The middle child of the Hawkins clan, Jereth has always felt the need to create something that was just his. This need—and the impulsive actions he often takes to satisfy that need—has earned him colorful titles such as "rebel" or "wild child" amongst most everyone who knew him. Marrying a stranger in Vegas seems right up his ally and his family probably wouldn't bat an eye at the news—if they knew about it.Latonya Black lives a mostly satisfying existence working in her family's business and caring for her adolescent son. Taking care of everyone else keeps her busy, but not too busy to realize she could use some male attention. On a trip to Sin City in celebration of her cousin's nearing wedding, she comes across an enigmatic man who sweeps her away with his outlandish proposal. What follows is the give and take of a budding relationship between two people who could have it all if they just got out of their own way.

Janine was raised to be a passive and obedient wolf shifter and to always put the will of The Elders before her own—a will that she never questioned until the one day she was instructed to become the mate of a man she didn't love and who didn't love her. Fed up with rules and obligations, she left everything she knew behind and headed out west. She arrived in West Texas with the expectation of getting a fresh start as a new woman with no one to answer to but herself. What she didn't expect was to discover secrets big enough to tilt her world and people she would be willing to kill for because of them. Langston always knew he would be the next True Alpha of his pack, but when his father died, Langston's premature promotion had him unsure about his path. With the weight of the pack on his shoulders and a thriving urban ranching community in West Texas to oversee, the last thing on Langston's mind is finding a mate. Of course, trouble always finds you when you're...

Lisa Sutton enjoys her simple but satisfying life in the southeastern Arkansas town that she settled in after graduating from college years ago. There, she met a man who enriches her life and makes her believe in fairy tales, gave birth to her sometimes too intelligent daughter, and curated a tribe of loving and dependable people. If there is a more perfect existence on the planet, she hasn't found it. She isn't just happy, she's content.All of that changes when she takes a weekend trip with her girlfriends.For Jeremiah Hawkins, nothing could make his life more perfect than it already is. Well…almost nothing. The only thing missing from his life is an "I do" from his longtime girlfriend and the mother of his daughter. That, and another baby. This time, a son. He bides his time on one, and makes plans for the other, but things don't always go according to plan. In the span of one evening, everything he knows is swept from underneath him and now he has to...

What if we could buy a vow to right our wrongs? For Nedra Phillips, the strain of portraying a strong Black woman to outsiders is finally taking its toll on her. Her marriage to her college sweetheart has begun to fizzle out, with conversations dwindling down to nothing and intimacy becoming sporadic at best. Unwilling to endure the stigma of being a 30-something divorcee, she does everything in her power to hold onto her marriage, but Chris isn't just on a different page, he's in a whole other book entirely. Despite their disconnect, her vows meant something to her and marriage is supposed to be forever. When all seems lost, she makes a last-ditch effort in hopes of generating results, but what exactly does a Hail Mary look like between friends and lovers? Jermaine Hawkins is nearing the end of a prominent career playing professional basketball and is ready to put his retirement plan into action. That plan includes many things but most important on the list...

Can two women who only want to be loved, find a home in each other when the world around them is moving too fast for them to settle down?Growing up in an intolerant town, Latrisha Martin was used to shrinking the most important parts of herself. She hid her loneliness within a busy life and kept the yearning in her heart tucked away from those closest to her. Just as the façade became too heavy to maintain, Trisha received wise words from a strange woman that helped redirect her life's journey. On a whim, she relocates to Houston, and while adjusting to a new normal, she finds that those desires she'd once hidden begin to manifest in ways she never imagined.With her star attached to a rocket ship, Xenobia Cooper was quickly transforming from a locally known talent into a name known in households across the nation. Viewed as an overnight success to many, the only thing that the veteran of the Houston underground music scene hadn't prepared for was living a life...

Lisa and Jeremiah have never celebrated Valentine's Day. Foregoing the "holiday" had been Lisa's suggestion years ago and Jeremiah followed suit.So why was he sending her all of these gifts and what did he do that he needed to make up for?Note: This is a standalone short story.