One letter changed my life.

One night with him might change my forever.

Inheriting a beach house in a small town you’ve never heard of is less than ideal.

Falling for the broody bar owner who hates me because he wants the house? Even worse.

I came to Carrington Cove for one reason—to renovate the home I knew nothing about, sell it, and get back to my life in D.C. and my multi-million dollar business.

There was nothing on the agenda about falling for Dallas, the sexy former Marine who chastises me about my manners and withholds how to fend off the murderous geese on my property.

Fighting with him becomes our own messed up form of foreplay. But his tongue?

Turns out it has other talents than just sparring with me verbally.

Our banter turns to moans in the dark, our arguments turn to learning more about each other, and the closer we get, the more I question whether I’m meant to stay here with the man I’m falling for.

Until one night, I realize that he and I share a connection neither one of us could have seen coming.

Would I leave this town feeling more lost in my life than ever before?

Or was it possible that I finally found somewhere I belong?

Rule number one of bro-code: exes, sisters—and of course, wives—are off-limits.

Don’t think about them and sure as hell don’t kiss them.

But what if your best friend dies, and suddenly you want the woman who has always been his?

Four years ago my childhood friend lost his life serving our country, and Astrid and her kids became my responsibility.

But before I knew it, something started to shift between us.

Her smile started to make my stomach twist. Our conversations gave me something to look forward to. And working with her made me appreciate just how strong she truly was.

But then one night, I did the one thing I shouldn’t have but couldn’t fight any longer—I kissed her.

She pushed me away, told me it was a mistake, and begged me to forget it ever happened.

And then she shoved me deep and fully into the friendzone, where I’ve resided since then.

Until one instance changes everything and I know for certain she’s the woman I want.

Just when I think we’re on the same page, a secret from our past threatens to destroy our future.

I shouldn’t want my best friend’s widow.

I shouldn’t care what other people think.

But in the end, the only thing that matters is being someone Astrid deserves, and I’ll stop at nothing until she believes that too.

You’ve heard the story about the best friends since childhood, the boy and girl who secretly love each other but are too scared to admit it, right?

Well, have you heard the one where the twin brother of the boy steps in and kisses the girl to make his brother jealous?

No?

Then let me enlighten you.

Wyatt Gibson has been my best friend since we were in diapers, and I’ve loved him since we were ten.

But when Wyatt left for college and I stayed back in our hometown of Newberry Springs, Texas, I gave up on the idea of us ever ending up together, even though he kissed me the night before he left.

Flashforward eight years and now I’m helping him run his business as I dance around the fact that I’m hopelessly in love with him and probably always will be.

But giving in to those feelings means risking everything dear to me in my life—his family, which is very much my own, and a lifelong friendship that I cherish more than wondering what it would be like to be his in every way.

Life was normal until Wyatt’s twin brother, Walker, decided he was tired of us tiptoeing around each other, and devised a plan to make Wyatt admit his feelings as well.

So he kissed me.

And even though I knew it would hurt Wyatt, it felt good to play with fire—to go against the safe boundaries that I’ve lived my life within out of fear of everything changing.

But everything did change.

Everything became hazy and dangerous all at once.

And suddenly, I went from having everything…to having everything to lose.

One of my favorite songs growing up was Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield. Ironically enough, I never realized I’d be living out those lyrics in my own life when I fell for my best friend’s girl—and then my best friend, John Schmitt, died.

Add on the fact that she was pregnant with his child and that I’d been harboring feelings for Evelyn months before all of this happened, and well, now?

Now the lyrics to that song don’t sound so bad anymore.

The worst part is, I’m the one to blame for his death which made facing her an even harder pill to swallow, so what did I do? Pretend like she didn’t exist anymore, even though it was virtually impossible because she was everywhere in our small town of Newberry Springs.

Flashforward six months and suddenly Evelyn finds herself in a legal battle she never saw coming, and I can’t just stand by any longer and pretend like my heart isn’t in shambles.

So I suggest the unthinkable.

I offer to marry her, help her prove that she’s a fit mother and her daughter is being raised well despite John not being in the picture.

But Evelyn doesn’t know that being near her gets my blood pumping, even more so after avoiding her for months.

She doesn’t understand that doing this favor for her is a way for me to gain retribution for John’s death and take a chance to find out if she can reciprocate my feelings.

And she doesn’t get that by being there for her and loving her and her daughter that I’m doing everything that my best friend couldn’t.