Melissa Toppen

Time is a funny thing. It keeps moving even when it feels like everything around you stops. It is the catalyst for everything. How we grieve. How we heal. How we live. Time was the one thing I tried but could never escape. Days passed in his absence. Months. Years.

I had a lot of plans for my freshman year of college. Falling for my roommate’s older brother was definitely not one of them. Not like I had a choice in the matter. The second he walked in with that crooked smile and dark green eyes, I was a goner.

Hudson Demasi and I spent one incredible night together under a haze of tequila. When I woke the next day, he was gone. I never expected to see him again - especially not five years later standing on a stage in front of thousands of screaming fans as hot new country artist Hudson James....

It was destiny - the night I met Hudson Demasi. I remember how effortlessly he stole my heart - his dark eyes and quick smile forever etched into my mind. We spent one incredible night together under a haze of tequila - a perfect night. And when I woke the next day, he was gone....

I remember the first time I saw Sutton Barnett in perfect detail–like a fragment of time suspended in front of my eyes. I remember his shirt–faded blue against tanned skin that had seen countless hours of the summer sun....

When fate hands me yet another big f--k you, I’m not even a little bit surprised. Why should I be? I mean, after everything I’ve been through, why not throw my best friend’s ex-boyfriend into the mix and see how royally I can screw this up too. It doesn’t matter that he loved her first....

Arrogant. Egotistical. Playboy. Three words that perfectly describe Atlas Keaton. My twin brother’s best friend. The absolute bane of my existence. And my new college roommate. It wasn’t by choice of course....

It’s funny how differently we view life when we’re young. Everything feels possible- limitless. If only things could stay that way forever. Then maybe life wouldn’t be so complicated. Maybe Jace would still be the same ten-year-old boy I fell in love with....

I had a lot of plans entering my senior year of college—dealing with Archer Copeland in any capacity was most definitely not on that list. The cocky quarterback and I have been at odds since last year when he posed naked for one of my art classes....

They say everything happens for a reason - that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. For the longest time, I didn’t think that was true. I had stumbled around in the dark for so many years that I didn’t think I would ever find my way out....

I fell in love with Sutton Barnett the first time I saw him. I couldn’t explain it, or rationalize it, but in some weird way, it’s like I knew he was the one that would change everything. And he did. Just not the way I expected....

Sham. Fraud. Hoax. All words that describe my relationship with Callum Hanson. It didn’t start out that way. We used to be friends. That is until high school, when Callum decided he was too cool to be seen with his less than popular next-door neighbor....

Our parents’ friendship meant we had to co-exist. But it didn’t mean we had to like it. He purposely did things to get under my skin. Like spreading rumors about me in junior high so no boys wanted to go out with me. Or sleeping with several of my high school friends....

Treyton Tyler. Professional baseball player turned Hollywood actor. A conceited womanizer who thinks no one is immune to his charm. I deal with men like him every day. As a high-end real estate agent in Los Angeles County, you kind of have to....

Years passed. Moments faded into the background. Until eventually, he became nothing more than a distant memory—a dream that almost didn’t seem real....

They say life never gives you more than you can handle. Tell that to someone who didn’t just watch the perfectly placed pieces of her future go up in flames. Enter Liam Mason. Mysterious. And even though he’s the last person I should want, I can’t help but be drawn to him....

They say love is blind. In my case, love is blinding. Because I should have seen what was coming next. And I didn’t....

Time heals all wounds. That’s what they say anyway. But I believe some wounds never actually heal. Like the hole left in my heart where Jake used to be. The pain a permanent reminder of what I had, and what I lost. But then he happened. Zayne….

Fabrication. The one word that describes my entire life. They didn’t want me to know my true identity. Now, I know why.... Abducted. Held against my will. I’ve become a bargaining chip in a blood feud that spans decades. Mateo Rivera is the one calling the shots....

Paxton Stewart.... The boy I spent my entire childhood pining after. He never saw me of course. To him I was just a child. His best friend’s baby sister. A silly little girl. Until I wasn’t anymore.... I thought I could be the one to change him....