When college student Kasey Whitton takes a job babysitting for single dad Jian Li, she doesn't expect to fall in love with the newborn baby -- or with Jian. ***** Love is the last thing on Kasey Whitton's mind when she agrees to take an overnight babysitting job to help support her struggling family. But as her business relationship with single dad Jian Li slowly develops into something more, Kasey is surprised to find herself falling in love with him despite his hot-and-cold attitude towards her -- and the fact that she has a long-term high school boyfriend. Will her growing feelings for Jian and his newborn son be enough to convince her to risk everything stable in her life? Or will Jian's fear of commitment -- and his belief all the women in his life are cursed -- be enough to keep them apart? [[Best Diverse Story, The Fiction Awards]] [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]

A beat of a second passed before he slowly pulled away from me, the suffocating heat withdrawing with him as he straightened up. My eyes lifted to meet his as he released his hold on my knife, and I flicked my wrist, flipping it with ease so my hands closed around its smooth, still-warm handle. The room was silent. The ten other men seated on the couch didn't bother trying to hide the shock on their faces that a hunter had just agreed to a deal with their Alpha. I totally felt the same way, even if I was that dumb motherfucker. They seemed to be imagining what horrible, unthinkable threats he could have whispered into my ear to make me cave, but to think my resolve had dissolved with just four unexpected words from his mouth. Sometimes, I wondered if I even had a brain. "So," I said now, holding back a sigh as I looked up into those steely, unreadable eyes, "If I'm going to work with you, I'll need a name to call you by. Unless you prefer to be referred to as moody dick?" Silence followed my words. "What, don't you guys know Moby Dick?" I asked no one in particular, and ten pairs of eyes exchanged glances that further questioned my sanity. The last pair of eyes held mine steady. The ring of gold in them seemed to burn like a flickering candlelight against the night of the sea. "Heath," he said, and I could finally place his accent as the name curled and settled in my ears like a cat by the fireplace. I smiled. "Well, cool." I put my hand out between us, the one holding the knife, the silver-pointed tip facing him as I offered him a handshake. "Nice to meet you moody dick, I'm Alessandra."

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION Adrift after a failed suicide attempt, golden boy Everest can't find anything worth living for - until he meets Beverly, a loner determined to prove him wrong. ***** For a boy who seemed to have it all - wealth, good looks, popularity, a wide circle of friends - Everest Finley becomes the ultimate social outcast after failing to take his own life. Dejected and alone, he starts his last year of high school by acting out, determined to ruin his golden boy reputation after his best friend and girlfriend both turn on him. But to his surprise, resident loner Beverly Davis reaches out and tries to befriend him. Ever the optimistic, her empathy and persistence eventually convinces him to spend time with her, and the two slowly bond over their complicated family lives and a love of singing. But even as their budding friendship begins to hint at something more, Everest continues to struggle with depression and unhappiness. Can a simple pact between the two truly encourage him to find something worth living for? Content and/or Trigger Warning: this story contains mentions and descriptions of depression and self harm. -SKY