlaw she's falling for, Lena has to decide if she's willing to burn down the family legacy to uncover the truth-even if it means losing her heart in the fire.

She's spent a decade curated in flour and frost. He's the first heat wave she can't escape. In Dusty Creek, Texas, Catherine "Cat" Berg is a woman of quiet routine and sharp edges. As the owner of Berg's Bakery, she's mastered the art of the perfect crust and the even more perfect "no." Everyone knows not to push her-especially not about the vintage Harley Shovelhead parked out front, a chrome-and-steel ghost of the man who died before they could see the world together. When her first love, Coop, perished in a roar of twisted metal nine years ago, Cat didn't just lose a boyfriend; she lost her appetite for the future. She's content with her flour-dusted life, her protective older brother Nate, and the safe, cold comfort of one-night stands that never leave a mark. Then Rebel Williams rode into town. A world-champion bull rider known as the "King of the Ring," Rebel is used to things that are fast, loud, and dangerous. He's only in Dusty Creek for four months, but one look at the raven-haired baker with the "don't touch" aura and the vintage bike, and he's hooked. He sees the fire behind her chocolate-brown eyes-the fire she's been trying to douse for years. Rebel is everything Cat hates: cocky, temporary, and a reminder of the adrenaline that once broke her world. But as he shows up day after day, trading barbs for brioche and refusing to flinch at her "clap backs," he starts to do the impossible. He isn't just breaking down her walls; he's showing her that there's life after the wreck.

To the brothers of FDNY Engine 17, Miller "Creek" Monroe is the unbreakable backbone of the crew-the man who stays calm when the world is melting around him. But for two years, Creek has been fighting a private fire he can't extinguish. It's the flicker of gold in his best friend's sister's eyes and the way his heart stops whenever she's in the room. Evelyn Stone is drowning. Three years after losing her husband, the bills are stacking higher than the smoke from a five-alarm blaze. She's a mother, a widow, and a woman who has forgotten how to breathe for herself. When the city threatens to take the only home, her daughter has ever known, she's forced to look toward the one man who has always been a steady shadow in her peripheral. The Deal: One marriage certificate. One set of benefits. Two separate bedrooms. The Risk: Losing the only family they both have left. Running parallel to the high-stakes world of Malachi and Gracie's this is the story of what was happening behind the closed doors of the Evelyn Stone's household. While Malachi was fighting for Gracie's life, Creek was fighting for Evelyn's future. In a house built on secrets and a marriage born of necessity, the lines between "convenience" and "craving" are about to be blurred. Because in the FDNY, you never leave a man behind-and Creek has no intention of letting Evelyn go. Note: This story takes place simultaneously with the events of "Flicker and Flare" You'll see familiar faces, overhear known conversations, and witness the moments that happened in the shadows while Malachi and Gracie were fighting their own battles.