It's all fun and games until my best friend starts dating someone who isn't me. This story starts when my best friend, Tanner, takes “having a girlfriend” to “completely ignoring me” fast enough to give me whiplash. Making matters worse while I'm recovering from said whiplash, some guy in leather ruins my life—by stealing my parking spot in front of my favorite bookstore. Making matters unbelievable, Leather Motorcycle Man is the new editor where I work, my new boss, and the only thing now standing between me and being able to publish my book. Talk about bad luck. I hate him; he can't stand me; my sister won't stop believing this is our Enemies to Lovers, Sweet and Sassy, Small-town Romance, seventy thousand words, confirmed HEA. Trust me, I loathe saying it, but…if this guy keeps sneaking himself into the heart Tanner is vacating, my sister might just be right. Cyprian Douglas—affectionately, Shiane—makes me want more than seventy thousand words. If he can promise me a never-ending series, I might forgive him for taking my parking spot. If he can't? I'll never forgive him for taking my heart… Could Have Been Us is a laugh-out-loud, banter-filled, closed-door romcom with two grumpy leads, tension-filled flirting, and a happily ever after that meets all genre expectations.

Turns out, fairy tales lie about the happily ever afters. After wasting almost two years on a guy my parents don’t know about, the clock strikes midnight, and I’m left staring at a different tale as old as time—the one called he cheated on me with his secretary. Curses. Unwilling to return home and admit I’m a catastrophic failure, I strand myself in Golden Shore, New York with nothing but a hastily-packed duffle bag, my cat, and a determination to figure things out before I’m kidnapped. Enter prince charming. Elliot Carter—my brother’s best friend and the man who completely broke my heart as a child—finds me in my lowest moment, offers a chivalrous hand, and takes me home to his little castle off the coast. He’s a cop. I know it’s just his duty to help damsels in distress. But if fifteen-year-old me thought the twenty-two-year-old man wove dreams out of clouds, nineteen-year-old me does not stand a chance against twenty-six-year-old Officer Ellie who is freshly scruffed and tattooed. In spite of his rejection before, I still want him. All I need to know is if he’s changed his mind about wanting me. Could Have Been Closer is a laugh-out-loud, age-gap, closed-door romcom with grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, and fairy tale happily ever after. Also, a cat in a tux, which is very important to mention.

My rules are simple; allow me to list them for you. Rule one: no matter how perfectly adorable Bianca Jane Taylor is, do not ogle her. Rule two: no matter how hard I fall in love with her, never let her know. It should be simple, but if being a black autistic in a world built for white neurotypicals proves anything, nothing is as simple as it should be. Your tone of voice is never quite right. Your expressions are never exactly welcoming. And the girl you like happens to be asexual and aromantic. Life isn’t fair, and it doesn’t make sense. When Bianca is invited to Florida for a family reunion, the idea of my tiny, beloved boss leaving me for three weeks propels me into inviting myself along. It’s just a trip. Spending weeks living together while navigating her less-than-wonderful family is not going to reveal my secret. I won’t let it. Because I know the facts. Loving her is selfish, and I have the list of reasons to prove it. Even so, I can’t stop. Could Have Been Romantic is a laugh-out-loud, friends-to-lovers, closed-door romcom with neurodivergent characters, forced proximity, and a unique special interest in one another. Swoonfully sweet and heart-melting. PLEASE READ the Author’s Note and Trigger Warning located at the after the dedication.

The world is full of stories. Trust me. It’s true. And I’m always right, so I know. With hardly a glance, I can read just about anyone, add a couple notes, and orchestrate their next chapters. It’s a gift worthy of exploitation as far as my father is concerned, so when he sends me to buy out quaint Chickville, South Carolina for his industry plans, I decide it’s time to write my own story. The second after I lay eyes on Summer Roberts—local bookstore owner with a jaded past and a pant suit that doesn’t belong within a hundred miles of farm land—I decide my story involves a marriage of convenience. At first, I just want to spite my father by ignoring all his orders, falling in “love,” and giving up his last name, but as Summer’s secrets and mine come undone, one beautiful page at a time, this little ploy turns into something else. Something real. Will she ever stop hating me for coercing her into staying in a place full of memories she doesn’t want to endure? And, follow up question, am I allowed to fall in love with my wife? Could Have Been Real is a laugh-out-loud, enemies-to-lovers, closed-door romcom with small-town magic, forced proximity, and a sunshine boy/grumpy girl dynamic. Trigger Warning: depictions of depression and references to suicide