Happily Ever After: A Contemporary Romance Boxed Set

by Piper Rayne

  Nate laughed and shook his head. “That sounds just like Carol. You have a stubborn streak, too, you know.”

  “I do not,” Jenna argued playfully. But Nate was right. How long had it taken Jenna to come home, just because she hadn’t been willing to admit that she missed the place?

  “What are you going to do with the place?” Nate asked, looking around. “It’s weird, so empty.”

  Jenna nodded. “Yeah, it’s weird. I don’t know yet. Right now, I’m going to deal with camping chairs and a television on the floor. Until I can figure out what furniture I want. Something that’s really me. You know?”

  Nate nodded. Since Jenna had decided to move back, she had taken a moment before making any decisions to really think about what she wanted. To really decide who and what she wanted to be. It wasn’t exactly a case of discovering herself, but it was a good place to start. She had to get used to the fact that, even though she had come back home to a small town that felt like it stood still in time, she could still move forward.

  Since her mother had confessed that she knew she was sick, Jenna had managed to convince her to go to the retirement village Dr. Harris had suggested. Carol had been apprehensive—she had lived in the house Jenna had grown up in her whole life. It had belonged to Carol’s mother before. But she had relented, and they had gone to see the village. Dr. Harris himself had taken them on a private tour.

  She had liked it enough that she moved in a month later. A unit of her own, with her own furniture. There was medical assistance on site and a dining hall so that Carol didn’t have to cook. She had people who monitored her and a place to be without having to worry about being too far from home.

  And Jenna had moved into the old house. Because it was where she had grown up, and it was where her mother had grown up. And maybe, if she had kids one day, they would grow up there, too, and take it over.

  Someone knocked on the door, and Naomi walked in without waiting to be invited in.

  “Oh, wow,” she said, looking around. “This is weird.”

  “It is,” Jenna agreed. “It makes me all emotional.”

  “Don’t worry about it, we’ll have this place looking homey in no time. While we have the chance, we should use the open space instead.”

  “For what?” Jenna asked.

  Naomi’s eyes twinkled.

  “Oh no,” Jenna said. “If you want a party, the Twisted Cow is just down the road.”

  Naomi laughed. “Come on, just one party for old times’ sake.”

  Jenna shook her head, playfully shoving her friend.

  “We have to go furniture shopping this weekend,” Naomi said. “Together, a girl’s day. It will be fun.”

  Jenna smiled and nodded. She could figure out who she was with her best friend at her side. That was what this was all about.

  The hardest part about coming home had been going back to New York. Jenna had flown back two days after she had made up with Nate. She had a job there, an apartment, a lot of ends to tie up. It had been harder to let go of that life than she thought it would be.

  She had created a life there, she had made friends, she had built a home. Even though it hadn’t been the life she left behind, the life she realized she’d missed so much.

  When she quit her job, Sabrina was visibly upset. And when she moved out of her apartment, selling all her furniture again was painful in a way she hadn’t expected.

  It was hard to have lives in two different places.

  But she was happy where she was now.

  “Let’s go get coffee,” Naomi said. “My treat.”

  “Let’s go,” Jenna said to Nate, but he shook his head and glanced at his phone.

  “I have things to take care of at the restaurant,” he said.

  Jenna turned to him and kissed him. “Okay, I’ll see you later then. Date night.”

  “Right,” he said and smiled, glancing at Naomi.

  Jenna and Naomi left the house and drove to the café around the corner. They sat down and ordered coffees.

  “I can’t believe you’re back,” Naomi said while they waited for the coffee. “I can’t believe you’re with Nate again. So much is changing all the time, it’s crazy.”

  “And here I thought this place didn’t change at all,” Jenna laughed.

  Naomi nodded. “It seems that way, but I think that’s what I like about it. You always know what you have, you know?”

  The coffee arrived. Jenna stirred milk into hers, no sugar. Naomi poured both into her cup.

  “So, do you think you and Nate will live together at some point?” she asked.

  Jenna nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Not now, though. We’re taking it slow. But eventually.”

  “Yeah. Slow,” Naomi said and rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why you bother. You two are perfect, and you’ve been together for so long, too.”

  “We have a lot of time to make up for,” Jenna said. “And there isn’t any rush.”

  Naomi nodded.

  “What are you going to do about work?” she asked, holding her cup and sipping between sentences. “What do you think you’ll want to do?”

  “I don’t know that, either,” Jenna said and looked toward the window. “I feel a little lost, actually. I mean, I’m home, and I know the town and the people, but I have no idea who I am now, and what I want. Nate offered me a job at the restaurant, but I feel like that’s very dead end.”

  Naomi shook her head. “It doesn’t have to be. You can do that while you think about where you’re headed. And give me discounts while you’re at it because Nate is stingy and never does.”

  Jenna laughed. “Yeah, we’re definitely doing this for your sake, not mine.”

  Naomi shrugged.

  They finished their coffee, making small talk, laughing, and catching up. And Jenna was glad that she had come home. She had missed her friend. And, strangely, without even knowing it, she had missed this little town and all its weird people and quirks. How had she hated it so much when she was younger?

