Ultimate Book Bundle Featuring Christmas and Commitment

Featuring Voyages and Vows

Dani's fiancé left her at the altar. Her man of honor steps up and offers to marry her right then and there...and she says yes.

 Folly and Forever

Bethany marries her roommate just to save her house and help him get custody of his kid who is being neglected...

Snowfall and Secrets

Tess's new landlord is hotter than the sun, but a complete grump. But when the temps drop to negative 15, her heater craps and there is no way he's letting her stay alone without heat. He brings her back to his place but he only has one bed...

Roadtrips and Romance

Liz's car breaks down on day one of her California coast camping trip and her old high school crush rescues her, but the tent is only big enough for one air mattress...

Pyramids and Promises

Jessica left her cheating husband 4000 miles away. But he's a crazy stalker and found her anyway. Just as he's about to hit her, her hot new neighbor's dog attacks him...

Lakesides and Longing

Paige wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. Her enemy rushes to her room and doesn't hesitate. He climbs into her bed and pulls her thrashing body into his arms, holding her until she calms down….

Christmas and Commitment

Mia's fiancé left her at the altar. But she take my honeymoon anyway--why waste the trip? The eye candy in the suite next to her shows up at her door half-dressed looking for his dog...

Monkeys and Mayhem

Anna's one night stand from three months ago left a business card with an address in Thailand told her to come visit him sometime. After too much wine, she boo

