I steer clear of relationships, especially the messy ones. I keep things simple, and it works for me. Until I agree to help out Cosette Dubois by pretending to date her. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Kind and sweet and smart and talented. Fake boyfriend… no problem. I'm a giver that way. Throw in a crazy ex, a Botox-injected mother who hates me, a snaggletoothed dog who can turn on a dime, and a woman I can't stop thinking about.

I flee for my life when I leave Chicago, escaping a lifetime of misery. From the moment my eyes land on Mya Whitfield—I'm done for. Don't even get me started on watching her play the cello. I've never envied anything like I envy that enormous piece of wood between her legs. Move over, cello… There's a new man in town.

Demi Crawford was Magnolia Falls royalty. I was the boxer from the wrong side of the tracks. She was the epitome of everything good, while I was broody and rebellious. We couldn’t be more different. Her family was enemy number one which made her guilty by association. I despised her before I even knew her. It was easier that way. But now she’d moved in next door to me, and she was everywhere I turned. I couldn’t avoid her no matter how hard I tried. She was beautiful and honest and sweet. Everything I knew I shouldn’t want. Shouldn’t need.

He's the hottest man I've ever seen, someone I can't forget. So it hurts when I find out I've slept with the enemy. As a list maker and a rule follower, the last thing I planned on one of the worst days of my life was to fall into bed with a guy who literally charmed the clothes right off of me. With him, I felt safe to lay my sadness down for the night and embrace a stranger. Little did I know, that hot, gorgeous man would be Jamison Ledger, the one who has taken everything I've ever wanted—my legacy, my happiness, and what I've worked my whole life to attain.

I didn’t know bridesmaid was code for babysitter for the bride’s brother, but if that’s what my best friend needs of me for her dream wedding to go off without a hitch, that’s what I’ll do. Even if Theo Monroe has been a pain in my rear since third grade. Even if he should be responsible enough to not wreak havoc at his sister’s destination wedding.