  “Are you ready to go?” Jenna asked.

  Naomi shook her head. “Not yet.”

  “Do you want to order something else?”

  “No,” Naomi said. “I just want to spend more time with you.”

  Jenna laughed. “I’m here, Naomi. I’m not going anywhere. We can spend the rest of our lives drinking coffee and gossiping.”

  “Yeah,” Naomi said. But she stalled when Jenna tried to get the bill and she took a long time working out how much she was going to pay. She went to the bathroom first before they could go, and she looked forever for the car keys in her handbag.

  Eventually, by the time they were on the road, the sun was setting.

  When they turned into Jenna’s street, a thumping sound filled the air.

  “Someone’s having a party,” Jenna said.

  Naomi nodded and pulled into the driveway. Lights flashed in the windows and the thumping sound was coming from inside.

  “What’s going on here?” Jenna asked.

  “It’s you,” Naomi said. “You’re having a party.”

  Jenna shook her head. “I said no parties,” Jenna complained.

  “You’ll like this one,” Naomi said and dragged Jenna inside.

  As soon as she was inside the door, Jenna realized what was going on. A “Welcome Home” banner had been stretched across the living room wall, and housewarming gifts had been stacked in a corner. Greg was playing barman behind a foldup table. And everyone else in the room was someone from town, someone that Jenna knew.

  Someone that was glad to have her home.

  Nate came to Jenna, squeezed her tightly, and kissed her.

  “You’re home,” he said.

  Jenna looked around at all the happy faces, at the house that was now hers. At the life she was creating for herself from scratch. And happiness welled up inside of her. She had her friends, her family. She had Nate.

  “I am,” she said. “I really am.”

  About the
Author

  Heather Wynter published her debut in 2020 with What She Didn’t See and is quickly on her way to bestseller status.

  * * *

  She started writing after becoming an empty nester to tick the “write a book” goal off her bucket list and had so many ideas she just couldn’t stop at one book.

  * * *

  Heather creates her characters to be real people, capturing the beauty of life and all the ups and downs that come with it. Her books are emotional and always include twists you won’t see coming.

  * * *

  She writes Mystery, Thriller, Romance, and Suspense.

  * * *

  Heather lives on Florida’s Gulf Coast with her dog, Oliver. When she is not writing or reading, you will likely find her kayaking, riding her bike, and enjoying everything Florida has to offer. Heather is involved in her community, volunteering for everything from cleaning up the trails to serving beer at festival booths.

  Falling for my Fling

  By Dakota Davies

  Falling for my Fling

  On prom night two months ago, I had everything ready: condoms, check. Lube, check. Sexy lingerie under my dress, check. After four months of working up my nerve, I was going to finally shed my virginity. The problem? My date dumped me for someone else.

  * * *

  I’m not going to Stanford a virgin. It’s bad enough that my body draws the wrong kind of guys, every time. If I can just tackle this last hurdle, maybe I’ll put off that confident vibe I see other girls wearing and those creepy guys will stop tormenting me. I can stop thinking about it and focus on school.

  * * *

  I vow this summer I’ll be different. I’ll be that daring girl that has a summer fling without a care in the world. I’ll find some hot, outdoorsy guy who can show me what I’ve been missing. And when summer ends, I’ll blow him a kiss and walk into my big, bright future with my heart intact.

  * * *

  But when my sexy bad boy target, Caleb Morgan, gives me a night I’ll never forget, and comes back for more, by the time summer ends I realize I’m in deep yogurt, because yep, I broke my own rule.

  * * *

  How can I say goodbye when he asks me to stay?

  * * *

  If you like the heat of Lauren Blakely and the heart of Jamie McGuire, you will love Dakota Davies’ hot new series.

  Copyright © 2020 by Dakota Davies. All rights reserved.

  Genre: New Adult Romance

  * * *

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the expressed written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. While, as in all fiction, the literary perceptions and insights are based on experience, all names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  * * *

  Editing: Del’s Diabolical Editing

  1

  Lori

  Slowly, I sink deeper into the scorching hot water. Prickles of painful heat creep up my thighs. I resist saying it’s too hot for me because I’m determined to be a risk taker this summer. Maybe by starting with small steps like igniting my skin in a hot spring tub I can work up to the big one: ditching my virginity.

  Across from me, my new friend Annika is already belly deep in the water. “You are such a wimp,” she says with a giggle.

  I grimace at her through the soft twilight. “Not fair. You grew up doing stuff like this. They don’t exactly have geothermal activity in downtown Berkley.”

  “You get used to it.” She settles deeper into the metal tub on the wide gravel bar alongside Penny Creek. Thirty feet away from where we’re soaking, the roaring, frigid river rushes over pale cobbles. The round tub or “teacup” as Annika calls it was supposedly built by her dad when he started the family’s raft guiding business decades ago.