Christmas and Commitment

Soft snow fell outside the tiny windows. For the
second time in a month, Mia’s world closed in on
her. Though, this wasn’t as bad as the first time. But still,
she’d hoped her family would help her forget that she was
supposed to be on her honeymoon.
“This isn’t fair,” Mia whined.
She hated the way her dad looked at her, hated the sound
of her voice, but it really wasn’t fair. The look he gave her
was a mixture of pity and exasperation, a look she’d become
very familiar with the last few weeks. It was the same look
her boss, the principal of the high school, gave her when he
put her on leave two weeks ago. It was the same look most of
the teachers gave her. It was certainly better than the look
her pupils parents gave her as she trudged out of the school
after getting put on leave. She felt like a criminal even
though she’d done nothing wrong. The people watching
might as well have had tar and feathers.
She glanced around the old house that was now hers
alone. The ceiling creaked and groaned as it settled,
matching her mood. She spotted some cobwebs across the
boards of the vaulted ceiling. Those would be easily reme‐
died with a ladder, and she mentally added it to her list of
things to clean. She would make sure the house was spotless,
to keep her mind off of everything while she was alone for
the holidays.
She hadn’t even bothered decorating yet, and she loved
Christmas. Somehow, all of that was overshadowed by
finding out her fiancé was sleeping with one of her students.
Sure, it had been one of Drew’s students as well, he’d been
the history teacher, but she’d been close with Jenny and was
still searching for signs that she should’ve seen. But Mia had
been too busy picturing her fantasy future, a picket fence and
little children running around with water guns or princess
crowns to notice anything alarming. Her brain told her this
wasn’t her fault. Her heart, where she held the crushing guilt,
told her she should have noticed something was off.
Mia and Drew had helped the girls soccer team with their
fundraisers and had gone to their games. She thought Drew
was such a compassionate person, caring about the students
and wanting to make sure he was involved with them. Man,
she should have known his level of involvement wasn’t
natural.
But there had been zero signs. Well, until she found the
series of highly inappropriate texts on Drew’s phone. She’d
so wanted to believe he wasn’t like the men from her past,
and she worried that she’d just ignored the signs. She rubbed
her forehead. Maybe he’d truly been that good at covering
it up.
Dad shifted on the couch next to her, bringing her back
to the present.
“But it’s Christmas,” Mia said.
“I know it’s Christmas, but Sheila and I have been looking
forward to our cruise for some time.”
Dad’s rich new wife smiled at Mia. “It will be good for
you to get out of town anyway. You don’t really want to stay
here, do you?” Sheila’s bright white teeth stood out on a face
that definitely had its share of Botox. Even though she was
well into her sixties, there were no creases in her forehead,
and she always looked a little surprised. Mia would rather
have wrinkles instead of not being able to move her muscles
to express her emotions.
Mia shook her head. No, she certainly didn’t want to stay
here alone. She loved her tiny
town, and Christmas was her favorite time of year, espe‐
cially with the caroling, Christmas pageant, and the dance on
the twenty-fourth. But now, she wouldn’t be able to show
her face at any of those events. The whole town of Janesville,
Iowa had turned on her, since she should’ve stopped things
before they started. At least, that’s what a few of the moms
told her. Mia didn’t blame them, but it still hurt. She didn’t
even feel comfortable going to the grocery store anymore.
“But I want to spend Christmas with family. We always
do.” Mia and her father had never spent a Christmas apart,
even though she was nearing thirty. The best part of it was
spending time with her family. They baked cookies, watched
silly movies, and played games.
Dad let out a breath. “Sheila and I booked the cruise after
you booked your honeymoon. You should still go to
Colorado.”
Mia let out an ironic laugh. “Right. Go on my honeymoon
alone.”
Sheila laid a hand over Mia’s. “It’s already paid for. Why
not go?”
Mia flung herself on the couch cushions. “I don’t get why
you didn’t tell me you were going to be gone.”
“You were busy with the wedding plans. It didn’t seem
important.”
This was the last thing Mia needed. Not only was her
perfect Christmas wedding destroyed, but now she had to
spend Christmas by herself in a town where everyone
hated her.
“I don’t want to be alone at Christmas.”
“Neither had your father. That’s why we planned this
trip,” Sheila said.
Her father’s face tensed, but Sheila was a hundred percent
correct. Mia had wanted her special day during her favorite
time of year, and she hadn’t thought about how that would
impact her family. She hadn’t originally planned to go on a
honeymoon over Christmas, but Drew had talked her into it.
“I’ll just go spend Christmas with Vi.” Mia still didn’t get
how her father didn’t understand that she wanted to be with
family. That was what Christmas was about.
“Violet didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” Mia asked.
“Josh’s parents are paying for all the kids and grandkids
to go to Disney World.”
It felt as if the entire universe pushed at her from all sides.
A tightness in her chest had been growing since the start of
this conversation, and the panic crept in on Mia. She didn’t
want to be alone for Christmas, but she’d rather be alone at
home than alone at a resort in Colorado.
She’d never had wanderlust. She liked her tiny home in
her tiny town, with her job as the librarian in the tiny high
school with only two hundred kids. Except, she wasn’t sure
her job would still be there after the trial. The parents
needed a scapegoat, and she was it.
Mia made a mental note to send her sister a nasty text
message later. Vi had to have known Dad was going to pres‐
sure her to take the trip. Violet wasn’t nearly as sentimental
as Mia.
Christmas was about family, not ski resorts, cruises, and
Disney World.
“Dad, I don’t want to spend Christmas by myself.” Espe‐
cially in a honeymoon suite. Mia hadn’t wanted to ski, but
Colorado was a good compromise. Drew could go do
outdoorsy things, and she could curl up and read in front of
a fire. She’d picked the spot because, at least, it would still
feel like Christmas. If Drew hadn’t been caught, he probably
would have spent the days hitting on underage snow
bunnies. She’d been so blind.
“When’s the last time you took a vacation?” Dad’s face
softened a little.
Mia bit her lip and shrugged.
“That’s what I thought. Go. You can’t get your money
back now. I don’t want you to be here alone.”
Christmas, with all its traditions, was her favorite day of
the year, and she’d been prepared to sacrifice it for Drew, but
now everything was different.
“I don’t need to go anywhere.”
Neither had her father for that matter, until Sheila
waltzed into his life three months ago and completely swept
him off his feet.
Mia liked Sheila well enough, and she made Dad happy.
Sheila had money that they never had. Her dad had a small
pension from the electric cooperative where he worked as a
janitor for years. He retired after Mom got sick, and he had
to take care of her, but it was too early, so he didn’t get his
full amount. By the time Mom died five years ago, he was too
old to go back, and Mia moved in with him to help pay the
bills.
“Mee, this will be good for you,” Sheila said. “Get up in
the mountains, learn to ski. You’ll see. It will clear your head.”
Mia grimaced at Sheila using her father’s nickname for
her, but she tried not to let it bother her.
Dad shoved the ticket at her that she’d tossed into the
trash. “Everything is paid for. Go.”
Mia let out a breath.
“Fine.” She took the ticket and stormed to her room. They
had a point. Staying here would be absolute torture. She’d
just take a whole suitcase of books. Reading in a ski resort in
Colorado would beat hiding out in her house. She collapsed
on her bed just as the text message from her sister arrived.
So are you going? Violet asked. Mia wanted to ignore the
text because she was pissed Violet didn’t warn her. But if she
didn’t respond, the phone would just ring. Violet had bailed
as soon as she graduated high school. She lived in Des
Moines now with her husband and three adorable kids.
Yes. No thanks to you. Why didn’t you tell me about Disney?
Mia couldn’t blame Vi for taking the trip to Disney, espe‐
cially when her in-laws were paying for it. The kids would
have such a good time.
Ha! Because I knew I was your only excuse for not going to
Colorado, and I didn’t want you to have time to think of another.
Brat. What am I going to do there? Mia looked around the
room. Evidence of Drew was still everywhere, his things like
a fungus she’d not gotten around to treating. He’d moved in a
month ago, and his shirts still hung in the closet next to her
teacher skirts and blouses. She should’ve cleaned them out,
but it was easier to binge watch Grey’s Anatomy and re-read
every book on her shelf.
Meet a hot ski instructor.
Ha! No. Didn’t I tell you I was done with men? Especially
now. She couldn’t believe Vi would even suggest such a
thing.
You’ve only had three boyfriends. All douchebags. You haven’t
met the right guy.
All three of them cheated on me. I really don’t want to walk in
on another guy that I love in bed with somebody else. I’ll just keep
my book boyfriends.
So not the same.
You snagged the only good guy on earth. There are no more left.
Eh, maybe. But Mee, I’m not talking about a relationship. Have
a fling. You deserve one after all you’ve been through.
Fling. Yeah, right. Mia was not a fling type of girl.
At least now.
College didn’t count.