Have you ever heard of a man-in-waiting?
Yeah, neither has my best friend's soon-to-be monster-in-law. Ooo, sorry, I meant mother-in-law. Nor has she heard of the term, what the bride wants, the bride gets.
With wedding planning underway and a short timeline, my best friend, Lia, has recruited me to help her battle the snarly beast that is Mrs. Beaver. Not scared at all, I accept the challenge as her man-in-waiting--aka, man of honor--and take matters into my own hands.
The only problem is, with every second we draw closer to the wedding, I'm starting to see my best girl in a different light.
She's always been beautiful to me, but now . . . I find myself staring a touch too long. My hand lingering for one more minute. And when she's upset? Allowing her to sleep in my bed.
And before I know what's happening, it hits me like a ton of bricks. I'm in love with my best friend. Not just in love, but infatuated.
No one compares to her and nothing seems to distract me from that realization.
Not the girl I try to date while I help plan Lia's wedding.
Not her angry fiancé who thinks I'm growing too close.
And not the looming deadline of her nuptials.
Which means, there's only one thing left for me to do. Prove to Lia I'm the one she should be with instead. But with the pressure of her engagement, the stress from her soon-to-be mother-in-law, and the breath-stealing nerves running through me, I'm finding it a lot harder to claim the girl than I would like to admit.
Say a little prayer for me . . .
From USA Today best-selling author of The Highland Fling comes a brand new romantic comedy about a desperate billionaire seeking to find a fiancée. This modern day take on Pretty Woman is brilliantly clever and hilariously pause-resisting.
How did you two meet?
The quintessential question asked to every couple. And the answer is usually some bubbly, lovey dovey tale of being struck in the bum by Cupid’s arrow.
My meet cute (well, not so meet cute) is slightly different. I was trolling a wealthy neighborhood in Beverly Hills, searching for someone to take me as their bride, you know, to make my arch nemesis jealous who consequently just fired me.
He was stomping around the block like some sort of gorgeous ogre, mumbling about a business deal gone wrong and attempting to finagle his way out of it.
And that's when we bumped into each other.
There were no sparks.
Not even a hint of blossoming love.
But next thing I knew, I was scarfing down free chips and guac, listening to this man lay out all of his problems which led to his big ask...he wanted me to be his Vivian Ward, you know, from Pretty Woman - minus the frisky behavior.
We're talking about living in a mansion, intimate double dates, and pretending we were head over heels in love...and engaged. Can you imagine?
The absolute audacity.
But people do crazy things when they’re desperate. And I reeked of desperation. So, I struck up a deal.
My one big mistake, though...big...HUGE? I accidentally fell for the incomparable Huxley Cane.
In this steamy tale by USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn, an American searching for her purpose escapes to a Scottish town but finds more questions than answers when she meets a brooding yet handsome handyman.
Freshly fired from her third job in a row, Bonnie St. James has lost her way. So when she and her best friend stumble upon a “help wanted” post to run a coffee shop in the Scottish Highlands, they apply on a whim. Who knows? Maybe traveling to a new place is just what she needs to figure out her next move.
When the friends arrive in the tiny idyllic town of Corsekelly, they instantly fall for the gorgeous Highland landscape and friendly townspeople. But Bonnie finds a less-than-warm welcome in Rowan MacGregor, the rugged local handyman. Busy wrestling his own demons, Rowan’s in no mood to deal with the quirky American—even if she is a bonny lass.
As Bonnie and Rowan’s paths inevitably cross, insults—and sparks—fly. Can the pair build on their similarities to help each other find purpose and direction…and maybe romance too? Or will their passionate tempers fling them apart?
Auch die besten Pläne können schiefgehen ...Bram Scott hat bisher alles geschafft, was er sich vorgenommen hat:Ein Abschluss an einem Elite-College? Check.Eine eigene Firma aufbauen? Check.Der Schwester seines besten Freundes seine Gefühle gestehen? Dringendes To-Do!Schon seit Jahren ist Bram heimlich in Julia Westin verliebt - und nie hatte er das Gefühl, dass er gut genug für sie wäre. Aber nun hat er sich vorgenommen, ihr endlich zu zeigen, dass sie füreinander bestimmt sind. Und wie für alles, hat er erfolgreiche CEO hierfür einen ausgeklügelten Plan ...-
USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn’s latest bauble is the charming story of a crafting queen battling a jaded divorce lawyer on a wedding reality show.
Luna Rossi is a veritable crafting genius—she can bedazzle and bead so hard her Etsy site is one of the hottest in the world. So it’s only natural that Luna would convince her brother and his husband-to-be to compete on The Wedding Game, a “do-it-yourself” TV show, for the title of Top DIY Wedding Expert.
As a jaded divorce lawyer, Alec Baxter scoffs at weddings and romance. But when his recently engaged brother begs him to participate in The Wedding Game, Alec grudgingly picks up a glue gun and prepares for some family bonding.
