Across the Causeway

Aaliyah has clawed her way through every hardship life has thrown at her-late-night shifts, raising her younger siblings after losing her mother, and fighting for a future that doesn't end in the same dead-end streets she grew up on.

A full-ride scholarship to Tulane is her one shot at something better.

Jackson is the last distraction she can afford.

Rich, reckless, and still raw from a brutal breakup, Jackson has always lived in a world where money fixes everything. Until he walks into Aaliyah's bar one night-broken, magnetic, and unable to look away from the fierce, guarded bartender who doesn't need saving.

When a business class project throws them together, their worlds collide in ways neither expected. The pull between them is electric, undeniable, and terrifying. Every study session, every stolen glance, every charged touch chips away at the walls they've built.

The closer Jackson gets, the more he sees the crushing weight of secrets and sacrifices Aaliyah carries alone. And the harder he falls-obsessed with protecting her, claiming her, proving that he's willing to fight for something real for the first time in his life.

But can a love born on opposite sides of the Causeway survive the distance between their worlds? Or will the very things that make them perfect for each other be what tears them apart?

This book is a steamy college romance filled with heart, heat, and hope. This story explores the tension of class differences, the courage it takes to chase big dreams, and the undeniable pull of insta-love.

It can be read as a complete standalone, but it is also the first book in a heartfelt series that follows passionate couples living in New Orleans and the surrounding Northshore communities.