Princess-marigold
Danika Martin has always lived her life with a plan.
Raised in a loud, loving household alongside her hardworking mom and two overprotective older brothers, she learned early that love wasn't always spoken-it was baked into fresh cookies after a bad day, served on plates at crowded family dinners, and hidden beneath endless teasing. Home gave her the confidence to dream big, and she chased every opportunity with relentless determination.
Dance taught her discipline. Softball and volleyball taught her resilience. Journalism gave her a voice.
Now, as a Journalism major with a Creative Writing minor at Briar University, Danika is determined to become the kind of sports journalist who tells the stories no one else notices-the victories behind the victories, the people behind the athletes. She's convinced that if she works hard enough, keeps her emotions in check, and follows the roadmap she's created, everything will fall into place.
At least... that's what she expects.
College has a way of rewriting even the best plans.
Between impossible deadlines, late-night newspaper meetings, competitive classmates, and the pressure to prove herself, Danika begins to realize that success isn't nearly as straightforward as she'd imagined. Her carefully built expectations clash with reality, leaving her questioning whether she's chasing the life she wants-or the one she thinks she's supposed to want.
Then there's John Logan.
The Briar hockey star is everything she doesn't have time for: charming, persistent, frustratingly easy to talk to, and capable of breaking through the walls she's spent years building. What starts as harmless interviews and witty conversations slowly turns into lingering glances, stolen moments, and feelings neither of them planned for.