I bobbed my head in consideration. “Hm, maybe once or twice.”
Micah had said it countless times over the last couple of weeks, and I never got sick of it. We didn’t plan for it to happen, but if I’d learned anything in the past couple of months, it was that it was okay to be spontaneous.
“You know that phrase ‘with age comes wisdom’?” I asked as we pulled out of the parking lot. I looked at Micah, and he nodded. “I don’t think that’s how it works. I think it comes with experience and accepting those experiences. Ada will figure that out too.”
Micah picked up my hand and kissed my wrist. “Just gotta give it time.”
THE END
Get more of The Collective in The Worth Within!
The Worth Within is the fourth novel in The Collective Series. This novel is a hurt/comfort, angsty bisexual romance that follows two brand new characters, Theo and Elias.
You can pre-order on Amazon for limited price of $2.99.
There are plenty of people who’ve helped me bring Nik and Micah’s story to life and it would be remiss if I didn’t give them a shoutout.
B Ripley, Marina Vivancos, and Kat Gynn are wonderful, patient angels who listened to me whine and moan and question it all, I love you.
To Linda with Foreward PR for believing in me and being the best homeroom mom a girl could ask for.
My edit team has made this book go from sounding like mushed peas to something coherent: Elle, Janine, Adam, and Kathy. I’m very glad the life distribution system gave me y’all.
Molly Phipps for being an incredible artist and pal, I appreciate that you let me come up with vague ideas and make them into beautiful covers. You’re a goddess.
For my darling husband, who fed me when I wasn’t eating, who cheered me on when I was stuck in our studio writing, and who used the massage gun on my shoulders when they were being little assholes from stress. Only you have seen me in full goblin mode and that’s a true gift.
Lastly, to my readers: if you’re new, welcome. I hope you like to hang out here. It’s cozy. If you’ve been around for a while, I appreciate you coming back. It means the world to me.
Chasing Hope
Loss chased him away, Hope brought him love...But is that enough?
Sean is only twenty-seven, but he’s already lost everything that gave him life. On the verge of losing hope for a future, he moves to a town where no one knows about him, the death of his child, or his failed marriage; but when his nightmares and his guilt follow him without the pitying glares, he realizes he can’t move forward on his own.
Jonah has worked tirelessly to keep his father’s memory alive and be a fixture in the small town he grew up in. Now, nearing forty, his dreams have been long forgotten to keep everyone else’s alive, and he doesn’t know how to reclaim his life as his own without losing his last connection to his father.
But when the two men’s lives collide, they’re forced to confront their grief and accept that there can be life and hope after loss—if you’re willing to chase it.
Tropes: Small town romance, Bisexual Romance, Out for You, Second Chances
Triggers: Discussions, memories, and dreams about stillbirth, btu the event is not on screen.
Double Shot
Coffee, with a double shot of desire....
West is still floundering three years after a failed relationship spun his life out of control and forced him to move back to his hometown. When he meets Rhys at Bold Brew, his curiosity sparks, and he wonders if the alluring photographer could be his shot at embracing the inner Little he suppressed in the past. Rhys's photos are a passionate exploration and call to West's needs and desires.
Rhys loves to guide and nurture partners—then send them on their way. But something about West is different. The quiet man responds to Rhys's Daddy dominance in beautiful ways. And the camera loves him, too.
When West agrees to a photoshoot, their chemistry ignites. Rhys and West are a perfect complement to one another's cravings. But can this double shot at love last as long as one of Rhys’s photographs, or will they drink their fill and move on?
Tropes: Daddy kink, Mild Age Play, Small Age Gap
Triggers: Discussions of alcoholism and attending AA meetings. Character is in recovery without any relapses.
Follow the Stars
Can the Stars Make Two Friends Lovers or Break them Apart Forever?
When Noah loses his best friend Rory to cystic fibrosis, he feels lost without her unconditional love and support.
Ezra—the one who understands his grief—suggests they embark on something they've been planning for years: a road trip along the Eastern Seaboard. But Ezra has a secret no one knows—he’s been in love Noah for years.
Ezra fears he won’t be able to hold back his feelings as they fulfill Rory’s biggest dream on her bucket list. Noah worries the connection he has with Ezra's lost without Rory to guide them together. But through their grief, the question remains: If you follow your heart, can you find love as bright as the stars?
Tropes: Best friends to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Demisexual awakening, Bisexual Romance, Neurodivergent Hero
THE COLLECTIVE SERIES
The Wonder Within
Honoring their friend brought them back together. Will love and a common goal keep them there?
Four years ago, Leon fled Knoxville with a broken heart and swore he’d never come back. But when his best friend dies tragically, he finds himself face to face with a place he’d just as soon forget, and the man he left behind.
