A Merry Little Christmas

Angelique Deveraux and Adonis "Donnie" Cochran have hated each other ever since Lucky in Love, the book in which her oldest brother Clay married his only sister, Bennie. They took an almost instant dislike to each other and have bickered and battled their way through Until the End of Time, My One and Only Love and Let it Be Me. Donnie even coined a nickname for Angelique that describes her personality perfectly; he calls her Evilene. But over the years they've learned to at least tolerate each other, especially since Angelique has moved from her hometown of Atlanta to Detroit where the other Cochrans live. She's changed quite a bit over the years, something Donnie doesn't want to acknowledge because he'd also have to admit that he's attracted to her. The attraction isn't one-sided, either; Angelique is so taken with Donnie that she kisses him on New Year's Eve, although she can't understand why she did it. They're gradually taking small steps into a relationship and things are going well until they wake up in each other's arms in a luxury suite in Las Vegas, fully clothed with nothing but a valid marriage license as an explanation. The logical thing to do would be to leave this debacle in Vegas to stay, but they decide to ride out the storm for a while. They return to Detroit as a married couple and Donnie finds himself playing the role of protector to his bride, since the family thinks that she's to blame for the escapade. All it takes is a head injury for Angelique, a three-day blizzard and a small case of amnesia for Angelique's deepest secret to be revealed so the couple can find their way to true love. But Angelique's trust in Donnie is shaken to the core when she learns something from his past that causes her to doubt everything they've built together. She's so hurt that she's ready to give up on their marriage but Donnie shows her that he's the only man for her in the most romantic way possible.