Acknowledgments
Page 4 • Jan 29, 2026
Mostly, though, this novel wouldn’t have come to fruition without the support and excitement of all of my readers.
Prologue
Page 11 • Jun 5, 2026
Out of pure reflex, she dropped the cup and reached out, grabbing both sides of the woman’s shirt so she could rip it open, trying to get some cool air on her.
Regan would be the first person to say that sometimes her… impulsivity got ahead of her. But this was the right decision; she knew it was.
Page 13 • Jun 5, 2026
“My eyes are up here,” the woman grit out.
Page 14 • Jun 5, 2026
“What the hell is the matter with you?”
Page 14 • Jun 5, 2026
“I mean, adult-identified ADHD. But I don’t really like to look at it as something that’s wrong with me.”
Page 14 • Jun 5, 2026
“No, I got how you spilled the coffee. What I don’t get is where the hell you get off, ripping my shirt off at all, let alone in front of fifty people!”
Chapter 1
Page 31 • Jun 5, 2026
Like, what was the proper greeting to your unreliable and unpredictable mom that had sporadically been around throughout your childhood before moving to Florida and starting a second family when she finally reached adult maturity levels, who was now – having moved back to New York – desperately trying to bond with you?
Page 31 • Jun 5, 2026
Emma would give anything for there to be a book about how to manage this situation. She’d yet to find one.
Page 33 • Jun 5, 2026
If she wasn’t jam-packed at work, what could she say now? Short of, actually, I’m not ready to see you, and I don’t exactly know why, but I also don’t really want to put in the mental energy to figuring that out, anyway?
Page 34 • Jun 5, 2026
“I didn’t know your new roommate wasn’t just a roommate! You never mention your romantic partners!”
Chapter 4
Page 84 • Jun 5, 2026
“Well, of course! And who wouldn’t be? Graduating with her master’s, getting a job at a big publication, and moving in with her girlfriend! Those are all amazing milestones, and I’m so happy for her.”
Page 84 • Jun 5, 2026
Girlfriend.
Girlfriend?
“Girlfriend,”
Page 85 • Jun 5, 2026
“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I never really asked if that’s what you two call one another. Is it better to say partner?”
Page 85 • Jun 5, 2026
Yep. She really meant that Regan and Emma were romantically involved.
Page 88 • Jun 5, 2026
“What? My mother is here?”
Page 88 • Jun 5, 2026
“No, no, the story isn’t over. This part is really interesting: imagine my even bigger surprise when your mom tells me that you and I are in a relationship!”
Page 88 • Jun 5, 2026
“Now it’s your turn.”
Page 88 • Jun 5, 2026
“Jesus fucking Christ.”
Page 88 • Jun 5, 2026
“Did I miss somewhere in that contract that we’re apparently dating?” Honestly, it was the only thing she could think of that made any sort of sense, even though it also didn’t.
Page 88 • Jun 5, 2026
“Of course not.”
Page 88 • Jun 5, 2026
“Hey, don’t snap at me! I’m not the one who has any fucking clue what is going on!”
Page 88 • Jun 5, 2026
“It’s not my mom that showed up before ten AM on a Sunday morning to blindside us!”
Page 89 • Jun 5, 2026
“You’re right,” she admitted, softly. “I’m sorry.”
Page 89 • Jun 5, 2026
“Wait. Can you repeat that?”
Page 89 • Jun 5, 2026
That might have been the most surprising thing to happen all morning! Which was saying quite a bit.
Page 90 • Jun 5, 2026
“Well, your situation with your mom must be dire if telling her that you’re in a relationship with me was your best choice, huh?”
Page 90 • Jun 5, 2026
“Clearly, right now, I am regretting it.”
Page 92 • Jun 5, 2026
Clearly, it was because Emma had re-focused her attention back on the situation at hand. Man, Regan wondered what it was like to have a brain that could prioritize and execute so deftly.
Page 92 • Jun 5, 2026
“Wait. Do you want me to be on your side? I think this is a momentous occasion for us.”
Page 92 • Jun 5, 2026
“And now, not only do I miss out on my day to sleep in, but I also have to go out there and figure out how to tell her – in the most delicate way possible – that I lied to her about my relationship status to avoid spending time with her!”
Page 93 • Jun 5, 2026
“Why do you have to tell her that?”
Page 93 • Jun 5, 2026
“What?”
Page 93 • Jun 5, 2026
“Why do you have to tell her the truth?” Regan clarified.
Page 93 • Jun 5, 2026
“What are you saying?”
Page 93 • Jun 5, 2026
“I don’t know. What’s the big deal if she thinks we’re in a relationship if it helps you out? I don’t care if she thinks that.”
Page 93 • Jun 5, 2026
“You don’t care… that my mom thinks we’re in a relationship?”
Page 94 • Jun 5, 2026
“I want it stated on the record that this is the most ludicrous situation I’ve ever gotten into.”
Page 95 • Jun 5, 2026
Luckily for Emma, she had Regan. And Regan had never met an awkward silence that she couldn’t dissipate.
Chapter 5
Page 109 • Jun 6, 2026
Emma was already figuring out her color codes as she nodded, trying to bite back her smile; she didn’t want to look like an insane person thrilled to have this responsibility dropped on her desk.
Page 117 • Jun 6, 2026
“It’s not just an entertaining story; this is my life. My life with my mom. My grandmother calling me, trying to make plans to meet you, too. I’m the one who has to figure this all out, and it’s really not entertaining.”
Page 117 • Jun 6, 2026
“Your grandmother wants to meet me?!” She clapped her hands as if she were high-fiving herself. “Yes! Okay. You tell me where and when, and I will be girlfriend-ready.”
Page 117 • Jun 6, 2026
Were they living on different planes of existence? Emma blinked at Regan, so utterly baffled as to how her statement could garner that reaction.
Page 118 • Jun 6, 2026
“Why did Kimberly even come over yesterday?” Emma muttered, shaking her head as she thought about Mr. Cuddles, now sitting on her bookshelf. “Why did you have to be awake and let her in?”
Thinking about her childhood bear made her stomach twist.
Page 118 • Jun 6, 2026
She hadn’t understood at that moment that there would be any ramifications. She hadn’t realized that one dumb little lie-by-omission could have such a snowball effect.
Chapter 6
Page 130 • Jun 6, 2026
“All right,” she repeated her words from a minute ago, rolling her shoulders back. This time, the words weren’t a question but a statement. “I can’t in good conscience leave this café until you’ve told me what is wrong. Sutton would never forgive me.”