Both fierce competitors, Luna and Alec clash on national TV as harsh words and glitter fly with abandon. But as they bicker over color swatches and mood boards, they find themselves fighting something else: their growing mutual attraction. While Luna is torn between family loyalty and her own feelings, Alec wonders if he might have been wrong about love and marriage all along…
I'm single...so single it's painful.Yup, ladies, Brig Knightly-that's me-is still a lonely bachelor, stumbling through the streets of Port Snow, looking for the girl he's supposed to end up with.That is, I was until my brother, Rogan, presented me with the opportunity of a lifetime. The Summer of Love, a secret pen-pal program in Port Snow is looking for applicants, and I'm the perfect fit. I couldn't sign up fast enough. I found myself quickly falling in love with a pair of red lips at the bottom of a letter...just like in the movies.Life could not have been better-until I started hanging out with Ruth Barber. After she started a new business right next to my shop, I found myself gravitating toward her-her smile, her humor...her tea sandwiches.My attraction for Ruth came in full force, leaving me dazed, confused, and *ahem* excited.As new feelings for two women come to a screeching halt, I have to figure out which one to choose. But when I discover my pen pal is Ruth, it might be too late.All I want in life is to experience that swoony feeling...but I think I might have just missed my chance.
How did I get here? My assistant, bent on one knee, holding my hand, her expectant face waiting for an answer...Just...how?How did I go from being insulted by Charlee Cox to hiring her to be my assistant? How is it that she's chaos in color-making me crazy and my life better at the same time?I never thought I would be staring down at her bright blue eyes begging me to go along with the ridiculous scheme I suggested.Yes, I suggested it. Like the idiot I am, I thought hey, why not start an HR nightmare and have my assistant ask me to marry her?Confused? Don't worry, so am I.But try to follow along, because this is how I became Boss Man Bridegroom.
I got the dreaded phone call, the one every baseball player hopes and prays never comes. I was traded-yeah, that phone call-traded from my long-time team of over ten years to not just any team...to my childhood rivals, the Chicago Rebels.I was completely and utterly screwed, right? Wrong. The trade was the least of my concerns. I met a girl, Natalie. She was perfect, but I swore I would never get involved with anyone during the season. It was too complicated. But can you believe I had zero restraint when it came to this girl? I couldn't get her out of my head and the more I talked to her the more I realized I needed her in my life.So what's the problem? Why am I screwed? Because, Natalie, the girl I can't stop crushing on, yeah...she's married...At least, that's what I was told...
Okay, that might not be the headline in the newspaper this morning, but it's the reality of my current situation. It all started a month ago when I received a call from my best friend, Kinsley. She'd gotten a new job in Chicago and needed a place to stay. I've known the girl since I was five, so I figured there wouldn't be any harm in having her stay at my place for a while.Ha! Total disaster. Now instead of going out every night with my teammates, I'm couch surfing and sketching endless portraits of my best friend...but that's the least of my concerns. The disaster, you ask? I'm rapidly falling head-over-cleats in love with my best friend, my roommate, and my number-one fan.And she has no idea...
Have you ever hit rock bottom? I embarrassingly have.It's why I'm wearing my girl's decorative scarf over my head, clutching her lady drink to my chest, and singing ever so softly to Joni Mitchell while swaying back and forth.This is what therapists refer to as LOSING IT.Oldest story in the book: boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy screws up MASSIVELY, girl tells boy to suffocate in the fruits of his very own unborn children.Heard it before? I'm sure you have.So what's so different about this story? Well, it's about me, The Modern Gentleman, New York City's top advice columnist, and my rather ungraceful downfall from my pristinely polished pedestal.It's about a girl I met who threw all my proven theories to the wind and left me awkward, needy, and absolutely head-over-wing-tipped shoes in love.This is a story about June Lacy and how she single-handedly dismantled The Modern Gentleman.
I've fallen victim to a heinous act. An act so vile, so downright dirty, that I'm not sure as a twenty-year-old man I'll ever recover. Brace yourself, because what I'm about to tell you might have you gasping in secondhand horror.Ready? Here it goes...I've recently become the pawn of a meddling mom.Yes...A MEDDLING MOM-who's been trying to set me up all summer.Now, I understand it's not a crime for a mother to want her child to fall in love, but when she makes it her relentless MISSION, the heinous act should be classified as a misdemeanor at least.Of course, my mom, the evil matriarch in the devil's leggings, made her final stab at finding a girl for me days before I went back to college.And I hate to admit it, but she saved a doozy for last. A titan in black skinny jeans. A boss of nonchalance. And a girl who would not only turn my life upside down, but do it while juggling a soccer ball, looking effortlessly gorgeous around campus, and is one hundred percent against relationships. Of any sort. Thanks, Mom.
What do ice cream and Sadie Montgomery have in common? They're both ice cold, but one taste is never enough.
I wanted to be friends-I would have even settled for her seeing me as anything but a nerd-but there was no getting through. So just like any hard-headed, red-blooded man out there, I made up my mind.
I'd make my coworker fall for me.
I'd like to say it was simple, but like every other epic love story, all it took was one drunken night and a lot of naked courage to get the girl. For a moment, at least.
Love with a coworker is never simple, especially since Sadie's trying to keep us on the low. Not to mention her persistent ex-boyfriend who won't leave her alone. But I've never been good at giving up, and I don't plan to start now.
The whole thing is a recipe for a rocky road, but I plan to eat the whole gallon, no matter how bad the brain freeze.
Contains mature themes.
