Jules: A year ago, I had it all. The perfect job, the perfect life, and the perfect fiancé. Christian Allister Lukov was the most insufferable, arrogant, yet deadly charming man I knew. A manipulative and intelligent liar disguised in Tom Ford suits. One I fell in love with. Fate threw us together and I mistook his deception for love once. I refused to make the same mistake again. But it just took one little disaster for me to run back into his arms. I desperately needed a date to my brother's wedding, unfortunately, my options were limited. With a family that pounced at the first taste of drama, my broken engagement had become my dirty little secret, and when time came for me to bring a date to the wedding, I was left with no other choice. Christian knew his way around the world, he knew how to make people love him and hate him. I learned my lesson and I would always choose the latter. But in desperate need of a fake fiancé that my family would adore, I made yet another bargain with Christian Lukov. But there were conditions to everything, even love. ... Christian: I may have lost Jules a year ago, but I still had it all. Somewhere between meeting my little sister's annoying best friend and then hiring her years later to become my assistant, I had fallen in love with Jules Evangeline Declan. I would have given the world to be with her but Jules was the one to throw away everything we'd built. When she came back to me a year later, demanding to put a ring on my finger again, I had my suspicions. But I was an opportunist and there was no rest for the wicked. Ever since Jules walked out of my life, I'd been a mess. I lost a fiancé, maybe even the love of my life, but I also lost a perfectly capable employee. One I desperately needed back. I knew my way around the world, I knew how to make people fear me and hate me. But nothing mattered when it came to Jules, I would do anything to have her in my life again in any damn way, even lie.

Never in a million years did I think I would cross paths with him again. Michael Woods. The boy who broke my heart. The boy who picked hockey over me. The boy who left me behind. After giving three years of my life to him, it was all over after his college graduation. He went his way and I went mine. But I never imagined landing a job at his agency when I moved to Boston four years later, let alone as his assistant. A job that's meant for me to service him, do as he asks, and give him all smiles. So, I play the part. I play the nice, kind, sweet assistant in public and ignore him like my life depends on it in private. The thought of getting close to him again terrifies me because I know. I know that once I let him again, I'll never be able to let him out. And if I do, it'll be at the cost of my heart, and this time he'll leave it broken beyond repair. I used to think he was forever mine. But hockey changed everything. What would he do now if he had to make that choice? Me? Or hockey? Or both? . . . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TRIGGER WARNING: Mention of death by accident and depression

A collection of poetry about my fascinatingly average life, and pursuit of bravery.

❝ everything inside of me is living in your heartbeat. ❞ © nate k. 2015

A little girl's letter to her dad, praying he just might see it.