Emma Reed comes home to Evergreen Ridge for the holidays, expecting nothing more than snow, family obligations, and memories she thought she'd outgrown. What she doesn't expect is Liam Carter-the quiet, gruff man who never left, and the one she never quite forgot. Years ago, timing and an unspoken age gap kept them on opposite sides of a line neither dared cross. Now, forced proximity, a small-town Christmas, and a past that refuses to stay buried bring them back together. Through snowstorms, mistletoe, family dinners, and choices that matter, Emma and Liam must decide whether what they almost had is worth choosing now. A slow-burn, small-town holiday romance about second chances, quiet devotion, and finding your way back to the place-and person-that feels like home.

//Cover art not mine The Black Phone Fix-It AU He was laying on the cold, damp mattress in a basement of a house, a house that wasn't his own. The grabber came down to tell him he had cameras and showed him where he put all the traps. And then...he kills him with an axe. Or Finney travels back in time to save the boys

Best friends. Strangers. Lovers? Some hearts never forget... even when the mind tries to. Starting a new life in college is everyone's dream. Turn over a new leaf. Forget everything that happened in the past. That's what I did or at least that's what I thought. He was my everything once. Now he's a stranger and every glance reminds me why I never forgot him. ************************* This is a contemporary romance Tropes Childhood Best friends to strangers to lovers. College romance Second chance Angst/yearning/Grovelling She falls first, he falls harder Friendship ***********************""