Moving to the US was meant to be the fresh start I needed, living closer to my dad and discovering who I was without the problems from my past surrounding me. New house, new friends, new life. I thought I had a chance at becoming the Sadie Dahl I’d always wanted to be—fun loving, free, clean, and happy. It was a dream I was working hard to make a reality, and I thought I’d succeeded. But nothing stays buried, nothing stays hidden, especially with all the information available on the internet today. Jealousy’s a curse, but apparently a woman scorned is evil and will do anything she can to get revenge. Then again, I can understand how being forgotten by a man like Elijah Townsend-Rossi would sting. ∞∞∞∞ As a kid my dream was to join the Coast Guard. I wanted to save lives, protect our waters, and stop the bad guy. And that’s exactly what I’d done. I’d spent years living for Semper Paratus. Dreams shatter when it’s your best friend’s body that you pull out of the water and almost die trying to save six other sailors from the same vessel, though. Eight years of living and breathing my job had come to an end just as I was due to extend my service, and now I felt like a nomad. I roamed, I slept, I ate, I breathed. I had no purpose, just a void that I couldn’t fill and emotions I couldn’t get rid of. And then I met Sadie. She amused me with her eccentricities and was unique, opening up a part of the world I hadn’t known existed. And damn, she had great sass. Unfortunately, during my roaming I’d made some bad choices that were coming back to bite me—and her. Even worse, they were putting her life at risk with someone from her own past. I might have failed my best friend, but I wasn’t going to do the same with her.

Sasha Both of my dads were always attentive and loving, but they were also smothering. Leaving for college caused them more anxiety than it caused me. I was excited about having freedom and laying the foundations for my future and my career. Yeah, I have two of them, so you can imagine the bullying I had as a kid. But I wouldn’t change them for the world, it’s just that I needed to find my own place in it. How’s this for irony: I tasted freedom, I touched it with my fingertips, then I got a sinus infection, hit by the car he was driving, and now he’s insisting on helping me recuperate in exchange for not telling my dads about it. He didn’t need to do it, but when I said no, he proved he’d become an adult version of the irritating kid I remembered. Jackson I did my parents and their friends a favor and checked in on Sasha to make sure she was doing okay at college. I hadn’t forgotten the little girl who used to come over with her dads, I just hadn’t thought about her. It’s a totally different thing. I wasn’t a jock, I was here for my education, and I had zero-tolerance for distractions. I got enough of those from my family, so this time at college was my own. So it was only meant to be that one visit, but now I can’t stop thinking about her. Especially after I hit her with my car and now I’m looking after her. Except, that started as guilt, and now it’s something completely different. Read the series: Great Sass Shift Happens

Marcus A guy walks into a bar, meets a girl, and makes a date with her for the next night. Not exactly original, except I got stood up. I blame my brother and the relationship lesson he'd given me after he'd met Sasha. If it weren't for that, I probably wouldn’t have almost crashed through a fence when I saw ‘date girl,’ Adrienne, carrying some bags into my neighbor's house. I also might not have jumped out and told her that she owed me a date. At least, that’s what I’m choosing to blame it on. The truth is, it wasn’t about puzzle pieces like Jackson said. It’s about the jolt inside you when you find the one thing you didn’t know you’d been looking for. Yeah, I’d been thunderstruck. Adrienne I figured moving into the spare property at my grandmother’s would be perfect for my job as a jingle creator, with wide-open spaces and tranquility. And that would have been the case, if it hadn’t been for her neighbor—the guy I’d sadly had to stand up in Florida. Who’d have guessed he’d almost crash through the fence when he saw me and jump out and yell that I owed him a date? That’s definitely not how I saw us ever meeting again playing out. But a girl doesn't say no when fate finally turns the tides in her favor.

Remy I never expected this to be my life—a single parent with a kid I hadn’t known was coming into the world. I wanted to prove I could be a good dad but doing it alone when I didn’t know what I was doing made it feel like everyone was judging my abilities. It wasn’t until Marcus called me on it that I realized I’d been so determined to prove I was the best thing for Toby that I didn’t even know I was pushing people away. That one error in judgment led to Santana putting up walls I need to break down. Now I not only had to prove to the world that I was could be a dad, but I had to prove to her I deserved her, too. Santana Emotional pain can hurt just as much as physical pain. After feeling it from Remy too many times, I’ve decided I’m only there to help with his son, Toby. I just wish he’d go back to where we were colleagues only. For some reason, he’s forgotten about it in his new goal to be the hero he thinks I need. And if it hadn’t been for that damn hole in my roof, I might have been able to ignore his existence for the rest of my life. I’m lying, I’d never have been able to ignore a guy like Remy, but I’d have at least held out for longer than two freaking days. Now I’m living with him, and all of the promises I made myself are being broken.