  I sink to my waist, gasping as the hot needles burn my bare belly. Initially, I turned down her invitation to soak because I imagined a bunch of naked strangers staring at me, or rather my chest. But she was quick to assure me the teacup only fit four people, and nobody goes in naked anymore. “The hippies that settled this place all grew up,” she told me.

  The water creeps to the bottom edge of my bikini top. My boyfriend’s—no, scratch that—ex-boyfriend’s mom once told me “girls like me” shouldn’t wear a bikini. That it “did things” to boys.

  As if I don’t already know that.

  Case in point—Hans Frey, the lanky blond tennis instructor at Camp Osprey who mutters “nice tits” every time I pass, practically drooling.

  “So, your first week working at Camp Osprey,” Annika raises an eyebrow, “impressions?”

  “I love the kids,” I say to banish Hans’ hungry gaze from my mind as the water burns over my painfully erect nipples. “Their little minds are like sponges,” I add, clenching my teeth at the searing heat.

  “You’re so patient with them,” Annika is looking up at the sky where stars are poking out of the dusk. “I totally lost my shit with Frankie today.”

  “Well, she was being a little turd. A temper tantrum? For not getting a second cookie? She’s ten.”

  Annika laughs softly. I’ve only known her a week, but it feels like longer after being her wingman at the nature camp for kids with learning challenges, one I applied to last minute when my original plans for the summer imploded. Even though I’ve never been to central Idaho, slept in a rickety cabin, or peed in an outhouse.

  I’m all about the new experiences this summer. That and getting as far away from Berkley as possible.

  “Any news about your car?” Annika asks.

  My used Volvo, which my parents helped me buy last year, limped the last fifty miles to camp after its twelve-hour journey from California, leaving a trail of white smoke from the tailpipe.

  “Yep. Blown head gasket.”

  She wrinkles her nose. “That sucks. What are you going to do?”

  “I’m not sure yet.” I have my bike, and if Annika keeps offering me rides, I can put any big decision off a little longer. “A new engine costs three grand. I’m not sure it’s worth it.”

  “Three grand?” Annika cringes. “Let me ask around, okay? I’m sure I get it done for you for way less than that.”

  “Really?” I practically squeal. “That would be awesome.”

  The murmur of voices approaching rises above the river’s rushing current.

  “Looks like we’ll have company,” Annika sighs as two guys dressed in t-shirts and board shorts step down from the road above and scramble down the bank. One of them is carrying a six pack of beer.

  Quickly, I slip into the water to hide my balloons. The sudden rush of heat explodes in my face and I bite my lip to keep from gasping.

  “They give you a break from diaper duty?” one of them calls out to Annika as they remove their flip flops and tug off their shirts.

  “Screw you,” Annika groans. She turns to me. “My brother and his charming sidekick,” she says in a low tone, rolling her eyes.

  The guys step barefoot down the slope to the gravel bar. When her brother gets to the side of the tub our eyes finally meet. My heart hiccups. He’s handsome in that devilish way which makes my already heated blood sizzle, with a sculpted chest and strong, defined arms.

  It’s as if he knows I’ve just checked him out because he gives me a little wink, then in one smooth motion, he puts two hands on the wooden platform surrounding the edge of the teacup and vaults over the edge. His plunge into the tub creates a small tsunami that pulses up to my chin then crashes onto the rocks below.

  Gulp.

  “Lori, this is Caleb, my brother,” Annika nods at Mr. Hot Stuff, then turns to the other guy, who is just as cut, with straight red hair compared to Caleb’s sandy-blond, half-wild curls. “This is Grady.”

  Grady hops up backwards to the tub’s edge then, swings around. “Ladies,” he says with a nod before dunking up to his neck.r />
  Caleb leans back and releases a satisfied groan that sends a jolt through my core. I try not to stare at his chiseled jaw and mischievous blue eyes. Am I panting?

  “Rough day on the water?” Annika asks them. From our many conversations over the past week, I’ve learned that most of her family members work as raft guides during the summer months.

  Grady leans out and grabs one of the beers from the six pack he brought, then offers it to me and Annika. I shake my head—I’m only eighteen. Even though I’ve vowed to be that reckless girl who says yes to everything, I’m not ready to break all the rules just yet, especially one that could get me fired, or worse, cause me to lose my scholarship to Stanford.

  Annika declines too, but I get the feeling she’s being cautious for my benefit. With an older brother, I’m sure she’s imbibed before.

  Grady shrugs and cracks the lid. “You wanna tell it? Or should I?” he says to Caleb.

  Caleb grins, making his blue eyes flash. “Teddy flipped a boat.”

  Annika gasps. “No!”

  Both guys chuckle, then Caleb must catch the look of confusion I’m wearing because he says, “The river’s really high right now, so there’s lots of water running. Normally, we wouldn’t let a rookie guide have his own boat this early in the season, but we were short today, so…” He pauses to sip from his beer.

  “There’s a giant hole river center,” Grady explains as he rests his arm on the wooden lip of the tub. “It’s after Split Rock rapids. The current pushes right into it, so you have to backstroke hard.”